Police Investigations and Review Commissioner – Audit and Accountability Committee - Committee Members

Committee Members – Audit and Accountability Committee - Police Investigations and Review Commissioner

Reference: 3836
Remuneration: £200 daily fee plus reasonable travelling expenses
Location: Hamilton
Closing date: 05 November 2020 at midnight

The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is currently seeking to appoint 3 Committee Members to their Audit and Accountability Committee.

The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) was established under the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006 as amended by the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012.  It is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body.  It was established in 2013 and is responsible for carrying out independent investigations into incidents involving the police and independent reviews of the way the police handle complaints from the public. The PIRC is completely independent of the police and plays a key role in the policing landscape in Scotland by supporting public confidence in a fair and transparent system.

Our aim is to secure public confidence in policing in Scotland by supporting continuous improvement and promoting positive change.

Role of Members

In accordance with the requirements provided by Scottish Public Finance Manual, there is a requirement for the PIRC to have an Audit and Accountability Committee (AAC). Having an effective AAC is essential to ensure the organisation has strong corporate governance arrangements. The AAC’s role is to provide strong constructive challenge, where required, as well as robust financial scrutiny.  The AAC will support the PIRC’s Accountable Officer with their responsibilities for issues of risk, control and governance and associated assurance through a process of constructive challenge.

The Accountable Officer is looking to appoint 3 committee members who will be expected to:

• provide robust scrutiny of the governance processes deployed by the PIRC;
• act as a critical friend to the Commissioner and provide constructive advice;
• provide robust financial scrutiny, challenge and advice to the PIRC, in particular to the Accountable Officer ;
• support the Accountable Officer by overseeing and reviewing the risk, control and governance processes that have been established and the associated assurance processes, through constructive challenge;
• assist the Accountable Officer in reviewing annually the sources of assurance necessary for audit purposes are comprehensive enough to assure the Commissioner;
• promote effective working relationships with criminal justice organisations and stakeholders;
• ensure the PIRC complies with legislation, including equality obligations and provides an accessible and inclusive service; and
• promote and build public confidence in the PIRC.

The AAC will comprise of three non-executive Members, one Chairperson, the Commissioner, Accountable Officer and a representative from both internal and external audit will also attend meetings. Non – committee members may be invited to attend meetings, if appropriate.

Members and Chair shall be recruited by a panel including representatives from the PIRC and other external organisations for an initial period of two years with the possibility of extension, for a further 2 years

Time Commitment

The Committee will be expected to meet formally 4 times per year, with time required to prepare in advance of these meetings. Additional ad-hoc meetings may be required over and above these formal meetings.  Unless there are extenuating circumstances, failure to attend 2 consecutive meetings may result in the termination of  your appointment.

Successful candidates will be expected to undertake 1 day of training to assist them in their committee role. Successful candidates will be required to undergo vetting and Disclosure Scotland screening which the PIRC will arrange.

The PIRC is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to promoting a diverse workforce, with an emphasis on the PIRC values of integrity, impartiality and respect. We therefore encourage applications from all members of the community. We are committed to the Disability Confident Initiative and offer a guaranteed interview to any applicant who meets all of the selection criteria required for the post and considers themselves to be disabled.

Important Information Regarding Interviews

In recognition of the Scottish Government's ongoing measures and guidance in its response to Covid-19 (Coronavirus), we would like to advise applicants that all interviews will be conducted in a virtual/remote setting.  In order to facilitate this new way of working, we are asking all applicants to ensure that they have a suitable space to complete the virtual /interview as well as a personal device of choice with an account registered to the 'Zoom' app by which you can undertake the interview if selected. We are also asking that you ensure that your personal Wi-Fi/Broadband capacity will be sufficient to carry both audio and video feeds to undertake the interview. This will ensure that there are no issues incurred during the interview.

How to Apply

The candidate Information Pack /application form is available from:
https://pirc.scot/about-us/work-with-us/vacancies/

Email: [email protected]

The closing date for applications is midnight on 5 November 2020.

Shortlisting will take place thereafter and successful applicants will be allocated an interview date.
Applicants who have not been contacted by us within 3 weeks of the closing date should assume they have been unsuccessful on this occasion.
Only completed application forms will be considered.  Please do not substitute your Curriculum Vitae for a completed form since this will not be considered.

Application Information

*Please note this is not a regulated public appointment, therefore, the Public Appointments Team are unable to answer any queries in relation to this vacancy, Please contact the Board directly.*