5784 - Internal Control Principal Adviser

This role forms part of the Senior Leadership Team of the Assurance and Corporate Governance team in Natural England. The team supports and enables organisational governance (Board and executive committees), risk, internal control and security and information. As Internal Control Principal Adviser, you will be responsible for building a team of internal control professionals who can conduct independent assessments of operational delivery activity and compliance with corporate controls. You will be responsible for ensuring that the organisation meets its regulatory obligations and achieves compliance with relevant laws and regulations. The role is critical to ensuring that the organisation's operations are conducted ethically, efficiently, and in accordance with its core values

Key Responsibilities:

Internal Control:

• Provide independent assurance to senior management on the effectiveness of internal controls and compliance arrangements.
• Manage Natural England’s independent assessment function, including the recruitment, training, and development of internal control staff.
• Develop, maintain, and update compliance policies, procedures, and guidance to ensure they remain relevant and effective.
• Ensure that there are robust systems and processes to achieve compliance with regulatory and legal frameworks, departmental and organisational spend controls and Functional Standards.
• Ensure good communication for advice, guidance, and support to colleagues on compliance issues.

Counter fraud:

• Developing and implementing fraud prevention strategies following analysis of past fraud incidents and identifying potential vulnerabilities in the organisation's systems, processes, and controls.
• Implementing fraud detection systems to identify potential fraud risks in the organisation which includes co-ordination of investigations of suspected fraudulent activities within the organisation as required.
• Training and educating staff on fraud prevention and detection. This includes providing regular training sessions, developing fraud awareness programs, and establishing clear guidelines and procedures for reporting suspected fraud.
• Manage the effectiveness of internal controls in preventing and detecting fraud and financial mismanagement and leading on all aspects of NE’s counter-fraud approach including setting, delivering and monitoring our counter-fraud strategy.
• Oversee the application of the whistleblowing policy

Raising Capability and Stakeholder Relationships:

• Contributing to devising and delivering an in-house controls, compliance, and training programme for the internal control team and across Natural England
• Providing thought leadership on compliance matters internally and within relevant Government assurance teams to develop Natural England’s reputation as a skilled and expert provider of assurance.
• Developing relationships with key external stakeholders to influence outcomes including counterparts in Defra and its arms-lengths bodies.
• Working across NE to help build organisational resilience. Ensuring the continuity and robustness of NE’s leadership capability so that during times of crisis or incident management NE can succeed.

Leadership and collaboration:

• Highlighting the importance and value of assurance in the organisation’s role in securing nature recovery.
• Contributing to and supporting the internal control team to ensure a high performing and motivated team including improving ways of working, contributing to high quality team deep dives and communications such as blogs, newsletters,
• Supporting collaboration across the wider Legal, Governance and External Affairs Team including participation in Principal Senior Leadership Team meetings; and also, Natural England’s Senior Leadership Forum
• Deputising for the Deputy Director of Assurance and Corporate Governance as required
• Management of the internal control team budget and resources associated with this role
• Travel and some overnight stays across England to attend meetings will be required

Values:

• A values-driven approach to leadership and management
• Embedding NE’s values and ensure that they are reflected in all aspects of the organisation's assurance processes.
• Recognising the importance of psychological safety and a growth mindset.

Benefits

Wherever possible Natural England accommodates requests for both full-time and part-time hours and other flexible working patterns to help employees achieve a good work/life balance and maintain their health and wellbeing.

Natural England provides excellent opportunities for career progression, training and development tailored to your role. From induction to ongoing learning and development, everyone in Natural England is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. Everyone has 10 days to devote to personal learning and development, as well as an additional 3 days to volunteer.

You will have access to Civil Service Pension and benefits arrangements and generous leave allowances (33 day per year pro rata), as well as flexible working, to help you achieve a work-life balance that works for you and us.

You will have access to a range of benefits including discounts on shopping vouchers, cycle to work scheme, and childcare vouchers. 

Natural England is a fantastic place to work, where difference is celebrated.

We’re committed to fairness and equality for all, so you feel valued for who you are and what you do. Our shared values help us work together to benefit the communities we serve. Our thriving employee-led diversity networks support our inclusive culture and contribute to our EDI Action Plan.

Locations

Natural England is adopting hybrid working – which means our staff work from a flexible range of locations, encompassing home, offices (ours and our partners) and relevant sites. All new staff will be formally linked to one of our 25 offices across England and the expectation is that all new staff will be able to access their local office to be part of the community of staff in their geographical area. Full time staff are expected to attend their associated office for a minimum of one day a week.

Staff members are required to carry out all their duties working in this way and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time. Travel expenses will be paid if work related travel is required but does not apply to travel between home and your associated office.

National team roles can be linked with any Natural England office while Area Team roles will be linked with an office in the relevant geographic area.

View a map of our office locations here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-england-office-locations

Pay

It is Natural England policy to employ at the entry point of the salary range.

How to Apply

We welcome and encourage applications from all communities. Natural England is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at interview, or there is anything else you would like the panel to take into consideration, you should notify us of this at application stage where possible, or well in advance of your interview.

This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We'll assess you against the competencies below during the selection process:

• Technical skills and knowledge
• Personal Effectiveness
• Work Delivery
• Leadership and Management

When completing the application form you should present relevant examples using the STAR format. Give us an example of how you have demonstrated the competency (which can be work related or from another area of your life) and tell us about the Situation, the specific Task you had to undertake, the specific Actions you took, and the Result (both immediate and in a wider context) of your doing so.

Please note that STAR format is not required when answering the Technical Skills & Knowledge competency.

Examples should be given in no more than 250 words for each competency.

Next Steps

If we receive a significant number of applications, we reserve the right to evaluate applications on the first two competencies of Technical Skills and Knowledge and Personal Effectiveness only.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend an interview via MS Teams or a suitable alternative, where you will be asked to give examples for all four competencies as set out in the Job Description.

Successful candidates will be allocated roles in merit order based on scores achieved at interview and in accordance with location preferences, taking into account the work area to which successful candidates are most suited, wherever possible.

Do you have a passion for nature and the environment? Do you want to make a real difference and secure significant environmental gains in the present and the future? Do you enjoy working in a team? Can you see yourself advising others across the business to maximise gains for the Natural Environment? 

If this appeals to you, a career at Natural England offers rewarding opportunities to play your part in creating a better future for people and nature. 

The priority work Natural England is delivering includes:

• Establishing a Nature Recovery Network to help wildlife thrive;
• Monitoring environmental changes to identify and help reduce the effects of climate change;
• Working with farmers and landowners to develop greener food production methods;
• Advising on plans for new developments to maximise gains for nature, and
• Providing ways for people to better connect with nature, including green social prescribing.

We are the Government’s Adviser for the natural environment, playing a vital role in delivering the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan, an ambitious vision which brings new opportunities to protect and enhance and to achieve real outcomes for the environment.

Find out more about the work of Natural England at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england

Tora Wortley: tora.wortley@naturalengland.org.uk

Sean Cornall: sean.cornall@naturalengland.org.uk