About the job

Job summary

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.

   

Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.

Are you in the market for new role which will make valuable contributions and have real impact in the public service? We have a phenomenal opportunity to join Unity Business Services, which delivers shared services to HMRC. Across Government, Shared Services touches the lives of over 450,000 civil servants providing business critical tools. Within human resources, finance, payroll, and procurement which enable employees to deliver public services. 

The ‘Shared Service Strategy for Government: 2022 and Beyond’ links government departments together into five Shared Service Centres. Each centre will be linked using advance systems to deliver better, more efficient services. HMRC, Department for Transport and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and their subsidiary bodies will come together as one shared service, delivered in Unity Business Services. 

Job description

This is a new and high-profile role, working at the heart of UBS within the Business Management Function. We are recruiting for the Head of Risk and Performance who will be developing, implementing, and maintaining an effective risk and control framework. You will have regular exposure to the Unity's Senior Leaders in addition to senior functional leaders within:- 

1. HR Operations. 
2. Finance & Procurement Operations. 
3. People, Process & Technology Function and the wider Business Management Function. 

We need you to be skilled and comfortable with providing strategic risk advisory to a range of leaders in addition to supporting them in the management of risk! 

Priorities 

• Setting and implementing the UBS Risk Management Strategy and architecture, including structures and accountabilities. 
• Providing strategic oversight of risk across UBS, advising the Director of UBS and senior functional leaders to establish and implement appropriate mitigations and controls. 
• Develop and own the UBS Risk, Control & Performance Matrix. Measurement of the risk profile within UBS, including recommending appropriate mitigations to senior leaders. 
• Partner with the Unity Programme to support the safe integration of DfT Shared Services into UBS on 1st June 2024 and de-risking the transition of people. 

Person specification

• Setting and implementing Unity Business Services Risk Management Strategy and architecture including structures and accountabilities. 
• Responsible for the setting and operationalising of risk management policies and practices across UBS, leading the implementation of the risk management strategy, Risk, Control & Performance framework. 
• Development and ownership of the UBS Risk, Control & Performance Matrix. Measurement of the risk profile within UBS, including the recommendation of risk management mitigation measures to senior Functional Leaders. 
• We need someone to be accountable to produce all UBS risk, internal control, and performance data and reports. Responsible for communicating this as required with In-House Services and Intelligent Client Functions through the appropriate Governance channel. 
• Development and implementation of UBS Risk Management Information Systems, including the development of UBS reporting and assurance frameworks. 
• Management of the UBS Business Continuity Plan, including conducting business impact analysis, plan maintenance, and business simulation testing. 
• Leading the UBS Risk, Control and Performance Function and ensuring internal compliance with The Orange Book (Management of Risk Principles and Concepts) and other relevant HMT and Cabinet Office standards. 

Essential Criteria: 

We require Risk Management, or an assurance derived from qualification and / or demonstrable experience working in large business, portfolio, programme, or project management environment! 

• Providing strategic oversight of risk across UBS, advising the Director of Unity Business Services and SLT to establish and implement appropriate mitigations and controls. 
• Ability to advise and provide training to Risk, Control & Performance Team. 
• Responsible for setting risk methodologies and standards, risk analyses, and processes. Tracking the regulatory requirements, standards, and leading market practice and ensuring compliance in these fields. 

Desirable Criteria: 

We are looking for a highly skilled risk management professional, who can work independently, as well as part of a team delivering through others. You must also have exceptional partner management skills and be able to build relationships, including with senior leaders, that are based on commitment and trust, seeing all views and opinions and confidently giving constructive challenge when needed. 

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £54,439, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £14,698 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A CV including your job history and previous experiences. Your CV will be scored. 
• A 500-word personal statement.

Your 500-word Personal Statement should demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria and what you and your experience can bring to the role. It’s important your Personal Statement is aligned with the requirements of the role. 

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake, please contact us via: ubsrecruitmentexcellence@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’ To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.

Sift

At sift your CV and your Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview. 

Interview

During the panel interview, your experience will be assessed, and you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of.

You will also be asked to deliver a presentation. The topic of the presentation will be confirmed prior to interview.

Interviews will take place via video link.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and appointments will be made in strict merit order until the set demand is filled in each location. If successful, you will be informed which locations are available when we reach your position on the merit list.

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact the UBS Recruitment Excellence Team via ubsrecruitmentexcellence@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Diversity and Inclusion

At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues and creating an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success, and we welcome applications from all people, from all backgrounds, with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. We’re committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues here at HMRC and want everyone to feel valued and supported to achieve their potential.

Click here for more information on how we make this happen

Please note that following is optional and should only be included if additional security information is specified in the RAF/VIS or approval email – Insert for vacancies that require CTC

Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers

This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the ‘location preferences’ section that you can travel to.

Terms and Conditions

Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.

HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process. 

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.