Corporate Assurance Manager

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Job Description

Salary: Base salary: £38,550pa to c.£45,350pa depending on skills and experience. In addition, we offer flexible benefits fund of 15% which is paid on top base salary and is fully pensionable, as well as a range of competitive benefits - check them out in the Benefits section on our website.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

As a Corporate Assurance Manager at HS2 you will provide assurance to HS2 Ltd. and other stakeholders that HS2 Ltd.'s business controls are effective at both managing risk and providing compliance with relevant legislation, regulations, Cabinet Office Controls and external accreditations. To support the Senior Corporate Assurance Manager in the development and delivery of the Integrated Assurance and Approval Plan (IAAP). To lead on LoD2 business assurance reviews across all areas of HS2's business controls environment and, where competent, act as subject matter lead for individual assurance activities, or generalist assurance practitioner managing inputs from subject matter experts.

About the role:

• Act as the assurance lead with responsibility for the management of individual assurance reviews and coordinating the assurance review team to deliver the review, in line with the agreed IAAP and HS2 policies and procedures.
• Plan and scope the assurance reviews, and document the assurance plan/terms of reference, by working with stakeholders and subject matter experts to develop targeted assurance scope that focuses on key risk areas for activities to be assured.
• Plan and deliver fieldwork for assurance reviews, by identifying risk controls and completing testing using a range of testing techniques to assess control design and operating effectiveness.
• Hold close out meetings with stakeholders, agreeing corrective actions to support the development, implementation, maintenance and improvement of the Integrated Management System. (IMS).
• Prepare final reports, escalating major issues or inadequate responses to the Senior Corporate Assurance Manager
• Provide data analysis of assurance findings with the view to the identification of trends to allow management to develop and prioritise improvement initiatives.
• Support the Senior Corporate Assurance Manager in the development of the IAAP by providing analysis of the mapping of assurance coverage across the dimensions of risk, capability, organisation and IMS, identifying changes in legislations/regulations, and considering outputs and trends from historic audits.
• Support the wider business areas, in the mapping of assurance, to understand gaps in assurance and identify processes which require development.
• Ensure that all assurance reviews promote the reduction of costs and enhanced performance controls by identifying inefficiencies and opportunities and supporting stakeholders in streamlining processes and eliminating redundancies.
• Provide input and ideas to the continual improvement of policies and procedures.
• Support, coach and mentor more junior assurance staff to develop their knowledge, skills and competencies in auditing, data analysis, risk management, identification of opportunities, stakeholder management, assurance planning and report writing.
• Actively promote and embed Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work, and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

About You:

Skills:

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills • Ability to lead the end to end delivery of assurance reviews to a professional standard and to agreed deadlines, working with assurance providers, both internally and from 3rd parties where required
• Ability to identify strengths and areas for improvement within a business area or process, e.g. considering Results Approach Deployment Assessment & Review or Plan Do Check Act approach.
• Ability to analyse data and information to provide data-driven feedback to support robust, evidence-based decision making
• Ability to identify and scope the impact of assurance findings, and communicate the implications to a range of audiences. • Excel, MS Project and PowerPoint skills. • Project Management skills, leadership and team-working ability.
• Ability to engage with and influence senior management and executives.

Knowledge:

• Professional assurance, internal control or audit qualifications or equivalent such as ISO Lead Auditor
• Good understanding of risks and controls and their application to the business environment
• Good knowledge of range of assurance activities, tools and techniques and their application
• Good knowledge of management systems, based on recognised standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 27001
• Good knowledge of the principles of auditing such as ISO 19011, HM Treasury Assurance Framework
• Knowledge of the rail, construction and utility industries including their requirement and assurance needs

Type of experience:

• Experience of delivering assurance or audits across a major programme, large infrastructure mega projects, complex organisation, with multiple stakeholders, within the public or private sector
• Experience delivering work under pressure and to tight deadlines
• Experience in the validation of major schemes, risk management and reporting
• Experience of working with sponsors, stakeholders, engineers and project delivery teams

The post-holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect. It is expected that you will actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

As HS2 Ltd do not hold a sponsorship license from the Home Office, we are not able to provide sponsorship to any applicant. Applicants must already have the Right to Work in the UK at the time of application and our process involves a Right to Work validation prior to the interview stage. Note, there are certain types of time-bound visas that we cannot accept.

Any offers made to applicants will be subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks which include Nationality & Immigration Status, employment references, DBS, Financial and Education checks.

We ask for a variety of detail in your online application, however we perform the first assessment of suitability for a role based solely on the information in your CV. In a further development of our efforts to create a more diverse workforce, your CV will be anonymised and personal information will be removed during the first stage of the application review. This removes bias from the process and makes it even more important that you attach an updated word version of your CV for each new application ensuring you include evidence directly related to the criteria in the job advert. Watch this video on how we remove bias in the recruitment process: Removing bias in the recruitment process - YouTube

Any applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

About Us

High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) will be the UK's new high speed rail network. As well as improving capacity, the new scheme will shorten journey times between a number of Britain's major population centres, boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.

HS2 Ltd will create a skills legacy and develop a diverse range of talent. We aim to be a leader in EDI practice by creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff - living our values of Safety, Respect, Integrity and Leadership.

In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

HS2 Ltd is also a safety-critical organisation. Employees are required to ensure reasonable care of their own and others' health and safety by taking personal responsibility for working to our 'Safe at Heart' programme principles and following safe working procedures at all times.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential.