Audit Manager: Value for Money

Job Description

Audit Manager: Value for money (VFM)Contract type: PermanentLocation: London or NewcastleSalary: £65,266-£83,484 (London), £58,798 - £73,091 (Newcastle)Hours: Open to full time & part time hoursNationality Requirements:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with (or eligible for) status under the European Union Settlement Scheme(EUSS)

Please note, we are not able to sponsor work visas. Please contact us should you have any questions on your nationality eligibility.IntroductionThank you for your interest in joining the National Audit Office (NAO) as a value for money (performance audit) audit manager. This job description will give you a better idea of who we are, what you will do when you join us, and what we offer. It also givesmore details about the application process.Our position is unique, and our work is very influential. Totally independent, we examine public spending for Parliament. This means we work for, and for the good of, everyone in the country. We want our work to have greater impact and make a bigger differenceto the outcomes and value for money that government achieves on the issues of greatest importance to the UK, both now and in the longer term.Each year we publish around 60 major value for money (VFM) reports looking at various government programmes and projects. VFM reports are multi-method reports often delivered at pace to achieve real impact. We help public services work better. The recommendationsfrom our work result in financial savings and positive changes in government to improve services and ensure value for money for taxpayers.You will tackle complex projects that inform debates and influence some of the biggest decisions that government makes. You will work with dedicated and talented people toward shared and important goals. And, by taking on new opportunities and challenges,youll build a rewarding and fascinating careerone that will allow you to make an impact that you, and the nation, can clearly see.We are now looking to recruit audit managers. We are looking for people with strong analytical and communication skills as well as experience of project and people management, which can be drawn from a range of backgrounds including experienced analysts,value for money (performance audit) auditors, the civil service and internal auditors.If you like what you see and can meet our requirements, then we want to hear from you.More about the NAO, including some of our recent value for money reports, is available on our websiteThe impact you will makeRight from the start, youll contribute to work that matters. Whatever you work on it all serves to help hold government to account for the way it uses public money and helps to promote improvements in public service delivery. The scope of our impact ishugefrom health to education to justice to overseas development to the BBC and Bank of Englandand much more.Our recommendations and reports on good practice help government improve public services, and our work in the last year led to:

• Positive financial impacts of £874 million in 2021-22.
• At least £11 positive financial impact for every pound spent on running the NAO.
• Bodies we audit accepting 93% of our recommendations.

Some examples from our recent work are set out below.

• The government has set out its long-term environmental and climate change ambitions, including a legal requirement to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. Our work has considered the value for money risksin this area, and this year we have:
  • examined the robustness of governments plans to fulfil Net Zero emissions targets with a report on the management and performance of the Green Homes Grant scheme; and
  • reported on how effectively central government and local authorities in England are collaborating on Net Zero and on the government commitment to increase tree-planting rates across the UK.
• We provided timely reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic to help Parliament understand governments response and hold it to account. We continue to provide expert insight to help ensure that appropriate lessons are learned for the future. Highlights include:
  • examining governments plans for recovery with reports on the employment support grant scheme and backlogs in the NHS and criminal justice system;
  • updating our COVID-19 cost tracker, setting out governments spending commitments on its response to the pandemic;
  • focusing on governments procurement activity and the vaccine programme roll-out;
  • drawing out wider learning for government from the pandemic with reports oninitial learning and risk management; and
  • using our audit opinions to point out disclosures made by government departments about uncertainties in their financial positions and issuing extrareports on accounts to draw issues to Parliaments attention.
• The Government Major Projects Portfolio, which brings together governments largest, most innovative and riskiest projects and programmes, contains around 180 projects with a total whole-life cost of around £540 billion. We regularly report on the valuefor money with which government departments and agencies carry out their projects and programmes, building insights and lessons for government along the way including:
  • reporting on long-term infrastructure programmes, such as Crossrail and the decommissioning of advanced gas-cooled reactor nuclear power stations; and
  • generating lessons from our audit work in recent years to deliver a framework to review portfolios and lessons learned on delivering programmes at speed.

How to applyPlease read the following instructions:

1. Please click on the advert apply button
2. Register and apply by filling out your online profile
3. Submit an up-to-date CV & completed Application Form (in place of a cover letter)

ResponsibilitiesThe roles We have two roles available for audit managers to support us achieve our strategic objectives. In addition to the specific requirements of the roles set out below, all audit managers are expected to spend part of their time developing their expertise in oneor more specialist areas through our networks (Hubs) across the office. This includes providing analytical insight and support to others outside of your team on your areas of expertise such as analytical techniqu