Senior Assurance Lead

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

The Chief Operating Officer Group works closely with the Home Office’s policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the department’s priorities. The group is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Security, Estates and Information and Digital, Data and Technology.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Performance, Risk, Assurance and Governance (PRAG) function working within our Portfolio Delivery Team, managed by the Deputy Chief Portfolio Officer and includes our Business Partnering, Portfolio Standards and Assurance and Data and Insights and Centre of Excellence teams. These teams are fundamental portfolio management functions and provide senior leaders with reliable evidence enabling better and more informed investment decisions.

Job description

This high-profile role provides strategic governance and assurance oversight across the Home Office’s transformational change programmes, supporting effective decision-making and successful delivery. As a pivotal stakeholder-facing position, it requires strong leadership and engagement across senior governance forums, programme boards, and cross-government partners. The role influences the direction of assurance frameworks, ensuring robust scrutiny of investment decisions and programme performance.

Reporting to the Head of Portfolio Standards and Assurance, you will play a central role in governance across the transformation portfolio. You will work closely with Portfolio Business Partners and Business Case Leads to ensure governance processes are consistent, effective, and well-integrated. While collaboration is essential, the role demands a high level of autonomy, confidence, and credibility in advising senior stakeholders and shaping outcomes.

Flexibility is key, as priorities may shift and resources may be reallocated to meet business needs. You will need to be adaptable, proactive, and capable of assimilating complex information quickly.

This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and innovative individual to operate at the heart of departmental change, driving improvements in governance and assurance while contributing to the successful delivery of major transformation initiatives.

We offer the opportunity to support your continuous professional development through accreditation, relevant development opportunities as part of our thriving Project Delivery Community.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead governance frameworks across the transformation portfolio, ensuring strategic alignment
• Oversee investment appraisals, assurance pipelines, and reporting requirements
• Advise programmes and projects on assurance standards and improvements
• Coordinate portfolio governance, including change control, tolerances, and escalation processes
• Collaborate with internal teams and external bodies to strengthen assurance practices
• Ensure appropriate assurance levels and provide guidance on governance requirements
• Maintain compliance with HMT Delegated Authority Limits and Cabinet Office controls

The above responsibilities are not exhaustive, and the post holders may be required to undertake any of the above tasks or additional tasks not listed above, within the remit of their grade, to support the team.

Working Pattern

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis. However, compressed hours are available.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Proven experience in governance, assurance, or strategic programme delivery within a complex organisation.
• Strong understanding of government assurance frameworks and compliance regimes.
• Have a good understanding of business case development.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and provide strategic advice.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with a track record of working autonomously and collaboratively.
• Have led teams to deliver project outcomes with the ability to identify and nurture talent.

Desirable Criteria:

• Demonstrate understanding of project delivery disciplines and tools, including planning, risk management, dependency tracking, and benefits realisation.
• Familiarity with the Home Office Project Delivery Framework and Civil Service Functional Standards.
• To hold one of the following qualifications(or be willing to attain) at foundation level or equivalent: Management of Portfolios (MoP), Managing Successful Programmes (MSP), Similar level accreditation e.g. APM qualification.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
• Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
• Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
• See more of our benefits on our careers website.

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Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.

1. Application – by 18th June 2026

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• CV
• Personal Statement (maximum 1000 words).
• Evidence of the Behaviour Communicating and Influencing (maximum of 250 words per Behaviour).

Your CV should consist of your career history, qualifications and skills/experience, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.

The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

2. Sift – Commencing 22nd June 2026

The sift will be held on the Personal Statement, CV, Behaviour Communicating and Influencing, as listed in the advert.

Should a high volume of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on the Lead Behaviour. Candidates who pass the initial sift will then be progressed to a full sift that will consist of all the remaining elements submitted. Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the initial sift will not have their remaining submitted elements scored and will only receive a sift score for that assessed at the initial sift.

3. Interview – Commencing 13th July 2026

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the job advert) based questions. All Behaviours listed in the selection process will be scored at the interview.

The interview will take place on MS Teams.

For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.

Problems during the application process

If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.

Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.

Location

You can select up to threelocations in order of preference. Please ensure that these are locations you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at one of your preferred locations and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.

All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic.

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Additional Security Checks

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. The level of Criminal Record Check required for this role is SC. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs

• Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

Criminal Record Check

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.

If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Home Office Resourcing Centre
• Email : HORCCampaignTeamCorporateEnablers@homeoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. and you wish to make a complaint, then contact the Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Candidate_Information_v17_April_2026 Opens in new window (pdf, 207kB)2025-11-17 Pre-employment Checking - Document Requirements (V17) Opens in new window (pdf, 231kB)