Independent Chairperson and Member of the Assembly Commission Audit and Risk Committee

Candidate Information Booklet

Please note that the deadline for completed applications expired at noon on Monday 16 September 2024.

 

Download the Candidate Information Booklet (PDF, 12 pages, 385KB)

 

Chairperson £426 per day, Independent Member £358 per day.

Completed Application Forms must be submitted no later than 12 noon (UK time) on Monday 16 September 2024.

Please retain a copy of this booklet for your reference throughout the selection process.


Foreword

Thank you for your interest in the role of independent Chairperson and/or independent Member of the Assembly Commission Audit and Risk Committee.

The Assembly Commission operates in a dynamic political and parliamentary environment and the independent Chairperson and Member of the Assembly Commission Audit and Risk Committee will make an important and valued contribution in supporting the Clerk/Chief Executive (in her role as Accounting Officer), the Assembly Commission and the Senior Management Team in their responsibilities for issues of risk, control and governance in the Assembly Commission.

The time commitment for the independent Chairperson is expected to be around 10 to 12 days per year and the time commitment for the independent Member is expected to be around 4 to 6 days per year.

Please read the information provided in the candidate information booklet carefully and if you are interested in these important roles, I would encourage you to submit your application.

If you would like to find out more about the post before making an application please contact Tara Caul on tara.caul@niassembly.gov.uk or telephone 02890 521339.

Edwin Poots MLA
Speaker and Chairperson of the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission


About Us

The Assembly is at the heart of political and public life as the democratically elected parliament that represents the interests of Northern Ireland and its people.

Established as a key element of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, the Assembly comprises 90 Members and has three main functions - making legislation, scrutinising the Executive and representing constituents.

In accordance with the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the staff, services and facilities which are needed to support the work of the Assembly are provided by the Assembly Commission, a corporate body comprising the Speaker and five Members of the Assembly. The day-to-day running of the Assembly is delegated to the Clerk/Chief Executive and the Senior Management Team (SMT).

The Assembly Commission therefore provides the infrastructure (including Parliament Buildings), facilities and staff to allow the Assembly and its Committees to meet and to encourage public awareness of, and engagement with, the parliamentary process. It also pays the salaries of Members and reimburses the expenses which enable them to undertake their duties both at the Assembly and in their constituency offices.

The Assembly Commission is a high-achieving and professional organisation providing impartial support to the Assembly and its Members. The Assembly Commission is independent of the Executive and the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

The Assembly Commission has approximately 370 staff and an annual budget of around £62m. Our organisational structure is illustrated at Annex C.


About the Role

The main purpose of the Assembly Commission Audit and Risk Committee (ACARC) is to support the Clerk/Chief Executive (in her role as Accounting Officer), the Assembly Commission and the Senior Management Team in their responsibilities for issues of risk, control and governance by reviewing the comprehensiveness of assurances in meeting the organisation’s assurance needs and reviewing the reliability and integrity of these assurances.  Terms of Reference for ACARC are provided in Annex A of this document.  

The Assembly Commission is seeking to appoint at least two independent members to ACARC, one of whom will be appointed as Chairperson. The Chairperson must be a professionally qualified accountant. It is anticipated that those applicants selected for interview will be invited to appear before a Selection Panel on 3 or 4 October 2024.  Whilst requests for alternative interview dates will be considered on the basis of their individual merit, it is not the preference of the Selection Panel to hold interviews on any other dates.

The appointment of an independent Chairperson and an independent Member to ACARC will facilitate an objective assessment of the assurances provided to the Accounting Officer on the risk management, control and governance arrangements within the Assembly Commission. These assurances include stewardship statements from operational management, financial statements and reports from both Internal and External Audit.

The information provided to ACARC will enable it to advise the Accounting Officer on the adequacy and effectiveness of the assurances and on how well the assurance received meets the assurance need.

ACARC will typically meet four times per year (February, May, June and October), however the independent Chairperson of ACARC may convene additional meetings as they deem necessary.

The ACARC Chairperson will be expected to attend at least one meeting of the Assembly Commission each year to present a report summarising its conclusions from the work it has done during the year. The Chairperson is also generally invited to attend meetings of the Assembly Commission as an observer.  Should the Chairperson be unavailable, the independent Member will generally be invited to attend in their place.

The time commitment for the independent Chairperson is expected to be around 10 to 12 days per year and the time commitment for the independent Member is expected to be around 4 to 6 days per year.  Remuneration will be £426 per day for the position of Chairperson and £358 per day for the Member. The independent Chairperson and Member are not employees of the Assembly Commission.

Further information on the roles and responsibilities are available in the Terms of Reference for ACARC (Annex A).

Term of Appointment

The term of the appointment will be for a period of three years with two optional one-year extensions.

The Person

The persons appointed will require a combination of appropriate skill and experience and a successful track record built on relevant professional knowledge and experience, good judgement and effective communication.

Essential Criteria

This section sets out the essential knowledge, experience and personal competencies which are necessary to undertake the work of the independent Chairperson and Member of ACARC. At the closing date for applications, applicants must demonstrate on their application form and at interview at least three years’ experience in each of the following:

i) Experience of promoting, implementing and ensuring good corporate governance, at a senior level*, in either the public or private sector, including a thorough understanding of internal and external audit and risk management;

ii) Experience of providing objective and independent advice, challenging supportively and working well as part of a senior level team*;

iii) Experience of effective communication and engagement at a senior level*; and

iv) Experience of promoting, implementing and ensuring good financial management including the ability to competently analyse financial statements and understand good financial management disciplines.

In addition, for the role of Chairperson, applicants must:

a) Be a professionally qualified accountant. An accountancy qualification is considered as having successfully completed the professional examinations and be a full current member of one of the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies listed below:

  • The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants;
  • The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland;
  • The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland;
  • The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales;
  • The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants; or
  • The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

b) Demonstrate at least two years’ experience of successfully carrying out the role of a Chairperson of a committee or board in an organisation of 100 people or more.

*Senior level is defined as membership ofa Board or a team at the highest level of organisational management who have the day-to-day responsibilities of managing an organisation of 100 people or more.

Shortlisting Criteria

Should shortlisting be required, the following shortlisting criteria will be applied:

  • Detailed understanding of the public sector environment and the accountability structures within it.

Equal Opportunities Statement

The Assembly Commission is committed to equality of opportunity and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified applicants irrespective of religious belief, political opinion, race, age, gender, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or people with dependents or without. All applications will be considered on the basis of merit.

Location

The successful applicant will be required to attend meetings in Parliament Buildings, Belfast.

Completing the form

Only the information presented in the application form will be considered by the selection panel. CVs or other supplementary material will not be accepted in place of, or in addition to, completed application forms. Completed online forms must be submitted by 12 noon (UK time) on Monday 16 September 2024.

Launch the application portal and complete the application form.

Application forms submitted after the closing time and date will not be accepted.

Stages of the Selection Process

Eligibility Sift

The essential criteria reflect the experience and knowledge that an applicant must possess in order to be able to undertake the role. An eligibility sift will be carried out on the basis of the information contained in the essential criteria section of the application form. You must therefore demonstrate clearly in your form how, and to what extent, you meet with the essential criteria for the role.

Shortlisting

The Selection Panel reserve the right to use shortlisting as part of the selection process for this role. Should shortlisting be used, the shortlisting criterion listed at page 5 will be applied. The Selection Panel reserve the right to set a minimum standard for the shortlisting criterion and/or to only invite those who score highest in the shortlisting criterion to the next stage of the selection process. If shortlisting is not necessary, all applicants who have demonstrated the essential criteria will proceed to the next stage of the selection process.

Interview Stage

Applicants invited to interview will be assessed using the Essential Criteria as outlined above.

Interviews are planned for 3 and 4 October 2024.

Further Interview Stage

The Selection Panel reserves the right to hold a further interview stage if deemed necessary. 

Disability Confident

The Assembly Commission is a Disability Confident Committed Employer and for our recruitment, we have committed to:

  • ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible;
  • communicating and promoting vacancies;
  • offering an interview to disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the role (the Guaranteed Interview Scheme); and
  • anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required.

The Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) supports applicants with disabilities or those with a long-term impairment or health condition, that is expected to last for at least 12 months by offering an interview to disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the role. If you are applying under GIS it is therefore important that you include all relevant information in your application form. You should refer to the Guidance on Recruitment and Selection for Applicants for more information.

Applicants applying under GIS will be offered a guaranteed interview, provided that they demonstrate in their application form that they meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you wish to submit your application under the GIS, or if you require adjustments to enable you to participate in any part of the selection process, please indicate this on the application form or contact us at recruitment@niassembly.gov.uk. Please note that you will be required to provide written confirmation of your disability or long-term health condition from a general practitioner or an appropriate specialist, by the closing date for applications.

You can get advice or assistance with making an application from your local Jobs and Benefits Office – contact details are available on NIDirect:

Find contact details for your local Jobs and Benefits Office.

Equality Monitoring

Under Fair Employment legislation, we are required to monitor the community background and gender of those applying for roles. You must therefore complete the equal opportunities monitoring section of the application form when applying for the post.

Conflicts of Interest

It is essential that the person appointed is able to maintain public confidence at all times.

Applicants are required to declare whether they have any actual or potential conflicts of interest and whether they are aware of anything in their private or professional life that would, or have, the potential to undermine their ability to maintain public trust and confidence as Chairperson or Member of ACARC or which could, or have the potential to, bring ACARC into disrepute.

Further guidance on probity and conflicts of interest is contained in Annex B of this booklet.

Members of ACARC will record in the ACARC Register of Interests any issues on which they might have a conflict or perceived conflict of interest.

Commissioner for Public Appointments – Code of Practice

Although the appointments to ACARC do not fall within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, in the interests of good practice the appointment competition is being managed in accordance with the principles set out in the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The code can be viewed online at www.publicappointmentsni.org

Merit List

The merit list of applicants deemed to be appointable will remain “live” for 18 months from the date it is signed and may be used to fill any further opportunities for the same roles.

Communication during the recruitment process

The Assembly Recruitment Team will issue most communication electronically. You should therefore regularly check your email account to make sure you do not miss any important communication. Please note, sometimes the Recruitment Team emails are automatically filtered as spam by email providers.

Further Information

If you require more information on the recruitment process, please contact the Assembly Recruitment Team on 02890 521741 or email us at recruitment@niassembly.gov.uk.

Further information about the Assembly can be obtained on the Northern Ireland Assembly website.

The Candidate Information Booklet does not constitute any term or condition of employment.