Risk, Issues and Assurance Manager

Behaviours

Communicating and Influencing

Delivering at pace

Managing a Quality Service

Making Effective Decisions

Strengths

Not currently being assessed

N/A

Technical Skills (from Project Delivery Capability Framework and level)

Risk & Issue Management (working level)

Assurance (working level)

Mandatory Qualifications

None

Desirable Qualifications

PRINCE2 Practitioner

Management of Risk Practitioner

APM Practitioner Qualification

Public Policy Analysis (PPA) Directorate in the Office for National Statistics is the lead area for social and socio-economic analysis. It is a diverse, multidisciplinary Directorate producing high profile, high value outputs in major areas such as crime, income and wealth, inequalities, the environment and topical cross-cutting analysis.

We want PPA to be the best Directorate within ONS with a happy, motivated and high performing team of professionals, with impact across and beyond government. We aim to build on our already impressive service, delivering more high value work with big impact.

In order for us to perform to our best capabilities, we are establishing a Programme Management Office within PPA. Working from within Strategy, Synthesis and Co-ordination Division, the post holder will play a fundamental role in the provision of a suite of PMO activities and attendant support functions across the PPA Directorate which promote, guide and monitor PPA's contribution to the UKSA strategy and the requirements of the Director and the Senior Leadership Team.

In order to assist this work, we are looking for a Risks, Issues and Assurance Manager who will proactively manage risks and issues facing the programme. They will be responsible for coordinating the consistent identification, documentation, monitoring and reporting of risks and issues in line with the ONS Best Practice. You will partner with the senior leaders across the programme to identify and develop appropriate mitigation plans and provide the escalation channel for these risks and issues.

As a Risks and Issues Manager, you will be responsible for leading the proactive risk and issue management on behalf of the central Programme Management Office. You will set the strategy for risk and issue management and maintain the risk management strategy and plans for effective risk management in accordance with best practice. You will support the relevant risk or issue owners to identify and develop appropriate mitigation plans and escalate to the next level of management where appropriate.

You will work as part of, and in close coordination with, the wider ONS risk community to support the evolution and application of departmental policy. You will ensure compliance with, and plan the continuous improvement of, project delivery risk and issues strategies, processes and procedures across the programme. As part of this you will need to develop feedback loops across the programme workstreams to ensure that risks and issues are being identified and mitigated successfully.

You will provide effective and efficient advice on Project Delivery Risks and Issues to the Programme manager and senior leaders across the programme. You will develop a programme of regular risk and issue reviews with key stakeholders, including presentations and facilitating discussions through governance forums including the programme board when required. You will act as the point of professional knowledge and expertise on Project Delivery risk and issue management, working with the wider ONS risk community to build your own expertise and knowledge.

Typical responsibilities:

Application of standards: Responsible for ensuring projects or activities have appropriate levels of assurance for the complexity of the project. Following local guidance on types of assurance activities and recording them in management documents as required.

Planning: Responsible for leading a number of assurance activities across either one or several projects. Responsible for leading specific activities such as the review of management cases within business cases either at a local or department level.

Reporting: Leads the timely and accurate reporting of integrated assurance plans and milestones, and Risks to support departmental or board level assurance activities

Results/Actions Ensures that agreed actions are implemented, and that any lessons learned are applied to future change initiatives.

Stakeholders - Provision of effective and efficient advice on PD Risks and Issues to Programme Managers and senior leaders. Develop a programme of regular risk and issue reviews with key stakeholders. Point of professional knowledge and expertise on PD Risk and Issue Management for the programme. Supports the programme risk owners in identifying appropriate strategies for dealing with Risk and Issues.

Identification, Analysis, Monitoring and Reporting of Risks and Issues - Responsible for facilitating the identification, analysis and monitoring of PD Risks and Issues. Plans the periodic reporting of risk and ad-hoc PD Risk and Issues reports to meet changing customer demands. Undertakes qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, as required by Governance bodies. Establish and maintains the Risk, Issues and Assumptions database and register for the programme.

Essential Criteria

· An excellent understanding and demonstrable experience of Risk, Issue and assurance management approaches and techniques across a range of frameworks and methodologies, adapting or tailoring your approach to meet the environment.

· A track record of effectively managing relationships with senior stakeholders, using insightful reporting and briefing techniques and producing clear advice and influence on complex issues to enable senior managers to make timely and effective decisions

· Demonstrable experience of collecting, interpreting and accurately reporting data and presenting in a coherent and effective manner to a range of audiences.

· A track record of prioritising and delivering outputs in a fast-paced, high pressure and time-sensitive environment responding quickly and decisively to changing circumstances

· Effective demonstration of a focus on delivery - managing a complex workload while responding quickly and decisively to take ownership for and delivery of valued outcomes in a rapidly changing time sensitive environment

· Excellent interpersonal, communication and relationship management skills with a proven record of establishing, building and maintaining strong, collaborative and productive relationships with senior stakeholders that generated confidence in your insights and the actions necessary.