Contract type: Fixed Term appointment until 30 June 2024 (Maternity Cover)
Work pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week
Starting salary: £41,150 rising to £46,147 per annum through annual increments being paid each year. (Pro rata for part time applicants).
Post number: 201923
As an organisation we support flexible working. This role allows hybrid working (a mix of home and office working) and a working pattern suitable for you can be discussed on appointment if you are successful.
You will be contracted to the nearest NRW office to your home, of which you will be required to attend for regular meetings, training and for one-to-one meetings with your manager. These will be planned in advance.
Job description To provide specialist advice and assurance to the organisation of the efficiency, effectiveness and compliance of our business processes through internal audit as the organisation's national expert on Internal Audit and Assurance.
You will provide high level professional technical/specialist expertise and advice as part of a professional enabling service which is involved in the delivery and improvement of enabling services to develop and support the organisation and its partners in corporate compliance, planning, performance, policy and strategy.
You will be involved in the management of large projects or small less complex programmes of work.
You will analyse and interpret a range of complex information and communicate this to others.
You will provide in-depth technical/specialist knowledge across NRW and upon which others will rely.
You will influence the work of others through your knowledge and decision making, the impact of which will be both internal and external.
You will undertake research as required and will produce documents that provide advice, guidance or opinion which others will use or act upon.
You will be responsible for authorising invoices and the procurement of goods and services in accordance with internal procedures.
You will be responsible for identifying and managing reputational risks.
You will be involved in the development of organisation policy and may contribute to the development of strategy.
You will take responsibility for the safe and effective use of NRW equipment and information.
Responsibilities Your responsibilities include:
- Together with the Head of Internal Audit, lead the development of the audit plan for NRW, providing specialist technical expertise based on risk analysis and through collaborative discussions across the organisation.
- Deputise for the Head of Internal Audit as and when required.
- Lead and manage audit plan delivery by allocating work, tracking progress for the whole team and by providing quality assurance reviews on all assignments to PSIAS (Public Sector Internal Audit Standard). This will include decisions over the nature of the assignments (i.e. risk-based audit or continuous assurance).
- Manage quality improvement plan for the Internal Audit services.
- Provide assurance over the development of the risk management framework by the NRW Risk Specialist.
- Adopt and promote an "open book" audit methodology that is more supportive and collaborative.
- Provide expert specialist technical advice and guidance, working alongside key business areas right from the start of their programme and project development, under the direction of ARAC; to provide assurance that appropriate governance and assurance mechanisms are in place - an upstream supportive continuous assurance approach.
- Establish positive and effective relationships across the whole organisation.
Qualifications, experience and knowledge Knowledge and experience of the following:
Specialist expert knowledge of assurance and internal audit including holding a professional internal audit qualification (CIIA (Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors) or equivalent). Good, broad knowledge of NRW and its functions to understand how internal audit can best provide advice and assurance across the organisation. Considerable, recent experience of risk based internal audit in a senior internal audit role in a large, complex organisation. Considerable, recent experience in managing delivery of the Annual Audit Plan and in providing Quality Assurance reviews to at all key stages of risk-based audit assignments. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills across all levels of organisation, including presenting information at the highest levels of governance (ARAC and Board). Considerable experience of providing continuous assurance on complex initiatives/areas where traditional audit would not provide value. Well-developed partnership development and negotiation skills. Ability to analyse information and write concise audit reports with clear recommendations and support others to do so. Ability to programme and project manage internal audits across the whole organisation. Able to matrix manage and work as part of other teams with a range of skills and specialisms.
Welsh Language Requirements Essential: Level 1 - Able to pronounce Welsh and use basic phrases
Please noteif you do not meet the level 1 requirement i.e., ability to understand basic phrases and ability to pronounce Welsh names correctly, then NRW offers a variety of learning options and staff support to help you meet these minimal requirements during the course of your employment with us.
Competencies Please note - Applications to this role will be assessed based on the following competencies, both at shortlisting and interview. Please give examples of how you demonstrate these competencies when completing your application form.
Essential Knowledge and Skills - Relevant substantial experience will have been gained from working in a number of different organisations or in different roles or functions within a single organisation.
- Post holders are employed primarily for their advanced specialist/technical knowledge. The post holder will also need to be able to think strategically.
- Post holder will demonstrate good mentoring skills.
Evaluation of Information - The post holder will analyse and interpret a wide range of complex information, extracting key points and communicating this to individuals at all levels, who may not fully understand the technical/ specialist nature of the information.
Decision Making and Autonomy Requirements - The post holder is responsible for making independent decisions based on input from line management and peers and an understanding of NRW policy considering the range of options available and their potential implications for the business. Post holders will be involved in the development of organisation policy and may contribute to the development of strategy.
- The work may involve the management of large projects or smaller less complex programmes of work. Decisions may be made which lead to changes in established procedure/practice for dealing with issues within the post-holder's area of work, and/or where the consequence of taking wrong decisions will have an adverse effect on the organisation in relation to its external stakeholders such as partner organisations, lenders, service users etc.
- Decisions may concern a broad range of matters and the outcomes of some decisions will not always be immediately clear or apparent. Problems encountered may also relate to the work of other parts of the organisation and could be variable and diverse. The impact of decisions made by the post holder is likely to be wider than the immediate function or department and is likely to be medium term.
Impact - There is a reliance on the specialist/technical knowledge and contribution of the post holder and their decisions and actions will influence others. The post holder will typically work across the organisation designing and/or managing a number of services and/or providing in depth technical/specialist expertise
- The consequences of their decision making/ action will have a medium to long term impact internally or externally.
- The post holder will be responsible for identifying and managing reputational risks.
Communication and Relationships with Others - The work will involve written and verbal communication and/or leading key projects, which will have a high degree of complexity requiring good communication and persuasive skills. This may also include facilitating and/or presenting at internal or external meetings, giving input and complex technical or specialist advice - including around legislative changes - and steering the direction of discussion or activities. There will be a requirement to foster and maintain good relationships and networks.
- Post holders will produce moderately complex documents, reports, accounts, contracts etc. Content will contain advice, guidance or opinion which the recipient will act upon or use and which would have detrimental consequences if incorrect or poorly drafted.
- Data and content may need to be sourced from multiple locations or sources, entailing external research and professional judgment in how such research should be interpreted. The impact of such documentation is likely to be generally longer term in nature.
Benefits of working for us This role will offer a range of benefits, including:
- agile and flexible working (role dependent)
- Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 26.6% to 30.3%
- 28 days annual leave, rising to 33 days
- generous leave entitlements for all your life needs
- health and wellbeing benefits and support
- weekly well-being hour to use at your choice
See full details for all the
employee benefits you will receive.
Please keep reading If you think you have what it takes to do this role, but don't necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still get in touch and we will be happy to discuss the role with you in more detail.
We're passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace
equality of opportunity irrespective of disability, neurodivergence, ethnic origin,colour, nationality, gender expression and gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation,culture,or religion. We put the principles of human rights, equality, fairness, dignity and respect at the heart of
our values . We are committed to equal opportunities and we guarantee interviews for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
We want to attract and retain talented and highly skilled staff, so we make sure that our pay scales remain competitive. We advertise the full pay scale on our job descriptions. Appointed candidates start at the first point of the pay scale and annual increments are paid each year.
We are a Bilingual organisation which complies with the Welsh Language Standards. Welsh language skills are considered an asset to NRW and we encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills.
How to apply Application closing date:
09/07/2023 Interviews will take place on the
18/07/2023 through
Microsoft Teams. If you have any queries about the role, please contact
Sioned Rowlands at
sioned.rowlands@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk You are welcome to apply for any vacancy in Welsh or English and any application submitted will be treated equally. Applications are welcome from individuals who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time.
Please send a completed
Application form to
applications@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk using the
post number as the email reference. Before completing your application, please read our
Guidance on completing a job application form