Audit and Risk Committee Chair (Designate) and Non-Executive Board Member

Full Job Description

[Audit and Risk Committee Chair (Designate) and Non-Executive Board Member]

Salary: £278.00 per day (Days Required: 25-30 days per annum)
Tenure: 1 year as ARC member, and then 3 years as ARC Chair / Board Member with an option to extend for a further 3 years.
Location: Most Board and ARC activities take place in person in our offices in Meadowbank House,
Edinburgh, EH8 7AU or Saint Vincent Plaza, Glasgow, G2 5LD. You must be able to attend both of our offices for in-person Board and ARC meetings. Some business is also conducted virtually via MS Teams. Travel costs to Committee meetings and related expenses will be reimbursed.
Role Reports to: Keeper and Chief Executive of the Registers of Scotland
Closing date: Sunday 05 May at 23:59
Number of Vacancies: 1

Registers of Scotland (RoS) manages 21 land, property and other legal registers which are a critical asset for the Scottish economy. We aim to provide the best public service for Scotland and are on a mission to make some of the oldest public land registers in the world into some of the most modern. We are committed to providing the best service to our customers through the creation of award-winning digital services, supported by the latest in cloud and AI technology. 

When working at RoS we support our colleagues by offering a range of modern work policies and workspaces, as well as encouraging a stimulating, inclusive, diverse, and equitable work environment, which we believe is crucial to achieving our mission. We are proud to promote our We Invest in People Gold Award, Investors in Young People Silver Award and We Invest in Wellbeing Gold Award, alongside our zero gender pay gap and the fact we are a disability confident employer. We are a welcoming community that functions on supportive practices such as Agile Coaches, Business Analysts, UX specialists and more. Our team is ambitious, acts with integrity and demonstrates commitment to progress and impact. We nurture talent and reward success.
To get a taste of what we do, our facilities and our hybrid working approach please see the following link for a short video ;

About this Role
We have an exciting opportunity to appoint a new Chair of our Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) who will also serve as a Non-Executive Member of our advisory Board . 

The current Audit and Risk Committee Chair reaches their maximum term in office in Autumn 2025. To allow for continuity and a successful handover, we are looking to appoint a candidate as ‘ARC Chair Designate’ in the summer of 2024. The successful candidate will join the ARC, as an ARC member, in the summer of 2024, and will step into the role of ARC Chair and join the Board as a Non-Executive Board Member when the current ARC Chair leaves office in Autumn 2025. 

The ARC Chair is the only Non-Executive Director who serves on both the Board, and Audit and Risk Committee. 

The RoS Audit and Risk Committee provides advice and assurance to RoS’ Chief Executive, Accountable Officer, and Board in respect of risk management. The ARC works closely with the External Auditor (Deloitte) and Internal Auditor (Scottish Government’s Internal Audit and Assurance Directorate). 

The ARC’s role is to:
•Provide independent, informed support and assurance to the Chief Executive, Accountable Officer and RoS Board on matters such as the corporate governance arrangements in place, and risk management including fraud, value for money and control systems.

• Commission an annual programme of work from RoS internal auditors, in consultation with the Accountable Officer and other Executive Directors. The programme is risk-based, focussing on RoS systems of internal control and challenges to the successful achievement of our corporate objectives. The ARC reviews the reports from that programme, monitoring outcomes and actions to completion.

•Provide an Annual Report to the RoS Board and the Accountable Officer summarising the work of the Committee in the year, along with outcomes from effectiveness reviews. 

Our Board Non-Executive Members bring us an important external perspective from the private, public or third sector and contribute at a strategic level on corporate management issues, providing challenging, innovative, and informed input. For this role we need strategic thinkers with strong communication skills, who can pose constructive challenge during discussions and contribute to improving the performance of RoS. 

The RoS Board’s role is to provide strategic advice to the Keeper on: 
• Setting and communicating RoS’ vision and values. 

• Setting strategy and objectives for RoS and ensuring that the necessary financial, IT, physical and human resources are in place to deliver them. 

• Setting a framework of prudent and effective controls that enables risk to be assessed and managed.

• Monitoring and improving RoS' performance. 

The terms of reference for the RoS Board can be found here and the terms of reference for the RoS Audit and Risk Committee can be found here . 

Details of current Board and ARC members can be found here . You can also read a blog from outgoing ARC Chair Andrew Harvey about his time in the role here .

RoS emphasises diversity in our Board, and Audit and Risk Committee, and we welcome applications from appropriately qualified candidates in all sections of the community, and from people with diverse experience and backgrounds.

Information regarding our current ARC and Board diversity is published here .

For more information on the role &, full details on the Technical and Leadership Competencies required, and how to apply, please refer to our full recruitment pack by clicking here .

How to Apply
To apply, click on 'Apply now’ and complete our online application form, you will need to submit:
•A CV setting out your career history and how you meet the Responsibilities and Technical competencies required in the role (we recommend no more than 4 pages in length).
•As a continuation of your CV and within the same document , a supporting Statement of no more than 1000 words , which addresses the following:

-Why do you want to chair the RoS Audit and Risk Committee and join the RoS Board?

-How does your experience match the requirements of the role, including leadership and technical competencies?

-How do you believe your skills and experience can add value to addressing the current risks and challenges that RoS is facing?

-Please provide an example of a situation where you have fulfilled an advisory role, similar to that which you would exercise for RoS, and describe the impact you were able to achieve via your advice.

Please note
• CVs that are not accompanied by a supporting statement will not be scored .
• We recommend that you work on your answers to the competencies using some form of word processing software such as MS Word or Google sheets; the system will “time-out” and sign you off if you are inactive or spend over a certain amount of time in the application without saving your progress.

Assessment
Candidates whose CV and covering letter most clearly meet the selection criteria will be invited to
an interview involving a short analytical/presentation exercise (details to be provided on the day) and a question-and-answer session based on their motivation and experience . 

Candidates should anticipate needing to be available for two hours .

It is expected that panel members will be:
- Keeper and Chief Executive, Jennifer Henderson
- Current Audit and Risk Committee Chair and Non-Executive Board Member, Andrew Harvey
- Accountable Officer, Chris Kerr

The interviews will be conducted in person at RoS’ office at Meadowbank House in Edinburgh . Whilst any travel and subsistence expenses incurred during the selection process are normally the responsibility of the applicant, if this is something that is preventing you from applying, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to make alternative arrangements.

Complaints
Our recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment through fair and open competition on the basis of merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Recruitment Principles .

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact:

Registers of Scotland, Meadowbank House, 153 London Road, Edinburgh, EH8 7AU, or e-mail in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from us, you can then contact the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners – the appropriate contact details will be provided with our response.

If you have any questions about the role, you can contact

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a Disclosure Scotland check.

Equal Opportunities
Along with your completed application (CV & Personal Statement) please complete our Diversity and Monitoring application section. RoS is a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any adjustments to our recruitment process, please let us know via