Compliance Officer - London, United Kingdom - The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Description

The Compliance Officer for IPSA was established as part of the reforms to the regulation of MPs' business costs under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 as amended by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

As an office holder appointed understatute, the Compliance Officer acts independently of IPSA's executive, and reports to, but cannot be directed by, IPSA's Board.

To ensure the smooth functioning of the role and its duties, the independent Compliance Officer will necessarily liaise closelywith members of the IPSA Executive on individual cases and with the Chief Executive's office on wider issues as appropriate.

About the role:

The Compliance Officer is an independent office holder with legislative responsibility for handling complaints and requests for investigation regarding alleged breaches of the Scheme.

Such investigations can be referred by IPSA or requested by an MP or memberof the public.

The Compliance Officer also conducts reviews following requests from an MP in circumstances where IPSA have refused to pay a business cost claim.

In , the Compliance Officer handled 27 complaints, largely made by members of the public.
One led to a formal investigation. A further seven complaints were made to the Compliance Officer but fell outside of their remit. In the same reporting period, five MPs requested reviews of claims.

The Compliance Officer retains statutory powers to issue penalty notices to MPs who fail to cooperate with enquiries. To date, there has been no requirement to initiate formal measures compelling cooperation. More information can be found on the ComplianceOfficer's website. The Compliance Officer is appointed for a single five-year term by the People Committee of the IPSA Board.


Main responsibilities:

• Conducting assessments of all complaints and investigations and taking appropriate and proportionate action in accordance with the Act and the investigative procedures made thereunder, including fairly updating all parties involved and providing robustrationales for decisions.
• Conducting investigations on their own instigation, at the request of IPSA, or in response to an allegation from a member of the public or an MP about MPs allegedly in breach of the Scheme. Ensuring effective, timely, and thorough investigations to determinean evidencebased outcome fully in line with the procedures for Compliance Officer investigations determined by the IPSA Board.
• Following a request from an MP, carrying out reviews in circumstances where IPSA has refused to pay a claim either in whole or in part.
• Providing regular reports to the IPSA Board on the activities of the Compliance Office, usually on a quarterly basis, and an annual report to the Board on key issues/themes arising.
• Producing an Annual Report from the Compliance Office for inclusion in IPSA's statutory Annual Report and Accounts to be laid before Parliament, as well as responding to IPSA consultations as a statutory consultee under the Act as appropriate including,for example, on IPSA's publication scheme.

What we are looking for:

You'll have demonstrable track record in a senior investigatory role in a comparably complex environment.

Your ability to assess complex information and exercise sound judgement will be first rate, and you'll always base your decisions upon evidence andthe principle of proportionality, and outline these logically verbally and in writing.

You'll bring with you a proven record of remaining neutral and demonstrating a genuine independence and impartiality in a highly politicised environment.

You'll have experience of interpreting and implementing a complex framework of rules and regulations whilst remaining pragmatic, focused on reaching a satisfactory outcome, and mindful of the bigger picture and wider operating context.

You'll be confident, sensitive, and have effective communication skills with an interpersonal influence that will succeed with a range of audiences and under intense media scrutiny.

You'll bring with you experience of building effective working relationshipsacross bodies/stakeholders whilst providing appropriate challenge when necessary.

A full person specification is available on our website.


How to apply:

Before you apply, you're asked to read the 'how to apply' section on our website, detailing our approach to reducing unconscious bias in our recruitment process.

If you would like more information or an informal discussion, please contact our People team, who can discuss further or arrange an informal call with our Chief of Staff.

Interview process
For information regarding our interview and onboarding process, please refer to our website.


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