UK Covid19 Inquiry Team Governance and Assurance Officer

at  Cabinet Office

JOB SUMMARY

In December 2021 Baroness Heather Hallett, a retired Appeal Court judge, was appointed by the Prime Minister as Chair of the independent public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry was formally established with full powers under the Inquiries Act 2005 in June 2022. The Inquiry sits independently of the Government with the Cabinet Office acting as the sponsoring department.
Following an initial set up phase the Inquiry began hearing evidence in May 2023. We are now looking for an energetic and collaborative senior leader to join the excellent team that is delivering the Inquiry.
This is an exciting role, offering the opportunity to lead an innovative team, in fast moving circumstances, to ensure lessons are learned from the UK response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Further information about the Inquiry can be found on the UK Covid-19 Inquiry website.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Inquiry are seeking a Governance and Assurance Officer.
The Inquiry sits independent of the Government with the Cabinet Office acting as the sponsoring department. This is an exciting opportunity to join an inclusive, innovative team where you will be supported to challenge yourself in often ambiguous circumstances. The team encourages working in a flexible, collaborative manner to learn and support each other as we look to undertake one of the broadest, most publicly anticipated inquiries in UK history.
The PMO is one of four Directorates within the Inquiry team: alongside the Policy, Legal, Analysis and Research, Communications and Engagement and Operations Directorates. The Programme Director is responsible for the overall planning and governance framework for the Inquiry.
The SEO will support the Grade 7 Governance & Assurance Lead to deliver core functions within the PMO; doing so effectively will require close working across the PMO and wider Inquiry team. You will work closely with the senior leadership team (SLT) and functional leads delivering support to meetings and facilitating the decisions making process. You will also work collaboratively across the PMO to ensure a customer focused and flexible approach to our work.
The Governance And Assurance Officer will support delivery of robust and proportionate governance and assurance mechanisms for the Inquiry.

Key responsibilities include:

• Coordinating the flow of decisions needed by the SLT, through owning the forward look managed by close working across the Inquiry team and private office.
• Ensuring the Inquiry has in place robust processes and controls so that decisions are made at the right level, supported by proportionate evidence and recorded appropriately.
• Commission papers for Boards and Senior Leadership meetings, taking and distributing minutes and actions.
• Ensure actions from meetings are followed up and completed by designated staff, tracking any issues raised and feeding back appropriately.
• Championing the PMO’s role across the Inquiry team, including ensuring relevant and timely flow of information to the whole Inquiry team and seeking regular feedback on improvements to ways of working.
• Facilitate the implementation of the Inquiry’s Audit Plan (undertaken by GIAA).
• Line Management of 1 (one) HEO PMO Support Officer.
• Conduct lessons learned to provide assurance to SLT and Functional Leads.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Excellent administrative and organisational skills, together with the ability to work under pressure and to deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience of working with and communicating effectively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels, whilst being able to adapt approach.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with a proven track record of building effective relationships.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to engage with stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience of working with committees and minute taking; with a high degree of accuracy and strong attention to detail.
• Planning, organising and prioritising own workload and where necessary ensuring deliverables are in line with wider organisational timescales.
• Ability to work flexibly and respond to evolving priorities, and deliver to short deadlines.
• Seek out and analyse a range of information, taking a positive approach to tackling problems and identifying suitable solutions. You will think ahead and have a professional curiosity, inviting challenge and understanding the evidence before making decisions.
• Ability to work collaboratively across a multi-disciplinary team.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Key responsibilities include:

• Coordinating the flow of decisions needed by the SLT, through owning the forward look managed by close working across the Inquiry team and private office.
• Ensuring the Inquiry has in place robust processes and controls so that decisions are made at the right level, supported by proportionate evidence and recorded appropriately.
• Commission papers for Boards and Senior Leadership meetings, taking and distributing minutes and actions.
• Ensure actions from meetings are followed up and completed by designated staff, tracking any issues raised and feeding back appropriately.
• Championing the PMO’s role across the Inquiry team, including ensuring relevant and timely flow of information to the whole Inquiry team and seeking regular feedback on improvements to ways of working.
• Facilitate the implementation of the Inquiry’s Audit Plan (undertaken by GIAA).
• Line Management of 1 (one) HEO PMO Support Officer.
• Conduct lessons learned to provide assurance to SLT and Functional Leads