The Organisation

Wheatley is Scotland’s leading housing, care and property-management group and one of the UK’s best-accredited organisations. Owning or managing over 80,000 homes, Wheatley delivers award-winning services to 250,000 people across Scotland. Group subsidiaries are united by a common commitment to excellence in all they do and a joint mission in 'Making Homes and Lives Better' for the people they work for and the communities in which they live.

Wheatley and its partner organisations continue each year to win national and international awards and accreditations from organisations ranging from the European Foundation for Quality Management to Investors in People and the UK Government Cabinet Office, which oversees Customer Service Excellence. The Internal Audit team has recently been shortlisted for the Audit & Risk awards 2018 in the following categories: Outstanding Team Public Sector and Inspirational Leader.

The Opportunity

Having gone through a period of transition the Wheatley Group is now looking to recruit a Head of Assurance, this is a newly created position and will report to the Director of Assurance.

As a Wheatley Group leader you will be expected to build on this already sector leading achievements and deliver a first class integrated assurance service to the Wheatley Group combining audit, performance reporting and business assurance as a seamless support function.

You will lead your team with confidence to deliver top quartile performance, by promoting effective working between assurance team members with regards to staff development and the resulting benefits in achieving organisational goals by turning strategy in to action.

You will support the Director of Assurance in the strategic leadership of an integrated internal audit and business assurance service and the development and embedding of a risk management culture across the Wheatley Group, including Board, Executive Team and managers throughout the Group’s subsidiaries

You will support the development and implementation of quality management frameworks that promotes continuous improvement and provides the Group and subsidiaries with assurance that we are delivering our strategic purpose and improving services. The control environment focussed assurance to be provided by producing draft reports and finalising reports with Audit Clients which can be supported by detailed audit working files which can be passed to the Director of Assurance for review. The Head of Assurance will be responsible for attending Group Subsidiary Board meetings (e.g. YourPlace, Dunedin Canmore, West Lothian, Cube, GHA Legal and Lowther Homes) to report on audit plans and findings.

This role will support the development of a robust internal control environment across the Group by focussing the assurance teams’ work on areas of risk to the Group and by assessing the design and operating effectiveness of systems on internal control in key operations across the Group. The Head of Assurance will support the control environments development by recommendation improvement in business practices to ensure value protection and value enhancement through identifying recommendations in relation to good practice.

The Role

• Lead the assurance element of the service to deliver group objectives
• Lead fraud/irregularities investigations
• Lead on project assurance reviews of Technology projects
• Lead an integrated, professional and effective assurance team service to deliver organisational objectives
• Management of Business Insight Team
• Lead a compliant Internal Audit Service
• Implementation of risk management
• Provide advice and support on best practice and performance
• Improving the assurance service
• Assurance of the Group’s progress to excellence
• Clear and consistent leadership of staff
• Efficient and well managed work processes across the function
• Compliance with professional, regulatory, statutory and corporate requirements

The Individual

• Qualified membership of an accountancy or audit professional body
• Degree or equivalent level qualification relating to a financial or audit profession
• Senior Management experience in internal audit roles, including coaching on audit assignment
• Thorough knowledge of International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing and best practice
• Skilled at evaluating systems of internal controls and determining appropriate testing strategies
• Understanding of quality management frameworks and areas of good practice
• Experience in negotiating with senior management in agreeing audit objectives, scope and final reports/recommendations/action plans
• Governance - Experience of attending Audit Committees and Board and presenting reports
• Excellent analytical and evaluation skills
• Experience of interacting in positions of trust with senior and/or board level executives
• High level of interpersonal skills
• Track record in successfully promoting and delivering improvements in how Internal Audit services have been provided
• Strategic and analytical thinker – ability to develop Strategic Plans and be adept at report writing and knowledgeable about systems thinking methodologies
• Making the Quality Standard Frameworks part of day –to-day business – i.e. EFQM, IIP, Health & Safety etc
• Understanding budget and Value for money

Salary: Starting salary of £66,268

Pension: Highly attractive pension scheme

Holidays: 28 days + 13 public days

For more information, please contact Georgie Millyard for a confidential conversation – 07850766965.