Director of Corporate Services - £100k+, NI Assembly

ACCA, ACA, CIMA

Your new company
Hays Accountancy & Finance is proud to be working in partnership with the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission to recruit a visionary and strategic leader for the role of Director of Corporate Services.
The Director of Corporate Services reports directly to the Clerk/Chief Executive and is a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT). SMT provides collective strategic and operational leadership and advises and supports the Clerk/Chief Executive in her non-procedural duties. SMT comprises the Clerk/Chief Executive, the Director of Corporate Services, the Director of Legal, Governance and Research Services and the Director of Parliamentary Services.
The Director of Corporate Services is responsible for the strategic management and leadership of approximately 140 staff in the HR, Finance, Equality, Building Services and Usher Services functions that support the work of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Your new role Delivery of services:The Director of Corporate Services will be expected to deliver a wide range of services on behalf of the Assembly Commission. These services will include:

The provision of all HR services including recruitment and retention, learning and development, industrial relations (for example, the administration of discipline and grievance procedures), performance management and attendance management. In addition, a range of HR advice and support services are also provided to MLAs;

A full Finance function including the administration of the Assembly Commission's revenue and capital budgets, budgeting, monitoring and financial reporting including the preparation of the Commission's Annual Report and Accounts, the provision of a payroll services for Members, their staff and Secretariat staff and the administration of all aspects of financial support to Members;

The maintenance and management of accommodation for all building users including planned and reactive maintenance and major and minor capital works, and the delivery of Health & Safety, Sustainable Development and Support Services (which includes catering and cleaning services and the supply of office stationery and equipment);

"Front of house" visitor management and internal and external security functions in Parliament Buildings and liaison with the Stormont Estate Management Unit and also with a small PSNI unit who provide support to the security presence at Parliament Buildings; and

Support to the Assembly Commission in ensuring compliance with all the statutory requirements of section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and Section 49 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 including the development and implementation of key plans/documents (such as the Equality Scheme, the Good Relations Action Plan and the Disability Action Plan) to ensure compliance with statutory obligations.
Contributing to Strategic Management:

Contributing to the strategic and collective leadership of SMT;

Leading on, or contributing to, the development of corporate policies to support the business of the Assembly Commission; and

Contributing to the development, monitoring and review of the Assembly Commission's Corporate Strategy, Corporate Plan and Annual Plans.

Managing People:

Providing dynamic and visionary leadership for staff, creating an enthused and responsive workforce that fully embraces change;

Ensuring that staff in the Directorate are appropriately qualified, experienced and skilled in order to deliver the services required by the Assembly; and

Delivering a culture in keeping with the Assembly Commission's vision, strategic priorities and values.

In addition, the teams in each of the functions within the Directorate are highly professional, and the Director of Corporate Services will need to ensure that each member of staff within each team is highly proficient and focused on delivering excellence in all aspects of the business.
General

Being responsible for the effective and efficient use of resources and sound financial management and provide the Accounting Officer (Clerk/Chief Executive) with assurances on governance and probity

Complying with all of the Assembly Commission's staff policies and procedures including Equal Opportunities and Dignity at Work policies and procedures and all mandatory training requirements;

Managing information and records in accordance with established policies and statutory requirements; and

You may also be required to carry out other duties that the Assembly Commission reasonably requires of you.

What you'll need to succeed

Successfully completed the professional examinations and be a full, current member of one of the bodies listed below:

Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy

Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales

Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland

Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland

Membership of alternative accounting bodies, recognised as equivalent by the selection panel, will be considered.

A minimum of 4 years' senior management experience in a significant and complex organisation with responsibility for a range of corporate functions including finance, and developing, implementing and monitoring corporate strategies and effective operational plans.

Clear evidence of leading and developing a range of professional, highly- skilled, high performance teams to deliver effective outcomes and performance improvements in line with customer requirements.

A track record of leading on and delivering significant service restructuring and improvement and demonstrating flexibility, adaptability and resilience under pressure.

A track record of building and maintaining effective internal and external relationships with a range of key stakeholders where differing views have to be managed.

Senior management is defined as membership of, or reporting directly to a team at the highest level of organisational management in the public, private or voluntary sector who have the day-to-day responsibilities of managing an organisation or company. For example, reporting directly to a Chief Executive, Director or to a company board.

A significant and complex organisation is defined as having a range of diverse business functions and a budget in excess of £10m.

Skills & Behaviours:The following Assembly Skills and Behaviours will be assessed during the selection process:Managing & Leading Self and Others is setting high standards for ourselves. It is about guiding, motivating and developing others to achieve high performance. It is about engaging others in delivering a corporate vision of excellence, expertise and innovation in support of the Assembly as a legislature.Building relationships and effective communication is creating and maintaining positive, professional and respectful internal and external working relationships through effective and appropriate communications.
Delivering a quality service is about providing a high-quality and efficient service to our customers. It is thinking ahead, managing resources effectively and delivering work on time and to a high standard. It is also using professional or technical expertise to enhance service delivery.Initiating improvement and delivering change is looking for and being open to new and innovative ideas and improvements to the service provided. It is being flexible and adapting positively and professionally to
sustain performance when the situation changes, workloads increase or priorities change. It is about forming sound, evidence-based decisions and being accountable for results.

What you'll get in return
Limited opportunity for hybrid working may be available based on a business need.

What you need to do now
If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.
If this job isn't quite right for you but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion on your career. #