Chair and Members

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The London Fire Brigade; Trusted to Serve and Protect London Independent Audit Committee Chair and members

Allowance c. £12,000 per annum for Members, £15,000 as Chair

The London Fire Brigade is one of the largest fire and rescue organisations in the world, serving one of its most complex, dynamic, global cities. The environment in which we operate is ever-changing, and we recognise the need to change with it in order to offer the best possible service to the community.

We are part way through the implementation of our Transformation Delivery Plan, which directly responds to the recommendations published as Part 1 of the Grenfell Inquiry and the recommendations set out in Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

We recognise the value of external scrutiny and independent assurance on the adequacy and effectiveness of our internal controls, performance, governance, risk and financial management arrangements. To that end we are creating an independent Audit Committee with four independent members, including a Chair, to take up appointment with effect from September 2020.

The Audit Committee will provide challenge and assurance on London Fire Brigade’s control environment to support the organisation in ensuring that it is well managed and able to deliver its priorities.

About the Person

This is a really exciting time to join the London Fire Brigade and be part of something truly meaningful; we are seeking professionals who share our values and who have a passion for continuous improvement. You will be a person who has a successful track record of overseeing a service in a substantial, dynamic and demanding organisation and have operated at scale, ideally across a range of sectors.

You must be independent from the Brigade and the Fire Service, a trusted and focused professional, demonstrably able to operate with confidence, credibility and openness with officers and stakeholders and show an ability to think strategically and creatively to deliver innovative solutions across the Brigade. You must have a stylexxxxx that will engage and inspire, and possess the ability to take independent, unbiased and objective views and to examine evidence and complex documentation.

Promoting the highest standards of integrity and corporate governance, you will understand robust risk management and ensure that quality, finance and operational demands are held in balance. In return this will be a highly rewarding position, offering you the opportunity to influence the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the fire service for London, now and in the future.

The person selected as Chair of the Committee from those members appointed will also be expected to identify and drive forward areas which need to be scrutinised and by doing so, proactively contribute to the overall transformation of the London Fire Brigade. The Chair will also be required to attend the Fire Rescue and Emergency Planning Committee of the London Assembly to provide feedback on the work of the Audit Committee and to meet with the London Fire Commissioner and Deputy Mayor, Fire and Resilience as required.

About the roles

As an independent member of the Audit Committee, you will provide high quality independent expert scrutiny of the following areas of the London Fire Brigade:

- The adequacy and effectiveness of the system of internal controls and risk management, advised by the internal auditors;

- Providing independent scrutiny and assurance on the suitability and adequacy of the assurance framework;

- The performance management arrangements;

- The preparation of the Statement of Accounts, including the Annual Governance Statement, advised by the external auditors;

- The budget submission to the Mayor, incorporating the Capital Strategy, Reserves Strategy and Medium Term Financial Plan;

- The Treasury Management Strategy Statement;

- Quarterly performance reports to support the above;

- Any matter referred to the Audit Committee by the London Fire Commissioner.

Commitment

All Committee Members will be expected to attend 6 meetings each year at 169 Union Street, London, SE1 0LL or to meet by such ‘remote’ means by use of IT as the LFC shall determine. The meetings will last approximately 2.5 hours and time will also be needed before each meeting for preparation. There is likely to be an opportunity for appointed Audit Committee members to contribute to discussions on the delivery of independent assurance in the Greater London Authority, which is currently being considered by the Mayor.

Tenure

All roles will be on an initial three-year fixed term basis with the possibility of extension, by mutual agreement. There will be a three month ‘no blame’ clause to terminate the arrangement on either side.

How to apply

To find out how to be part of the change go to our recruitment partner’s website at www.london-fire- leaders.com or the ‘search for jobs’ section entering London Fire Brigade or the reference number 64803.

For an informal discussion to explore the role and your fit in more detail please contact Pete Guilder at GatenbySanderson on 07545 441127.

This may be at the end, but it is far from an afterthought; we are a truly committed equal opportunities employer. We are members of Stonewell and the Disability Confident Scheme and as such we welcome applicants regardless of Age, Disability, Race, Religion or belief, Sex, and Sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy or maternity.