Head of Audit, Risk & Assurance

This is a fantastic opportunity to bring your expertise and leadership to a high-profile, organisation-wide role, setting the strategic direction for audit, risk and assurance. You will drive an integrated, risk-based approach that moves beyond compliance, ensuring assurance activity is focused, proportionate and adds real value. Working closely with senior leaders, you will act as a trusted adviser and constructive challenger, helping to strengthen governance, improve performance and build organisational resilience.

You will lead a specialist team and work collaboratively across COPFS, as well as engaging with external auditors, inspectors and oversight bodies. You will play a key role in modernising assurance practices, using data, insight and innovative approaches to continuously improve how we operate in a complex, public facing, high-scrutiny environment.

Your first few weeks in role will include time spent in office to support your induction, giving you the opportunity to build relationships, understand the organisation and immerse yourself in COPFS? operating environment, governance structures and ways of working.

Offering high-profile leadership exposure, this role puts you at the centre of strategic decision-making across COPFS. With access to Civil Service networks, mentoring and development, you?ll have the opportunity to grow your impact while shaping how assurance supports a national public service.

We are seeking an experienced and credible assurance leader who can operate confidently at senior level within complex,
high-scrutiny public service or regulated environments. The successful candidate will be highly analytical and evidence-led, able to
interpret complex audit, risk and assurance information and translate it into clear, actionable insight for senior leaders and
governance bodies. They will exercise sound, independent judgement, balance competing risks and priorities while providing
constructive challenge, and will demonstrate strong strategic thinking with an organisation-wide view of risk, control and assurance.
They will build trust and influence through clear communication of complex or sensitive issues, be comfortable engaging with
external auditors, inspectors and oversight bodies, and be committed to developing others, strengthening professional capability
and fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement.

Experience of working in the justice sector is not essential, we welcome applicants from other public sector organisations, arm?s
length bodies or regulated environments where comparable governance, scrutiny and assurance challenges can be demonstrated.

We offer an excellent range of benefits which include:

• • 25 days paid holiday + 11.5 public and privilege holidays (rising to 30 days paid holiday after 2 years).
  • Generous Civil Service Pension employer contribution, on average over 28.97% of your pay
  • Flexible working hours and family friendly approach to work.
  • Cycle to Work Scheme and Season Ticket Loans.
  • Employee Wellbeing Support with Mental Health First Aiders and access to an Employee Assistance Programme.

Job contact :

• Name : recruitment@copfs.gov.uk
• Email : recruitment@copfs.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@copfs.gov.uk