Role Profile: Head of Reviews

ROLE PROFILE: HEAD OF REVIEWS

About the role

About ICAI

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) is the independent body responsible for scrutiny of UK aid. We focus on maximising the impact and effectiveness of the UK aid budget for intended beneficiaries and the delivery of value for money for the UK taxpayer. We publish a series of reviewseach year examining UK aid expenditure. We report to Parliament through the House of Commons International Development Committee.

More background on ICAI, including our published reports and corporate information, can be found at our website:

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic individual to oversee ICAI’s Review Unit. The Head of Reviews fulfils a key role in overseeing the delivery of ICAI’s programme of reviews. The post reports directly to the Head of the ICAI Secretariat and works closely with ICAI’s Commissioners and contractors. The role involves: working with Commissioners to agree ICAI’s yearly work plan; managingand quality assuring reviews, which are undertaken by ICAI’s contractor, from design through to publication; and managing two Research Managers.

Duties include:

• Contributing to ICAI’s strategic direction, particularly around the development ofICAI’s programme of reviews.
• Leading on the coordination and delivery of ICAI’s programme of reviews.
• Leading on the QA of ICAI reviews.
• Ensuring the ICAI review cycle and review products remain fit for purpose.
• Managing and overseeing ICAI reviews from design through to publication.
• Advising and supporting Commissioners in delivering ICAI reports andcommunicating about them to Parliament and other stakeholders.
• Line managing two Review Managers, supporting them in their roles anddevelopment.
• Liaising with review stakeholders from government departments, particularly theDepartment for International Development.
• Leading on the relationship with the DAC Network on Development Evaluation.

Person specification

We are seeking outstanding individuals with the commitment, drive and ability to grasp new issues quickly and adapt to a range of challenges. Successful candidates for this role will demonstrate the following Civil Service competencies:

Leading and communicating

• Strong experience of communicating confidently, both in writing and verbally,especially presenting complex issues well.

• Providing leadership in the production of ICAI reviews, giving strategic direction to those involved.
• Confidently engaging and building trust with ICAI stakeholders and colleagues at alllevels, including Commissioners, contractor teams, colleagues within the ICAISecretariat and stakeholders in government.

Seeing the big picture

• Ensuring that strategic considerations are built into the development of ICAI’s review

programme, so that ICAI’s work is highly relevant to improving aid effectiveness.

• Having a strong understanding of stakeholder perspectives on ICAI’s reviews.

Changing and improving

• Actively seeks improvements to the way ICAI reviews are carried out, to ensure optimal efficiency and effectiveness.
• Spotting early warning signs of things going wrong in a review and providing a decisiveresponse.

Building capability for all

• Fostering a learning culture amongst all those involved in ICAI reviews, to ensurethat improvements are made within and across reviews in a timely way.

• Coaching and supporting the development of the two Review Managers.

Collaborating and Partnering

• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to work effectively with a broad range of stakeholders, from Commissioners and contractors to government officials and the broader development community.

Delivering at pace

• The ability to work at pace in a fast-moving workplace, and support others to do the same.
• Excellent organisational skills supported by robust planning and prioritisation.

In addition, the following criteria apply to this role:

Required: up-to-date familiarity with designing and applying relevant researchmethods, and analysing the results to reach defensible, evidence-based conclusions;and

Desirable: experience in the international development sector.

Maintaining ICAI’s independence is vital. When applying, please declare in your covering letter any business or personal interests that may be perceived to be a potential conflict of interest in relation to this role. These will not prevent you going forward to interview but may, if appropriate, be explored with you during your interview to establish how you would address the issue(s) should you be successful in your application.

How to apply

Please apply directly for this position via the Civil Service Jobs webpageno later than Tuesday5thJuly2016. As well as filling in your competencies, you will be asked to attach your CV and a brief covering letter stating why you are suited for the role. Interviews and assessments will be held in the week commencing 11thJuly 2016.

For further information, please contact:

• Andrea Baron, Head of Secretariat, 0207 270 6858,

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