Technical Director

Job summary

The Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) is driven by its unparalleled access across government to build ‘better insights, better outcomes’ for our clients.

This role offers a strong platform for career progression within the Agency and the wider civil service, providing opportunities to develop leadership, stakeholder engagement and strategic relationship management skills across government.

The Agency’s unique access across the public sector exposes you to different risk and control environments, allowing you to gain insights, apply experience, contribute meaningfully, and continue developing professionally.

Job description

As the Agency’s technical expert, you will be responsible for driving the highest quality standards and impact for our client base across government, whilst being future focused, and anticipating the changing requirements of the Agency’s services so that our business strategy is aligned to client need.

You will own GIAA’s internal audit methodology and will be responsible for its continued compliance with GIAS as it evolves to allow increased application through technology and artificial intelligence.

The Agency also delivers a range of client services beyond internal audit, including advisory work, counter fraud & investigations, data analytics and grants certification: you will own the Agency’s second line quality assurance processes and the Agency’s Quality Assurance and Improvement Programme for all client services.

You will be responsible for the GIAA’s Audit Profession and Practice team, for the Agency’s practice risk management processes and for ensuring that product development meets quality requirements. This includes overseeing the management of reputational risks to the Agency; acting as concurring reviewer for the highest risk deliverables and other contentious matters; and embedding a client focussed culture, driven by high quality outputs.

The Technical Director is a member of the Agency’s Executive Committee (ExCo), in which role you will support the Chief Executive as the Accounting Officer to implement and oversee the delivery of the GIAA strategy and corporate plan. As a member of the executive team, you will hold collective responsibility for the decisions, actions and policies made in GIAA.

You will also be an important ambassador for the Agency, developing and maintaining strategic relationships across government and with private sector industry stakeholders.

Finally, as Head of the Internal Audit Profession, you will support the GIAA Chief Executive (who acts as the functional head for government internal audit) in implementing the functional strategy for government internal audit and building the capability and professional competence of internal auditors operating across government.

Key responsibilities include:

• Acting as part of the collective leadership of the Agency as a member of its ExCo and supporting the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer to implement and oversee delivery of the Agency’s strategy and its corporate plan.
• Ownership of the GIAA’s internal audit methodology and the Agency’s continued compliance with Global Internal Audit Standards.
• Ownership of the Agency’s second line quality assurance processes and a Quality Assurance and Improvement Programme for all client services.
• Acting as the lead executive for the NED-chaired Quality Oversight Committee that has responsibility for scrutiny of the quality of service delivery across the Agency.
• Management of reputational risks to the Agency.
• Leading and managing an inclusive and high performing team that embraces a client focussed culture, is driven by high quality outputs and has an ambition to innovate.
• Acting as the Head of the Internal Audit Profession and leading on the implementation of the functional strategy for internal audit across government.

Person specification

Essential criteria

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate their knowledge, experience, capability and behavioural approach to a high standard against the following key criteria:

• Full current membership of a recognised CCAB accountancy body, or of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors UK & Ireland (and hold chartered auditor/CMIIA designation or the MIIA)
• Substantial assurance leadership experience in a large, complex and client-focused organisation
• Experience of leading reputational risk management in a professional services setting
• Proven ability to lead, motivate and develop diverse teams, driving high performance and continuous improvement
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with experience operating in politically sensitive environments
• Commitment to upholding public sector values, promoting inclusion, and delivering Value for Money.

If you would like to discuss the role prior to the closing date for applications to find out more about the job, please contact colleagues at Gatenby Sanderson who are supporting with this campaign: Sophie.hester@gatenbysanderson.com

How to Apply

Please refer to the attached candidate pack for all details on the application and selection process.

To apply for this role, you will need to submit your employment history, personal details and provide a statement of suitability of no more than 1,250 words, explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.

Please submit your application direct to Gatenby Sanderson byclicking the link.

Shortlisted candidates will undertake a technical assessment and a leadership assessment, which includes a Staff Engagement Exercise (SEE). For more information on the SEE please visit scs-assessments.co.uk/see

The assessments, along with the interview, which will include a presentation, will be evaluated as part of the overall selection process.

Interviews will be conducted in person in central London

Qualifications

Full current membership of a recognised CCAB accountancy body, or the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors UK & Ireland (and hold chartered auditor/CMIIA designation or the MIIA)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £100,000, Government Internal Audit Agency contributes £28,970 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries and in-year rewards
• Flexible working
• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Discount on big brands
• Volunteering days
• Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Schemes
• Free eyesight tests
• Family-friendly HR policies
• 25 days’ annual leave increasing by one day per year of service to 30 days after 5 years’ service
• Geographically based Agency

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

Recruitment Timeline

• Closing date: 11 May 2026
• Preliminary Interviews w/c 18th May 2026
• Shortlist w/c 25 May 2026
• Staff Engagement Exercise / Assessments: w/c 01 June & 8th June 2026
• Interviews: w/c 15 June 2026

This timeline is indicative and may be subject to change. We will inform you if there is a substantial change to the recruitment timeline.

If your contact details change at any time during the selection process, please ensure you update your Civil Service Jobs profile.

Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.

Eligibility Statement

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role in the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. Checks will be performed as part of pre-employment checks in line with this. Please refer to the Candidate FAQ document attached to the advert for more information.

Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Additionally, individuals appointed to the Treasury group will be subject to National Security Vetting. The level of security vetting required for this role is Security Check (SC)

To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. In exceptional circumstances, for example if you have been working abroad on a government posting, a lack of residency would not be a bar to security clearance however the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case-by-case basis once the advert closing date has passed.

Please read the Vetting Charter for information on what to expect during the vetting process and what will be expected from you. Many areas of your life may be explored during your vetting journey, and it is important that every individual, regardless of their background and experiences, should feel comfortable going through this personal process, whilst having confidence that it is fair, proportionate, and inclusive.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Sophie Hester
• Email : Sophie.hester@gatenbysanderson.com

Recruitment team

• Email : giaarecruitment@giaa.gov.uk

Further information

Complaints Procedure: The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact: GIAARecruitment@giaa.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

SCS2-Technical Director-Candidate Pack - FINAL_ Opens in new window (pdf, 1029kB)Success Profiles - Candidate Overview Opens in new window (pdf, 616kB)

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