Senior Specialist – Whistleblowing, Fraud and Conduct - 29753

Job Description

The Environment Agency is fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We don’t just talk about diversity; we seek it, embrace it, and live it, for the benefit of our staff, our communities, and our environment.

We are looking for a person with a hunger to improve the organisation by joining the Assurance and Risk Department. You will use your considerable talents and depth of knowledge to advise and act on whistleblowing, fraud, and money laundering concerns. You will also advise on conduct, conflict of interest and business-related ethical matters.

Our focus is to promote a climate where concerns about wrongdoing or error in the organisation can be raised in a confident and supportive environment and then to learn and improve as a result. The role will include managing whistleblowing, anti-fraud and anti-money laundering practices, including receiving concerns, triage, commissioning investigations, formulating actions, tracking, and reporting. Raising awareness and promotion of the procedures will be significant in helping the organisation to do things right.

You will, through these subject areas, work across the full extent of the business, with external bodies and customers. All the work is important, highly sensitive or confidential. Ultimately, you’ll make sure, through our work, that the organisation meets its policy and legal obligations but also supports people when they raise concerns and dilemmas. Much of the work is time critical and you should be prepared to experience significant peaks in demand.

Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be asked to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract an additional payment and full training will be available to support you with your incident role.

The team

As Part of the Assurance and Risk Department, this team specialises in fraud, anti-money laundering, conduct, whistleblowing and ethics and works with other teams involved in projects and programme delivery to improve the risk landscape, assure our activities and can include our response to any matters of corporate concern.

You will be the manager for a Project Support Officer.

Experience/skills Required

We are looking for someone who can operate across the organisation including engaging with senior managers, as an experienced influencer and a great communicator. You’ll be happy working collaboratively, able to challenge firmly and constructively when needed. You will drive improvement through policy and practice and display empathy and skill in dealing with controversial situations and concerned or worried individuals. You will be a reassuring presence and display impeccable integrity and attention to detail.

Experience in a relevant role or field is essential and professional membership in a relevant field is desirable.

You will manage a lot of detailed and confidential information, you’ll be comfortable delivering through others but have an eye for detail when something isn’t quite right and be able to work with technical processes and people to find a solution that works for all.

Contact and additional information

Base location is flexible but with the possibility of co-locating in Hub or delivery partner offices occasionally and as it is a National role there will be the requirement for occasional travel.

For further information please contact: Graeme Warren; [email protected] or Rachel Jones [email protected]

Interviews are anticipated to take place on 26 and 27 November 2024 via MS Teams.

In advance of this there will be a call for potential candidates to learn more about the role on Thursday 31 October 2024 at 11.00. Please email [email protected] if you would like to join.

If you consent to be recruited onto a reserve list, we’ll hold your details for 6 months and we may offer you an alternative post.

Competence 1

Achieves Results

Description

Description: Sets and delivers high work standards, demonstrates the drive to meet targets. Prioritises and organises tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results.

Giving a specific example, describe how you have successfully delivered a major project or task in the face of considerable challenges or obstacles and how you overcome and managed the challenges?

PLEASE NOTE: Your answer will be used for interview selection - please draw out your skills and experience in your response. You may consider using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) when formulating your answer to the question.

Competence 2

Takes Decisions and Solves Problems

Description

Description: This capability demonstrates that you are able to deliver solutions to problems by making decisions which are timely, informed, and appropriately targeted. Please describe, using specific examples of complex problems, how you identified that a decision was required in an uncertain environment, how you arrived at that decision, communicated, and implemented it?

Competence 3

Communicates Effectively

Description

Description: Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately and persuasively through speech and writing.

You will have many different stakeholders. Please give us examples of different audiences with whom this role would have to communicate and how your experience equips you with the methods of communication needed for different stakeholders?

Competence 4

Builds and Sustains Relationships

Description

Description: To enable effective working relationships this role needs you to build and maintain stakeholder relationships internally and externally.

Question: Please tell us about how you have successfully built and maintained relationships, how you approached this and the key considerations you made? What were the barriers and how did you overcome them?

If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.

We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.

We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls . Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.