Location
Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford
About the job
The Integrated Corporate Services (ICS) is a new shared corporate service, launched in July 2023. It provides corporate services (HR, Finance, Digital, Commercial, Security and Estates) across the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).
Our team of just over 300 professionals will be leading the way in how these functions will be delivered in the future. Our ambition is to be the leading provider of integrated corporate services for government and set the standard for quality, efficiency, and innovation in our field.
We offer great working benefits including a world‑class pension, flexible working options and a career where your learning and development is taken seriously. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.
Job description
The Matrix Programme is a transformation initiative involving 7 Government Departments (listed at the end). It is a unique cross‑government collaboration that will unlock simpler, better, and more joined up working by bringing together the systems, processes, and ways of working for key government functions.
Over the coming months we’ll be preparing to roll out Neo, our powerful new HR and Finance technology and service for the Matrix cluster – driving a more modern, digital government. The first Departments will go live in June 2026. Neo is a cloud‑based system, powered by Workday that will replace legacy HR and finance technology and offline processes across multiple Government Departments and associated Arm’s‑Length Bodies. Designed to streamline administrative activities and promote intuitive self‑service, Neo is enabling time back to focus on what we value the most – serving the public.
Neo’s adoption means we are harnessing the power of shared technology at scale. This unified way of working delivers better, more accurate data – eliminating errors, creating one trusted source of truth and accurate reporting. Neo is more than just a new system; it’s enabling us to be data‑led, to work smarter, respond faster and deliver services that truly meet the needs of the public.
The Neo Centre Office (NCO) is the strategic service management function for the Neo Service. Hosted within Integrated Corporate Services (ICS), its purpose is to monitor, direct, and advise on the delivery of the Neo service, ensuring it operates efficiently and meets performance expectations. It provides central oversight, enabling consistent service quality, timely issue resolution, and continuous improvement. By acting as a governance and coordination hub, the function ensures alignment with strategic objectives, fosters stakeholder confidence, and supports the seamless delivery of Neo across all relevant departments.
The Departments forming the Matrix Programme include Cabinet Office (CO), Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), Department for Business and Trade (DBT), Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Department for Education (DfE) and His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT).
To identify, evaluate and monitor risks to Neo service delivery and provide assurance on the risk management of service providers and technology vendors, and ensure adherence to government and regulatory guidelines.
Whilst the NCO will be hosted within IC S, some roles are temporarily aligned to the programme (hosted within Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) until all departments are fully onboarded. Whilst the NCO will have employees hosted across both IC S and DSIT, it operates as one unified team and plays a vital role within the IC S organisation.
We envisage further job opportunities being available in the near future and we reserve the right to draw applicants from available merit lists. We would also encourage applicants to set up job alerts to ensure they are alerted to other opportunities when they are advertised.
Person specification
Key responsibilities
* Develop and manage the Neo service risk, audit and compliance strategies, developing policies and procedures to be applied across the cluster.
* Oversee the identification and prioritisation of strategic risks associated with the delivery of Neo services and escalate where appropriate.
* Manage the Neo service risk register including analysis, categorisation, priority and mitigation or containment.
* Support the management of major incidents and problems, coordinating with Technology & Data Governance, service providers and technology vendors as required to resolve.
* Lead the overall assurance approach for the Neo service, ensuring all suppliers have robust and tested risk management frameworks in place. This includes monitoring supplier performance across incident management, business continuity planning (BCP), and disaster recovery, and linking in with DSIT and other departmental Partnership teams to assure effectiveness of these processes. The role will also work closely with cyber security and information assurance teams to ensure cyber risk is appropriately identified, assessed and managed within the broader risk framework, maintaining alignment with organisational and cross‑government standards.
* Manage internal and external Neo service audit and compliance, ensuring a clear plan to ensure compliance reviews / audits are conducted according to the timescales necessary, and data is reused where possible.
* Ensure audit recommendations are implemented effectively, and benefits are tracked.
* Service risk management, tracking and assurance.
* Work with the Finance Analyst to monitor and report risk for the cluster, monitoring the effectiveness of risk mitigation strategies and reporting on the overall risk profile of Neo.
* Manage and coordinate any non‑financial/commercial risks to be fed into the risk register/risk management process.
Essential Criteria
* Professional Qualifications: Finance qualified with CCAB, CIMA or equivalent.
* Demonstrable experience in risk management or a relevant risk management qualification such as the IRM Certificate or Diploma in Enterprise Risk Management.
* Solid experience in risk management, internal audit or compliance functions in shared services, a regulatory environment or equivalent.
* Demonstrates a strong foundation in both financial governance and enterprise risk principles, with the ability to lead on integrated assurance, risk strategy and compliance across complex organisational environments.
* Proven ability to assess supplier controls and risk exposure, including incident and escalation management.
* Experience working with external assurance bodies or in preparing for compliance reviews and audits, business continuity planning, operational risk frameworks and assurance strategies.
* Strong understanding of enterprise risk management and internal control principles.
* Ability to communicate clearly and distil complex risks into clear business terms stakeholders can relate to and provide actionable insights.
* Strong interpersonal and leadership skills.
Desirable Criteria
* Assessing risks and controls related to technology platforms.
* Previous experience applying frameworks such as GDPR and ISO 27001.
* Familiarity with cyber security risk assurance or digital service assurance model.
Qualifications
Finance qualified with CCAB, CIMA or equivalent.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Managing a Quality Service
* Communicating and Influencing
* Making Effective Decisions
* Delivering at Pace
For more information and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button below.
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