Operational Policy, Assurance and Compliance Officer

We are recruiting an Operational Policy, Assurance and Compliance Officer to be part of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

You will be working as part of a small team providing policy, assurance and compliance services to all operational aspects of the Commission’s investigations process through the Support, Information Recovery and Findings stages. Reporting to the Senior Operational Assurance and Compliance Officer, you will be leading on policy review and development, producing high level reports for senior management on assurance activity and findings, working closely with investigatory and security colleagues on auditing compliance with policies, and making recommendations for any areas that could be improved. You’ll need initiative, be able to work independently as well as part of a team and have the drive to deliver a high-quality service. You’ll need excellent stakeholder management skills, including an ability to build a profile across two locations, a good understanding of the work and objectives of the operational teams, and be able to function as the trusted expert on policy and process matters.

You will line manage an Assistant Assurance and Compliance Officer and support them in delivering their work, as well as undertaking more complex and strategic policy and audit work across the Commission. You will oversee and undertake reviews and other evidence gathering activities to a consistently high standard. You will need to collate, interpret and evaluate a wide range of information and produce and record accurate and robust evidence of compliance and adherence to Commission policies and processes in operational casework. You will drive, input into and assure delivery of a program of training for operational teams on operational policies and processes. There may be further resource/people management responsibilities including oversight of the secretariat responsibilities for the External Advisory Group.

We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.

We are happy to discuss the role and answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to contact us for an informal conversation by emailing us at [email protected]  

Key Responsibilities

• Taking a lead role in an overarching policy review, undertaking gap analysis and working closely with Investigations and Findings teams to gain a big-picture understanding of their activities and working effectively with them to achieve a new suite of fit-for-purpose and futureproof policies to achieve Commission goals.
• Development, testing and implementation of new operational policies and programmes in support of the new legislation in close collaboration with the operational teams and in a manner focussed on ensuring their needs are met.
• Supporting the Senior Operational Assurance and Compliance Officer in assuring that Case Support, Information Recovery and Findings teams adhere to the Commission’s promulgated policies, reporting individual areas of non-compliance to senior leadership for immediate rectification, and ensuring consistency across teams and locations.
• Devising, developing and implementing new systems of audit and compliance in support of the new legislation in close collaboration with operational stakeholders, ensuring their views and perspectives are brought together and effectively fed in.
• Evaluating and identifying thematic and systemic compliance and adherence issues promptly and minimising risk by providing a decisive mitigation response.
• Oversight and management of manual Working Groups to ensure operational manuals are up to date, reflect best practice, and are effectively communicated to operational staff.
• Develop and deliver training on policies and keep training, including training materials, up to date.
• Provide independent impartial assessments and reviews of casework, including from the perspective of users of the Commission providing clarity where necessary and making robust recommendations taking into account wider context.
• Undertaking assurance work, including case reviews and other evidence gathering activities/data collection processes in support of specific and general assurance, based on up-to-date knowledge of operational contexts and recognising when to involve and engage stakeholders.
• Working with all team members in the collection of information for quality assurance reporting.
• Work across team boundaries with operational teams and corporate teams including Head of Risk to drive discussions, deliver work and maintain operational risk registers, identifying areas of cross cutting interest.
• Delivering constructive challenge and feedback to operational team managers and where training needs are identified, ensuring that these are delivered.
• Responsibility for the management of the policy and assurance team’s work (currently 1 FTE) as an enthusiastic leader, role-modelling and providing a clear sense of direction and responsibility and encouraging a team culture of low-bureaucracy and purpose for staff.
• Preparing papers for and attending a variety of meetings with senior staff.
• Demonstrating and actively promoting the Commission’s values.
• Oversee the management of the secretariat function for the External Advisory Group. 

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

• Strong policy development skills, extensive policy skill set including reviewing and auditing policies.
• Highly developed sense of the work of ICRIR, its aims and objectives and the challenges it needs to work carefully through.
• Strong experience of co-ordinating and reviewing volumes of sometimes complex information, using analytical and communication skills to identify issues and summarise robust findings.
• Experience and understanding of relevant operational contexts (law enforcement or similar).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to deliver challenging messages and provide constructive challenge at senior levels.
• Strong ability to build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships with the operational teams and work across boundaries and locations.
• Ability to effectively manage a team, encourage contributions, seek and deliver feedback and coach and support colleagues in development, training and learning and identify capability requirements for the short and long term success of the team.
• Ability to plan and organise, for self and team, a broad range of complex activities and adjust plans where necessary.
• Strong ability to prioritise competing demands and work at pace.
• Demonstrate the values set out in the ICRIR Code of Conduct.
• Willingness to be assessed against the requirements of SC and subsequently DV clearance, if not already cleared.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of statutory inspection or assurance processes.
• Experience of working for new or transitioning organisations.
• Experience of the development of policy from new legislation.

The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery is an independent organisation that has been established to recover information about Troubles-related deaths and serious injuries to families, victims, and survivors and to promote reconciliation. 

We are building the Commission and hiring more staff now that we have begun receiving cases.

We are building a values-led organisation. We operate with integrity, impartiality, openness, accountability, and respect, as set out in our Code of Conduct. This is reflected in our fair and open recruitment processes. We encourage people to join us across all backgrounds, communities and faiths to help us deliver. 

The Commission is primarily based in Belfast, with further operational sites in Northern Ireland and London. Travel to all locations will be required, but hybrid working arrangements will help us support a range of flexible working patterns. This is an exciting opportunity to join an organisation with a unique and vital remit.  The organisation is entering a key period of preparation for transition to the Legacy Commission, including planning for operationalisation of new powers, legislation and capabilities.

The Commission is formed of seven Commissioners, the Chief Commissioner, Sir Declan Morgan, the Chief Executive Officer, Louise Warde Hunter and the Commissioner for Investigations, Peter Sheridan, as well as four Non-Executive Commissioners to provide challenge and scrutiny to the executive team. 

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all communities and backgrounds, including underrepresented groups. We value diversity in our workforce as it enhances our ability to serve the communities of Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.