Band B – Deputy Head of Governance & HMICFRS Oversight (Strategy)
Job Title: Deputy Head of Governance & HMICFRS Oversight (Strategy)
Salary: The starting salary is £59,839, which includes allowances totalling £2,928.
The salary is broken down as £56,911 basic salary, which will increase annually until you reach the top of the scale £69,342. Plus, a location allowance of £1,928 and a non-pensionable allowance of £1,000.
Location: London and Hybrid – 3 days (60%) of your time you will work from a Met location, of which at least 2 days a week will be at your base location in New Scotland Yard
Role description:
The Met’s Strategy function is responsible for providing the Commissioner and Met leaders with expert insight on strategic matters, supporting them to lead the organisation and make informed decisions.
Within Strategy, you will be part of the small, high performing team where you will work to provide insight on some of the Met’s most important challenges, and to support the organisation make progress against them.
The Policy and Reform team is a team at the heart of the MPS, with responsibility for:
- MPS strategic policy
- Governance
- Private Offices supporting MPS Management Board members
- HMICFRS oversight
The HMICFRS oversight team works closely with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, which independently assesses and reports on the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces, from the work of neighbourhood policing teams to serious crime and the fight against terrorism, in particular through a programme of inspections. Over and above the all force Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy (PEEL) inspection, there are thematic inspections. Recent inspections have involved child criminal exploitation/child exploitation, activism and impartiality and Op Soteria.
The Strategic Secretariat team has a unique position of access and insight into the working business of the Met’s Management Board. We run the Met’s corporate board meetings, including the Commissioner’s Management Board, the Executive Committee and the Audit Risk and Assurance Committee (ARAC). We are the Met’s lead for corporate governance.
As the Deputy Head of Governance & HMICFRS Oversight (Band B), you will provide leadership and support to the Met’s corporate governance arrangements. You will oversee a series of high-profile board meetings. On a daily basis you will influence and support senior stakeholders to understand and follow the corporate governance framework.
You will also lead on HMICFRS business as well as looking across at what other forces are doing to see where we can improve. As the Band B – you will act as the ‘Force Liaison Officer’ meaning you are our primary interface with HMICFRS. You will lead our work to prepare for the next PEEL inspection, and work with the Band A for Governance and HMICFRS to look across policing and inside the MPS to spot opportunities for improvement. The reform team helps to ‘own’ and shape our self-assessment for how we are improving and addressing the issues our partners, people and the public have spotted and asked us to change.
You will be expected to work flexibly across the wider team as needed – the Policy and Reform team is a high pace team often expected to pick up priorities for the management board team and support across a range of work at the MPS. We are looking for individuals who are comfortable challenging themselves to work on a range of issues often at pace.
You will build trusting relationships with the private offices of the senior officers who attend each meeting. You will also work with external stakeholders including HMICFRS, the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime and the Home Office to facilitate inspections, inform external scrutiny, develop the evidence base and help strengthen best practice across the Met.
Key responsibilities:
Working as part of a multi-disciplined team across all areas of the Met, you will:
- Oversee the production of consistently high quality and timely records of MPS meetings at the most senior and strategic level.
- Manage the reputational risk for the MPS regarding the accurate recording of discussions and decisions.
- Oversee the scrutiny of all MPS reports that are submitted to corporate boards to ensure high standards are maintained, challenging reports that are not up to the required standard and supporting authors to improve the quality of their reports.
- Work with the Commissioner’s and Deputy Commissioner’s Private Office and Management Board members’ Private Offices as necessary to ensure a consistent approach to the management of board meetings and proactive engagement in relation to agenda items and the delivery of meeting actions.
- Maintain an effective relationship with and knowledge of senior internal and external stakeholders, including MPS Non-Executive Directors, Joint Audit Committee members, DARA members, members of MOPAC, and of the Deputy Mayor’s decision making / audit and risk processes.
- Undertake all relevant line management activities for your Band C’s including leadership, performance management, attendance management, coaching and learning and development advice and support to establish a high performing team.
- Deliver continuous improvement of the corporate governance framework to support the boards and improve the MPS’ end to end governance process.
- Lead the inspection activities from HMICFRS to ensure they are facilitated and executed to a high standard, support the planning process of activities; project manage Inspectors’, site visits and interviews and Met schedule; support the effective preparation and production of inspection and self-assessment documentation.
- Own the upcoming HMICFRS activity, including planning for PEEL 2026 and the insight activity over the next 12 months to support that.
- Lead the HMICFRS relationship – in particular, by working with teams of inspectors to understand their needs and help manage their relationship with the MPS.
- Maintain and control analysis and a public narrative on how we are delivering change to address the findings of HMICFRS and other delivery partners.
- Liaise with external stakeholders including MOPAC, College of Policing, Home Office and other police forces to inform external scrutiny, develop the evidence base and scope best practice; identify and implement improvements to compliance regimes across the force that provides greater assurance to senior leaders.
Line Management Responsibility: Three Band C’s (Two on governance and one on HMICFRS oversight).
How to apply
To begin your career at the Met, please click the "apply button “. The application process requires a comprehensive CV, a Personal Statement (max 2 sides of A4), and an online application form. In your Personal Statement, you should explain your interest in the position and illustrate how your skills and experiences make you a suitable candidate. Please note that you should not submit two copies of your CV, and ensure that your documents are saved in either PDF or Word format, clearly labelled as CV and/or Personal Statement.
Completed applications must be submitted by 23:55 on 7th January 2025.
Once received, your application will be reviewed against eligibility criteria, following this, your application will be reviewed by the hiring manager. The application review for this vacancy will commence 2 – 3 weeks after the closing date.
Following application review, successful candidates will be invited to interview. Interview dates will commence 3 – 4 weeks after hiring manager review.