Senior Programme Officer

Communities & Skills

Collaborative, open, inclusive and fair - we work with and through partners to ensure Londoners can shape healthy, empowered and productive lives. Communities and Skills is led by Executive Director, Tunde Olayinka and is comprised of the following units: Civil Society & Sport, Communities & Social Policy, Group Public Health Unit, Skills and Employment and Health, Children and Young Londoners.

Job Purpose

The postholder will be a member of the Audit and Assurance function within the Portfolio Management Office (PMO), who will support the internal assurance and audit programme, support management of the audit programme for adult education service providers, management of the investigations and allegations process, contract management of external audit firms, contribute to any other assurance requirement on the unit's programme , and delivery of a full-range of records management and data governance service and support to the Skills and Employment Unit.

Principal Accountabilities:

1. Support with elements of the development and management of a programme of internal assurance on Skills and Employment Unit Programmes and Projects, (areas for investigation to be identified based on risks decided by the Skills and Employment Unit Senior Management Team), to include: 

• Supporting the coordination of the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) internal control audits for the Unit's programmes - this includes preparing for audit, liaising with auditors and liaising with other teams in the Unit to supply the data and information requested by the auditors, reporting on findings to Senior Management Team (SMT) and overseeing the Unit's response. 
• Working with the GLA Skills and Employment Unit Portfolio Office and Delivery colleagues who are process owners to improve/develop effective controls following findings and recommendations from audits. 
• Supporting closure processes to ensure that all documentation required to satisfy internal or external Audit or Freedom of Information requests is retained and stored appropriately. 

2.    Support elements of the development and management of the Provider Audit programme for all Skills and Employment Unit Programmes to include: 

• Procurement and contract management of external auditors 
• Working with Delivery and the Funding Policy & Systems team colleagues to establish and collate the samples for audit 
• Providing the provider audit reports to Delivery colleagues for any follow up action. 
• Identification and collation of common errors and themes to improve the delivery of Skills and Employment Programmes. 
• Drafting board papers for Assistant Directors sign-off on audit approaches 

3. Coordinate external audits (as required) by our Funders or other interested parties to include: 

• Leading external auditor meetings between the Audit & Assurance Team, Delivery and other internal colleagues, and providers. 
• Liaising with internal teams to ensure that they supply the data and information requested by the auditors. 
• Supporting coordination of the Unit's response to auditors, and 
• Supporting reporting findings to Skills for Londoners Programmes Board and the Skills and Employment Unit Senior Management Team. 

4.    Contribute to and support a range of records management and data governance services and support to the Skills and Employment Unit in adhering to GLA policies and procedures to include; 

• Contribute to the development of a Skills Data Governance Strategy 
• Supporting the delivery of the annual Information Asset Register and Record of Processing Activities in compliance with the FOI section 46 Code of Practice and GDPR 
• Providing project support and advice and lead on data governance document collation and drafting including, but not limited to, Data Sharing Agreements; Privacy Notices; Data Protection Impact Assessments; and data sharing applications. 

5.    Manage the allegations and learner complaints process to include: 

• Liaising with GLA Delivery colleagues regarding communications with provider, MOPAC, legal and external parties and assisting as required 
• Supporting the management, investigation and response to complaints. This will include assisting delivery colleagues as necessary. 
• Supporting routine reviews of activities, to ensure that actions are delivered within desired timelines. 
• Providing routine reviews of the effectiveness of the approach and assuring alignment with legislative requirements 

6. Support any other assurance requirements on the unit's programmes, for example the annual Dept. for Education funding assurance response including statements/letters to funders 

7. Produce periodic reports for the Skills for Londoners Programmes Board.

8. Produce and present internal training presentations

9. Manage budget for internal and external audit and support Senior Managers to identify funding for new programmes 

10. Realise the benefits of London's diversity by promoting and enabling equality of opportunities and promoting the diverse needs and aspirations of London's communities.

Technical requirements/experience/qualifications:

• Relevant qualification (e.g., Degree, ISO 9001 etc.) or equivalent experience 
• Demonstrable experience in assurance and quality management in complex programme and project environments 
• Demonstrable understanding of the rules and regulations that govern the delivery of mainstream national and/or local skills and employment delivery programmes, and associated reporting and political drivers 
• Thorough knowledge of project management, project control techniques or contract management 
• Demonstrable understanding of data governance tools and frameworks 
• Evidence of clear personal, verbal and written communication skills, and of ability to communicate complex issues to a range of audiences effectively, including using data visualisation techniques. 
• Evidence of well-developed IT skills, solid experience of using financial management systems and processes, and excellent report writing skills. 

Behavioural competencies 

Communicating and Influencing 

… is presenting information and arguments clearly and convincingly so that others see us as credible and articulate and engage with us. 

Level 2 indicators of effective performance: 

• Communicates openly and inclusively with internal and external stakeholders 
• Clearly articulates the key points of an argument, in both verbal and written communication 
• Persuades others, using evidence-based knowledge, modifying approach to deliver message effectively 
• Challenges the views of others in an open and constructive way 
• Presents a credible and positive image both internally and externally 

Planning and Organising 

… is thinking ahead, managing time, priorities and risk, and developing structured and efficient approaches to deliver work on time and to a high standard. 

Level 3 indicators of effective performance:

• Monitors allocation of resources, anticipating changing requirements that may impact work delivery 
• Ensures evaluation processes are in place to measure project benefits 
• Gains buy-in and commitment to project delivery from diverse stakeholders 
• Implements quality measures to ensure directorate output is of a high standard 
• Translates political vision into action plans and deliverables 

Problem Solving 

… is analysing and interpreting situations from a variety of viewpoints and finding creative, workable and timely solutions. 

Level 2 indicators of effective performance:

• Processes and distils a variety of information to understand a problem fully 
• Proposes options for solutions to presented problems 
• Builds on the ideas of others to encourage creative problem solving 
• Thinks laterally about own work, considering different ways to approach problems 
• Seeks the opinions and experiences of others to understand different approaches to problem solving.