NERC

UK Research & Innovation

Salary: £56,745

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Open Ended

Location: Polaris House, Swindon (Hybrid Working)

Closing Date: Sunday 29 June 2025

Job Overview:

The Risk & Assurance activity in UKRI helps to influence and drive decision making in the organisation at all relevant levels in pursuit of organisational objectives.

Management Assurance Leads undertake work within the overall UKRI Risk and Assurance Framework supporting senior leaders to deliver their responsibilities efficiently and effectively in line with delegated authority, public sector controls, laws, and regulations.

The Management Assurance Lead undertakes reviews providing assurance and advice related to governance risk management and internal control. They will support the delivery of the internal audit plan by our internal audit provider as well as support the completion of improvement actions.

The postholders will undertake work in line with the direction set by the Director Risk Assurance, Counter Fraud and Investigations who acts as head of profession for Assurance. The Postholder will be involved in professional networks and cross team working.

The Management Assurance Lead reports to the Head of Risk and Assurance. The role may include management responsibility of a small group within the team that may include Assurance Managers and/or support roles, as necessary. The Postholder will be involved in professional networks and cross team working.

Management Assurance Leads are visible member of the teams and are required to build strong and effective relationships across a diverse group of stakeholders internally and externally as appropriate.

Note: This role does not have direct financial responsibilities but will assist the management of the team’s budget and spend.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support the delivery of our assurance arrangements, supported by a suite of policies and processes.
• Develop and implement assurance policies and processes that are innovative, provide the agility to respond to internal and external changes in environment, are in line with best practice.
• Provide appropriate assurance support for the organisation to enable optimisation of risk taking to take advantages of opportunities and organisational constraints within delegated limits and risk appetite.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement in all areas and champion professional standards and good management practice across all the diverse areas of UKRI.
• Provide balanced professional support and challenge to all business areas at a variety of levels as appropriatePlay a leading role in the design and delivery of an annual Executive Accountability Assessment exercise
• Work closely with Internal Auditors and the business to support the development and delivery of the annual audit plan. Lead on evaluating audit action closure evidence within the policies and process of the organisation and following up with challenge where needed.
• Delivery of appropriate assurance communications to Audit Sponsors and Executive Level Leads and other senior members of staff.
• Responsibility to manage key assurance records with a good understanding of data and information management within assurance activities
• As a line manager, lead by example, ensure staff understand their role and can develop their skills and make a positive contribution to the work of the team
• Engage with all relevant risk and assurance activities as needed to deliver a professional service to the organisation and a joined up and cohesive team approach
• Requirement to travel sometimes to visit relevant locations or attend training or events
• Provide high quality written and verbal advice suitable for executive and senior level decision makers.

Key Skills & Knowledge:

• Excellent people skills, able to influence and build and maintain strong working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders at all levels, both internally and externally
• Excellent management skills with an ability to manage through change, inspire, motivate, and develop capability within a team.
• Enthusiastic, motivated, adaptable, and proactive with the ability to work flexibly in a changing environment and respond to shifting priorities.
• Ability to innovate and challenge established thinking in self and others, and to offer insights and ideas with practical application coupled with the ability to drive change.
• Insightful business awareness with the ability to understand and analyse changing business context and landscape to assess and manage risk, capitalise on emerging opportunities, make sound evidence-based judgements, promote the interests of UKRI and research and innovation.
• Ability to instil confidence within stakeholders at the most senior levels, acting as a trusted advisor.
• Excellent communication skills including good experience of writing reports to a high standard
• Strong understanding of risk, assurance, and audit activities
• Understand the linkages and dependencies between the risk and assurance function and other corporate services functions, promoting a culture of teamwork and helping to break down silos if they emerge.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders across UKRI and external bodies, to develop a clear understanding of the organisation, to facilitate effective working relationships.
• Manage resource levels and skills to meet fluctuating workloads.
• Function as an initial point of escalation for complex assurance queries ensuring effective and appropriate reporting of complex assurance information
• Strong understanding of prevailing governance standards and public sector rules including but not limited to:
• Managing Public Money.
• HM Treasury and Cabinet Office standards and rules, particularly in relation to: Corporate Governance; Risk management; Spending Controls; Regularity and Propriety (conflicts of interest, gifts and hospitality, ethics).
• Internal Audit Standards
• Audit Committee best practice.
• Orange Book.
• FRC Corporate Governance Code and its public sector equivalent.
• Government Functional Standards.

Person Specification:

(S) – Shortlisting Criteria (I) – Interview Criteria (S & I) - Shortlisting Criteria & Interview Criteria

Essential

• Certified Internal Auditor, IIA OR Equivalent Assurance qualification (S)
• Strong assurance management experience, including supporting and implementing effective assurance management strategies, policy, and frameworks in an organisation. (S & I)
• Experience collaborating with senior teams and being a trusted advisor providing expert professional advice to senior management. (S & I)
• Ability to innovate and challenge established thinking in self and others, and to offer insights and ideas with practical application coupled with the ability to drive change. (I)
• Excellent management skills with an ability to manage through change, inspire, motivate, and develop capability within a team to deliver quality outcomes. (I)
• Experience of attending Committees and Boards. (I)
• Experience of working with internal and external Auditors (preferably National Audit Office) (S & I)

Application Guidance:

How to evidence the criteria:

You are encouraged to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) in the cover letter to evidence your ability to meet the ‘person specification’ criteria in the job description. Cover letters should be no more than two sides of A4 (minimum font size 11). For examples of the STAR method, please visit: The STAR method | National Careers Service’.

About UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK. Together we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. More information can be found at www.ukri.org.

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit Benefits of working for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. 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.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

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