Our aim is for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.

The Church Commissioners works to support the Church of England’s ministry, particularly in areas of need and opportunity. We do this through the responsible and ethical management of a diverse £10billion investment portfolio which enables us to maintain and grow our funding support for the Church. We help to ensure that funding is intentionally used for mission and growth as well as providing broader support to different parts of the Church to enhance the use of their resources to advance their mission.

To lead the management of risk across the CC to provide management and trustees/Commissioners with objective assurance over the identification, assessment and mitigation of business risks, and to identify operational and governance improvements. Delivery of risk management identification, facilitation, management, mitigation and reporting, including data analytics.

The role will span risk management across all of the Church Commissioners’ activities including the investment of a £10billion endowment fund, responsible investment/ESG engagement, financial distributions to the Church of England of £400million per annum, and other mission support functions of the Church Commissioners focused on Bishops, Cathedrals and Parish/Church reorganisations.

The main responsibilities for this role are:

• Lead the embedding of risk management processes and systems across the Church Commissioners, including utilisation of software and the automation of the risk management framework.
• Work with the CC’s senior management to manage the identification, assessment and evaluation of risks, identify appropriate mitigations and ensure additional actions are taken as appropriate and facilitate the update of all CC operational and strategic risk registers.
• Provide challenge and advice to CC senior management to ensure that the risks registers and risk management activities are timely, accurate and consistent with the risk management policy and approach of the CC.
• Support the CC Chief Executive and the Director of Risk and Assurance in the development of high-level risk reports, which analyse the impact of key business risks in CC and facilitate improved decision-making.
• Provide reports for the CC senior management, trustees/Commissioners, the Boards and Committees as appropriate, summarising risk management activity, changes to risk registers and emerging issues. Lead the production of Risk Management assurance reports for the CC Board, Audit & Risk Committee and other Committees on a 6 monthly basis and the CMG on a quarterly basis.
• Manage the internal audit follow up process for CC, including the production of quarterly status reports for CC senior management, utilising a digital/automated approach where appropriate.
• As requested, provide advice, guidance and advocacy on risk management, that is fit for purpose, provided promptly, and is accepted by management.
• Lead the resolution of complex and highly sensitive risk matters and programmes.
• Ensure all risk management is carried out in line with legislation and using best practice in risk management techniques.
• Deputise for the Director of Risk and Assurance, if required, in relation to quality review of CC risk reports to senior management, trustees/Commissioners, the Boards and Committees as well as attendance at Committee and management meetings, as appropriate.
• Undertake any other CC risk management duties as required.

The ideal candidate should have:

Essential

Education:

• Relevant Professional Risk qualification i.e. CMIRM, IRMCert, CRMA, Diploma in Risk Management, etc.

Skills/Aptitude:

• Able to plan and deliver risk management assignments (including workshops and risk register reviews) with limited resources, meeting both customer expectations and professional standards.
• Proven analytical skills and ability to extract and analyse complex electronic and other data, and clearly present risk management assurance to a range of key stakeholders.
• Excellent IT skills (including advanced Excel and proficient in other Microsoft applications) and data manipulation skills. HR evaluated - September 2023
• Able to analyse information and extract pertinent information for management, with an excellent attention to detail.
• Well organised and able to work calmly and effectively under pressure to manage significant competing priorities and achieve tight deadlines.
• Excellent formal written skills, able to produce papers for Boards and Committees, explaining complex information and issues in a clear and concise way.
• Able to establish constructive working relationships with senior managers and members/trustees.
• Strong financial acumen / experience, given the financial/investment focus of the work of the Church Commissioners.
• Professional self-presentation and interaction with colleagues and other key stakeholders, which creates a good impression and profile for the department.
• Proactive, self-motivated and enthusiastic attitude with excellent interpersonal skills and a collaborative, solution focused approach.

Knowledge/Experience:

• Significant experience gained from working in a senior risk role for a large organisation including relevant experience e.g. Investments, Endowment fund, Grant-making Charities, etc.
• Significant experience of producing and confidently presenting reports at CEO, Board and Committee level in complex governance structures.
• An understanding of best practice in relation to the management of risk, including the use of risk indicators and exposure to wider risk management good practice/approaches.

Personal Attributes:

• Friendly, collaborative and good team player.

Circumstances:

• The post is primarily based in central London with remote/flexible working arrangements, but some limited travelling and overnight stays may be required.
• Willingness to work in excess of contracted hours at times to ensure completion of deadlines where required.
• The post is full-time but part-time candidates will be considered.

Desirable Education:

• Relevant professional Accounting qualification i.e. ACA, ACCA, etc.

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Competence in Visio, Access and/or OneNote.
• Competence in the use of IDEA or other data interrogation and analysis applications.

Knowledge/Experience:

• Previous experience of the Investment sector, ideally involved in investment fund risk management.
• The legislative/ regulatory/ accounting frameworks of charities and investment schemes.
• Charity Commission risk management guidance and good practice.
• Project Management experience.

In the National Church Institutions (NCIs), we support the mission and ministries of the Church of England. We work with parishes, dioceses, schools, chaplaincies and other ministries, and with national and international partners including mission agencies, and other denominations and faith groups.-.

Find out more about working for the National Church Institutions by visiting Careers | The Church of England

NCI values

• We strive for excellence
• We collaborate
• We act with integrity
• We show compassion
• We respect others

We welcome everyone and we accept and value people for who they are and what they contribute, treating others in the way we would wish to be treated ourselves. We actively listen to and include others, encouraging and enabling everyone’s voice to be heard in discussions and decisions. When we disagree, we aim to disagree well with respect and kindness.

We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people. Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we’re looking for then we would like to hear from you. If there is anything we can do to support you in your application please get in touch via email to hr.recruitment@churchofengland.org.

• As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively look to attract, recruit and retain those of you who are disabled.
• We are a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and welcome applications from those of you who have served in our Armed Forces and their families.