Chief of Staff

Main Responsibility

Key duties and responsibilities:

Provide effective leadership and:

1. Provide high level policy, strategic, budgetary and performance delivery advice to the Director General as and when required, ensuring liaison with the relevant Directors and teams within the IOPC.
2. Lead, direct, and manage strategic projects commissioned by the Director General ensuring delivery on time and within allocated budget.
3. Lead and manage direct reports, including coaching and mentoring to ensure delivery of an effective and efficient Director General Office.
4. Ensure that the Director General is fully briefed for all meetings and events including background, potential conflicts as well as key information.
5. Occasionally draft presentations and speeches to be delivered by the Director General ensuring that information is accurate and in line with IOPC communication guidelines, and in collaboration with colleagues in the Policy, Communications, and other relevant teams.
6. Act as the de facto Executive Director for the Director General’s Office, leading the team to support the Director General to deliver their responsibilities across the IOPC.
7. Parliamentary and stakeholder contact in liaison with the Communications, Policy and other relevant IOPC teams.
8. Prepare board and committee reports on behalf of the Director General working closely with management board and Head of Governance, so that IOPC governance and decision making supports the effective development and delivery of organisational priorities.
9. Provide a day-to-day interface between the Director General and key stakeholders including Police Chiefs, community groups, local government, and their senior teams, to support the effective development and delivery of IOPC priorities.
10. Provide comprehensive and detailed responses to correspondence and emails on behalf of the Director General and signpost critical matters requiring further attention.
11. Act as the Director General’s spokesperson as and when necessary.
12. Act as counsel and advisor to the Director General and provide tactical support to in managing the highest-level risks to the organisation.

The Ideal Candidate

You’ll be an experienced and confident Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff or Chief Advisor with exposure to providing expert advice to a Director General or Chief Executive. You will also have:

• Significant senior management experience in a complex organisation with comparable scope, responsibilities, budget, and resources.
• Experience of liaising with government ministers, Council Leaders, senior community leaders and with the ability to influencing relevant outcomes.
• Experience of working with executive teams and Boards, although not necessarily as an executive.
• Experience of managing complex problems.
• Experience of working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders.
• High energy levels, an innovative approach and ability to inspire and enthuse others.
• Evidence of holding to a clear strategy and set of values while responding appropriately to short term challenges and priorities.

The role requires clearance to SC level

National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Please see the Job Description for the full person specification. 

Political Restriction

Please note that this is a politically restricted role and will be subject to limitations set out in the IOPC code of conduct, a relevant extract from which is set out below. This post has been identified as politically restricted because:

• They act as a “spokesperson” for the organisation, or have a significant degree of face-to-face contact with stakeholders, pressure groups, or other bodies or individuals who are seeking to influence the IOPC 
• It would appear to the public that the post holder had some influence over the outcome of the organisation’s decisions.

If a post is politically restricted, this means that you should discuss with your line manager before taking on any political activities. Permissions will not be unreasonably withheld but consideration will need to be given to the scope and remit of the role and how this may be perceived in the context of your IOPC position. You should discuss with your line manager if you are considering becoming politically active, for example:

• Campaigning for a political party.
• Holding a political office.
• Occupying party political posts.
• Holding a particularly sensitive or high profile unpaid roles in a political party.

Positive Action

At the IOPC, we are committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the communities in which we serve. A more inclusive workforce enables us to be a more effective and efficient organisation, better understand and respond to the needs of our communities.

Positive action as detailed in the Equality Act 2010, allows us to use measures designed to help improve equality in the workplace, and create a level playing field for all, whilst still employing everyone based on merit. Our workforce profile data shows that people who identify as black, Asian and minority ethnic are under-represented at the IOPC. 

For this role – should we have a situation where multiple candidates have achieved the highest score and one identifies as black, Asian or minority ethnic, by using positive action, we can select that candidate for the role, therefore improving this area of under-representation at the IOPC. We will only use positive action in this way where the highest scoring candidates have all scored equally, at the final assessment stage, and above our required threshold.

Reasonable Adjustments

The IOPC is a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. We are open to providing you with the tools you need to succeed. Whilst this list is not exhaustive, please see potential reasonable adjustments below that we can provide:

• Extra time for presentations or interview questions
• Formatting changes such as colours for text or background on written assignments
• Questions presented in writing during interviews

If you require any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process, please email campaigns@policeconduct.gov.uk

To apply, please submit a supporting statement outlining why you are suitable for this role (maximum 1000 words) and upload an up-to-date CV (no more than three pages). This should not contain your name or personal contact details.

Additional information:

Due to the nature of this job role the postholder will be based in our Canary Wharf office and will be required to spend the majority (60 – 80%) of their contractual hours working in-person due to nature of the job role.

Interviews:

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 9 or 16 September.

Package Description

• 27.5 days paid annual leave (increasing with service to 32.5 days) 
• Options to carry over, buy or sell annual leave
• Civil Service pension
• Civil Service maternity leave package
• PAM employee assistance programme
• Access to Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC) membership
• Cycle to work scheme
• Opportunity to enjoy the latest home and electronics in a more affordable way provided by Vivup
• Car Leasing Scheme
• Staff networks focused on each of the protected characteristics – run for staff, by staff:
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity behaviours

Additional Information:

The IOPC is not eligible to participate in the Civil Service transfer process, therefore successful candidates will not be able to transfer to the IOPC on their existing terms and conditions.

The IOPC does not participate in the UK Visa Sponsorship Scheme therefore, candidates will have to provide evidence of their Right to Work in the UK if offered a role with us.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, therefore a standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be carried out for the successful candidate during the pre-employment process.

Any move to the Independent Office for Police Conduct from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may, however, be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Emotional Consideration:

In performing this role, you will have regular exposure to distressing material which will likely be impactful, traumatic and challenging. Given the nature of the work, you will have contact with individuals who are experiencing extreme distress. The IOPC recognises this and offers all staff a range of wellbeing provisions, including TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) peer-to-peer support, a dedicated Wellbeing Advisor, and access to free confidential counselling. All staff are strongly encouraged to proactively access and engage with the support available. If you would like to speak about this element of the role with somebody already doing similar work at the IOPC, please contact humanresources@policeconduct.gov.uk and this can be arranged.

Rydym yn croesawu ymgeiswyr i ymgeisio am rolau trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg fel eu dewis iaith.

About the Company

As a completely independent organisation, the IOPC seeks to uphold the rights of the public and investigate the most serious matters, including deaths following police contact, to promote learning and influence change in policing. The IOPC is an organisation steeped in history, influenced by significant figures such as Stephen Lawrence and Sir William Macpherson. We are looking for people to uphold our core values, and in return we will give you a supportive and inclusive work environment to flourish in.

Be yourself

The IOPC is committed to promoting equality and valuing diversity in everything we do. Our vision is to be, and to be seen as, a leader in inclusive employment and services, demonstrating this ethos in everything that we do.

• As a silver standard Stonewall employer, we continue to commit to being a LGBTQ+ employer through the work of our Pride LGBTQ+ Staff Network, creating welcoming environments for lesbian, gay, bi and queer people.
• We are pleased to share that we are a signatory of the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter. The Charter is composed of five calls to action for leaders and organisations across all sectors. 
• Being a Disability Confident employer, the IOPC is dedicated to removing the barriers for disabled people to thrive in the workplace.
• Our Staff Networks are constantly working to make the IOPC the leaders of inclusive employment, from our Allyship Programme to Welsh Language Standards and our Know the Line Policy, we are constantly seeking new ways to create an environment for all to develop and thrive.