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Assurance Manager G7

Role family: Project delivery specialists
Civil Service grade(s): G7
Project complexity: High

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Role summary

When working within a project, the Assurance Manager provides an independent assessment to confirm that the project is on track. When managing multiple projects across a department, such as a Departmental Assurance Coordinator, the Assurance Manager ensures the right level of assurance is conducted at the appropriate time in a project’s lifecycle. In both roles, this involves scheduling and delivering reviews to scrutinise whether the project can meet its objectives and benefits as outlined in the business case.

Typical role responsibilities

Responsibility Detail
Application of assurance standards Leads assurance within a major project or across a portfolio. Ensures proportionate reviews at key milestones and manages recommendations. As a coordinator overseeing project assurance across a department, acts as the authority on all assurance activities and provides guidance on assurance types and requirements. Is fully conversant with Cabinet Office guidance and its application to all projects, including major ones. Develops and implements project or departmental assurance strategies.
Planning Oversees the planning, scheduling, and management of assurance activities for major projects or portfolios. Aligns key assurance activities with major delivery milestones and integrates them across interdependent projects. Provides guidance and leadership for fully integrated assurance planning. As a coordinator, works with the project managers and SROs to ensure they implement appropriate levels of assurance in baseline and future planning activities. Sources review teams.
Results/Actions Reports review outcomes to relevant stakeholders confirms their understanding and acceptance, and agrees on resulting actions. Oversees the implementation of agreed actions. As a coordinator, analyses assurance review outcomes, makes recommendations, and leads improvements at local and departmental levels.
Reporting Oversees timely and accurate assurance reporting to departmental or Cabinet Office teams to ensure transparency. Shares best practices with other projects. As a coordinator, work with SROs, project directors, and managers to ensure effective reporting, communication of key messages, and sharing of best practices within their department and with others in the coordinator network. Leads on the timely and accurate reporting of assurance data to senior managers or Cabinet Office teams to ensure transparency. Ensures that assurance reporting is embedded across the department.
Assurance evaluation Conducts assurance evaluations by assessing key areas including: alignment with the business case, management processes, and overall progress in relation to time, cost, and quality. Evaluates stakeholder relationships and perceptions, analyses final outcomes, and identifies lessons learned. Monitors benefits plans and their realisation to ensure effective delivery and value for the organisation.
Digital and data Uses data analytics and digital tools to evaluate project performance and assure alignment with business objectives.

Entry route

Project delivery professional

Suitable for individuals with extensive assurance experience or relevant experience from a different area within a project environment.

Non-project delivery professional

Suitable only for individuals with significant assurance management experience gained in a non-project environment.

Technical competencies

Help with competency levels

None: No knowledge and no experience.

Awareness: Basic knowledge and limited or no experience. You understand how it can be applied. You can describe the benefits and importance. You may have applied it in a low complexity project under supervision or assisted others in delivering it.

Working: Working knowledge and practical experience. You have a good understanding of this competence. You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.

Practitioner: Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence. You have applied this independently in medium and/or highly complex projects. You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence. You can adapt your approach to meet the requirements of the project.

Expert: Expert knowledge and experience. You are considered an expert within government and in the wider profession. You have applied this competence in multiple complex projects. You have been responsible for developing unique variations to suit specific situations. You champion capability development in this area.

Competency area Level
Risk and issue management
The ability to systematically identify and monitor risks and issues, planning how to mitigate or respond to those risks and issues and implementing the responses.
Working
Quality management
The ability to plan, develop, maintain and apply quality management processes to ensure adherence to those standards throughout the lifecycle of the work.
Awareness
Business change and implementation
The ability to integrate the solution into operations ensuring that activities are planned and completed to enable the business to implement the change and realise the benefits.
Awareness
Governance
The ability to clearly define roles, responsibilities and accountabilities and establish controls and approval routes appropriate to each stage of the work to monitor progress and compliance.
Practitioner
Frameworks and methodologies
The ability to identify and amend appropriate frameworks and methodologies to enable a consistent and efficient approach to delivery at all stages of the lifecycle.
Working
Stakeholder engagement
The ability to systematically identify, analyse and communicate with stakeholders, using appropriate channels, to ensure all those impacted by the change are engaged, taking account of their levels of influence and particular interests.
Practitioner
Assurance
The ability to establish, plan and manage reviews at appropriate points through the life cycle to provide confidence that the work can be delivered to the agreed outcomes and benefits within time, cost, quality, and other constraints.
Expert
Change control
The ability to establish protocols to manage and document all requests for changes to scope, timescales, costs, benefits or other approved baselines for the work. This includes the capture, evaluation and approval or rejection of change requests.
Awareness
Business case development
The ability to prepare, develop, commission and update business cases to justify the initiation and continuation of projects in terms of benefits, value for money and risk.
Awareness
Knowledge management
The ability to identify, share and promote best practices and lessons learned to create a culture of learning and good practice that supports continuous improvement to optimise project delivery.
Working
Digital and data
The ability to effectively leverage digital tools and data analytics for better project delivery outcomes. Combining an understanding of digital technologies with the ability to manage, interpret and utilise data to make informed decisions, improve efficiency and achieve outcomes and benefits.
Practitioner
Sustainability
The ability to incorporate environmental and social considerations into the strategic objectives of the work and to effectively identify, assess and manage these throughout the lifecycle, seeking to maximise benefits and mitigate negative impacts.
Working

Behavioural competencies

Help with competency levels

None: No knowledge and no experience.

Awareness: Basic knowledge and limited or no experience. You understand how it can be applied. You can describe the benefits and importance. You may have applied it in a low complexity project under supervision or assisted others in delivering it.

Working: Working knowledge and practical experience. You have a good understanding of this competence. You have applied this independently in low complexity projects and/or under supervision in more complex projects.

Practitioner: Detailed knowledge and significant experience. You have a deep understanding of this competence. You have applied this independently in medium and/or highly complex projects. You advise and may supervise others in the delivery of this competence. You can adapt your approach to meet the requirements of the project.

Expert: Expert knowledge and experience. You are considered an expert within government and in the wider profession. You have applied this competence in multiple complex projects. You have been responsible for developing unique variations to suit specific situations. You champion capability development in this area.

Competency area Level
Visible leadership
The ability to engage, motivate and coach others. To act as a role model and inspire and empower others. Aligned to the leadership Civil Service behaviour.
Working
Credible action
The ability to promote the wider public good in all actions and to act in a morally, legally and socially appropriate manner at all times. Challenges unacceptable behaviour. Aligned to the leadership Civil Service behaviour.
Working
Working with ambiguity
The ability to work in an environment of uncertainty and continual change. Able to feel comfortable making decisions and setting direction without having the full picture and re-focus as details emerge. Can apply knowledge and techniques to reduce ambiguity. Aligned to the making effective decisions Civil Service behaviour.
Working
Collaboration
The ability to establish and develop productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, bringing people together to benefit the project. Aligned to the working together Civil Service behaviour.
Practitioner
Influencing
The ability to influence, change and impact decisions with both internal and external stakeholders. Aligned to the communicating and influencing Civil Service behaviour.
Practitioner
Conflict resolution
The ability to recognise, anticipate and effectively deal with existing or potential conflicts at an individual, team or strategic level. Aligned to the working together and leadership Civil Service behaviours.
Working
Inspiring others
The ability to create and present a compelling vision and set clear direction, that motivates others to work towards a common goal. Aligned to the leadership Civil Service behaviour.
Working
Resilience
The ability to adapt to changing circumstances and adverse situations whilst remaining calm, reassuring others and maintaining performance. Aligned to the delivering at pace Civil Service behaviour.
Working
Innovation
The ability to think of, research and apply new ideas and ways of doing things. Encourages and supports innovations from others, is willing to experiment and follow ideas through to implementation. Aligned to the changing and improving Civil Service behaviour.
Working
Culture change
The ability to plan, lead and effect positive cultural change, securing commitment and buy-in, and promoting a positive long term vision. Recognises when broader culture change is necessary to deliver a project. Aligned to the seeing the big picture, and changing and improving Civil Service behaviours.
Working

Job titles for recruitment

This role profile is for an assurance manager at Grade 7. It could also be advertised as a senior assurance manager.

Hiring managers should refer to the standardised job titles framework for guidance on which titles to use for recruitment.

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