Job summary
- Main area
- Audit and Assurance
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 043-AC131-0825
- Employer
- NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Companies House
- Town
- Cardiff
- Salary
- per annum
- Closing
- 21/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Deputy Head of Internal Audit (Specialist Services Unit (SSu))
Band 8a
If you are looking to join NWSSP, please see the additional information below that may be of interest to you: -
Our “Benefits” video has been created to highlight and showcase some of the benefits of working for the NHS and NWSSP:- https://youtu.be/zX3x046SDhg
The “Tops Tips – Be Yourself” video has been designed to support candidates applying for roles with NWSSP. We have outlined 8 key steps to help candidates articulate their capabilities and experience when completing applications with NWSSP. https://youtu.be/qe3ibY8b6m4
Applicants are invited to apply in Welsh. Any application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application made in English
The salary scale above has been agreed as part of the NHS Agenda for Change pay award for 2025/2026 and will be implemented in August 2025 with arrears backdated to 1st April 2025 where applicable.
Job overview
This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated individual to join the NWSSP Audit & Assurance Service in the role of Deputy Head of Internal Audit within the Specialist Services Unit (SSu)
If you are looking to further develop your career in internal audit and believe you have the skills and experience to make a difference working for the largest and most diverse employer in Wales, this is the opportunity you have been looking for.
You should be an individual with the attributes to thrive in this challenging, varied, and complex environment. As a self-motivated individual, you should embrace our vision of delivering excellence and value for money. The recent external quality assessment of our service by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy demonstrates that we are delivering a quality service to all of our clients.
This role will give you a real opportunity to make a difference to the quality of services provided to patients in Wales, by getting involved in audits across a diverse range of areas in a flexible approach to working environment.
Main duties of the job
The role will primarily be to support the Deputy Director (SSu) in providing an independent and objective opinion to the Accountable Officers, the Boards and the Audit Committees of respective NHS Wales organisations on the degree to which risk management, internal control and governance arrangements support the achievement of the organisations’ agreed objectives.
The post will also be responsible for helping to provide an independent and objective consultancy service specifically to help management improve the organisation’s risk management, internal control and governance arrangements through the systematic and disciplined evaluation of policies, procedures and operations that management have put in place to meet the organisations’ objectives.
Working for our organisation
At NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership we expect everyone to embrace our values of Listening and Learning, Working Together, Taking Responsibility and Innovating.
Our organisation encourages an agile working approach and we pride ourselves on being a learning organisation motivated by continuous improvement.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values equality, diversity and inclusion, focussing on the wellbeing and belonging of our people.
Excellent customer service is something we strive for, for both our internal and external customers.
Offering a comprehensive benefits package, there is something for everyone. To find out more about working for us, the benefits we offer and guidance on the application process please visit https://nwssp.nhs.wales/working-for-us/
NWSSP work in an agile way where possible, all posts will have a contractual base but as part of agile ways of working that may mean working from home and other locations. We also look at how we balance flexibility with community, and how to manage opportunities to learn from each other.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click "Apply now" to view in Trac.
Person specification
Qualifications and Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Relevant Professional qualification (CCAB qualified accountant or MIIA qualified auditor) with post qualification experience or equivalent knowledge and competence • Experienced senior finance or audit manager level having gained a high level of special knowledge across a range of areas • Evidence of continuing professional development • Highly specialist knowledge of: o Professional Internal Audit Standards o Risk Management and Assurance Frameworks o Corporate Governance o NHS Capital Investment requirements o Construction contract management o Capital and alternative funded projects o NHS Estate Infrastructure, Facilities Maintenance and Management o NHS construction and project procurement regulations and guidance o Controls Assurance o Control Frameworks o Stewardship & Probity
Desirable criteria
- Management Qualification • Prince 2 Practitioner • Knowledge of: o NHS Wales governance and finance regimes o NHS Counter Fraud & Corruption Arrangements o NHS clinical governance
Experience
Essential criteria
- Extensive experience with numerous years at a management level in the NHS or equivalent complex organisation • Experience of resource and staff management including work prioritisation and planning. • Highly developed specialist knowledge and experience of the principles of effective financial control systems, corporate governance and Internal Audit. • Experience of working with board level management and Non-Executive Directors. • A proven track record of dealing with highly complicated situations and the delivery of challenging corporate objective. • Presentation of complex and potentially sensitive information where management may be resistant to findings. • Experience of working within a highly complex and politically sensitive organisation. • Experience of highly complex and political projects/ programmes. • Highly developed specialist knowledge of various contract forms e.g. NEC, JCT, ICE, MIM and their application. • Experience of working with NHS Infrastructure and Investment requirements through all stages of project/programme development. • Evidence of successfully influencing management and working with a multi-disciplinary team • Report preparation and presentation of detailed, complicated and confidential information.
Desirable criteria
- NHS Internal Audit experience at a management level. • Risk assessment and the development of audit plans and strategies. • Specialist knowledge of internal audit, financial and risk management aspects of NHS legislation and policies. • Working with client or partner organisations and liaison with External Audit.
Skills and Attributes
Essential criteria
- Ability to plan, control and manage complex assignments. • Ability to identify systems weaknesses and to use knowledge and experience to provide management with practical solutions. • Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, communication and presentation skills. • Highly developed analytical, interpretational and comparative skills capable of dealing with highly complex, confidential and sensitive information. • Demonstrable ability to work autonomously and equally effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team. • Ability to work on multiple complex tasks simultaneously and produce high quality work within tight deadlines and within resource constraints. • Ability to operate on a nationwide basis. • IT literate with practical computer application skills covering Microsoft products including Excel and Word. • Maintain professional and technical credibility, at the highest level, within Welsh Government, NWSSP and NHS Bodies. • Ability to market and promote internal audit services. • Demonstrable project management skills including work planning, organisation and prioritisation. • Ability to think innovatively and develop new ways of working, continuously striving to improve systems and performance. • Highly developed motivation, persuasion and negotiation skills, and ability to facilitate the development of others. • Highly committed and self-motivated, with high professional standards. • Ability to influence key stakeholders. • Effective Leadership and teambuilding skills. • Emotionally resilient and able to respond to exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances. • Ability to work under pressure. • Ability to plan and prioritise workload for you and your team. • Need for intense concentration over a sustained period of time. • Ability to work flexibly. • Ability to interact with patients and the general public.
Desirable criteria
- Welsh Language Skills are desirable levels 1 to 5 in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in Welsh.
Other
Essential criteria
- Deliver excellent customer service to our internal and external customers, helping us to maintain the customer service excellence standard. Ability to travel extensively between organisations and sites for meetings.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
Welsh language skills are desirable
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Huw Richards
- Job title
- Deputy Director (Specialist Services Unit)
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- +44 2921501611
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