HEAD OF GOVERNANCE AND RISK

HEAD OF GOVERNANCE AND RISK

SALARY: £56,745

GRADE: UKRI Band F

CONTRACT TYPE: Open Ended (Permanent)

HOURS: Full Time

LOCATION: Westward House, Bristol

CLOSING DATE: 21 April 25

PROPOSED INTERVIEW DATE: 01 & 02 May 25

PURPOSE

To provide high quality and effective advice and support on governance, risk and assurance matters to Research England, working collaboratively with UKRI colleagues; in doing so, developing and demonstrating a thorough understanding of research and knowledge exchange in the higher education sector and the political and organisational context within which Research England and UKRI operate.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Governance and Risk:

• Lead the cyclical review of the effectiveness of the Executive Group and Council
• Induction of Research England Council members
• Develop and implement governance and risk policies and processes across Research England, ensuring alignment with the wider UK Research and Innovation policies
• Promote these processes, ensuring colleagues are engaged with, and adhere to, them
• Manage the Research England risk management framework, including risk reporting to Council and the Executive Group
• Advise Research England colleagues with regard to governance or risk matters which may affect their areas of work
• Engage with wider UK Research and Innovation colleagues to share practice and improve overall effectiveness
• Liaise with UK Research and Innovation colleagues with regard to responses to complaints, fraud and other operational governance matters

Information Management:

• Have a thorough understanding of Data Protection legislation and its applicability to Research England’s operations, including exemptions/derogations from the EU General Data Protection Regulation
• Advise Research England colleagues with regard to information governance matters which may affect their area of work
• Oversee management of Research England documentation in accordance with UK Research and Innovation retention schedules
• Act as the main point of contact for Research England in respect of information assets
• Provide responses to information requests, Freedom of Information requests, Environmental Information Regulations requests, and Subject Access Requests

POSITION & PERSON REQUIREMENTS

• A successful track record as a governance professional with significant recent experience
• Experience of managing a successful team or function with multiple work strands
• An understanding of how a policy or funding organisation operates
• An ability to operate with political understanding and sense, in a complex environment of change and uncertainty
• A demonstrable ability to adapt, reach out and build trust and collaborative working
• Excellent organisational skills with an ability to delegate and to deploy resources effectively to deliver results
• Experience of risk management in the public sector.

INCENTIVES

DEVELOPING TALENT:

We are committed to developing employees in their roles throughout their career. Learning and development plans enable employees to continue their professional development through training and development opportunities such as e-learning, classroom training and on-the-job experiences. We encourage our employees to share their learning across teams and organisations.

BENEFITS:

UKRI can offer the successful candidate:

• Flexible Working
• 30 days annual leave + Public Holidays
• Access to Civil Service Pension Scheme
• Various everyday discounts through our dedicated provider

Visit our dedicated benefits webpage for more info: Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)