Job Title & Grade: Assurance and Risk Auditor – EO
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary range (depending on location):
National - £29,303 to £31,061
Please note that unless you are currently employed by the Civil Service and are earning more than the minimum above, if successful you will be offered the minimum for the grade depending on your location.
Location: Nottingham, South Tyneside and Liverpool
Minimum Working Pattern:
If you are applying for a part time role, please note that to meet business demands we need cover for a minimum of 25 hours and to cover 4 days of the week
To meet legal requirements, if you are between the ages 16-18 and you are a successful candidate, you will be required to complete an apprenticeship after your initial on the job training.
The Legal Aid Agency
We are an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). We are responsible for operationally administering the legal aid fund to provide criminal and civil legal aid advice to people in England and Wales.
Our people are at the heart of achieving excellence. Employing around 1,200 colleagues across England and Wales, we feel proud to have some of the best People Survey results in the Civil Service.
Contract Management and Assurance (CMA)
Based in every office of the LAA, bring together a wealth of expertise and knowledge to support the organisation in managing our providers and assuring risks. CMA work ly with our provider base to ensure the smooth running of our contracts and assure the delivery of legal aid.
We ensure that Providers deliver quality legal aid services in accordance with contractual requirements and relevant legislation. We interpret and analyse data to effectively manage risk and to influence providers to improve performance and effectively deliver change. We also engage with the wider Justice System to promote partnership working and influence provider behaviour.
Core Assurance and Risk Management Team
We undertake a monthly cycle of re-performing samples of eligibility applications and payments to legal aid providers. This work is designed to identify the level of reported error on the Legal Aid Fund and is reported as the LAA’s Regularity position on the Agency’s accounts. The team’s work is ly reviewed by the National Audit Office who re-perform samples of their testing. The team’s findings are also shared with Assurance’s Recoveries team, Contract Management and Case Management. It also carries out audits and data validation exercises in all areas of crime and civil work to ensure provider work is carried out in accordance with Legal Aid Contracts.
Job Summary
The role holder is responsible for reviewing Legal Aid Provider files against claim data and contractual requirements to make robust decisions regarding their accuracy. You will produce detailed reports justifying your decisions and communicate your findings with both internal and external customers.
The role requires attention to detail, working with data from a range of sources and a flexible approach to changes in business priorities. Assurance and Risk Auditors develop their knowledge to gain subject matter expertise in different areas of law.
Key Responsibilities:
- Analyse data from a range of sources to select, request and review provider case files.
- Validate provider claims to make detailed assessments and communicate results to internal and external stakeholders.
- Work with Contract Managers and providers to enforce any recoveries identified.
- Consider appeals against auditor assessments.
- Answering queries from other teams and providers.
- Storing and recording all work in line with team processes and LAA requirements.
- Work flexibly to support the team in the delivery of ad hoc and urgent tasks.
Work independently to ad- to team time standards whilst escalating any issues to the team manager.
- Use experience to identify and suggest improvements to processes and share knowledge with the team.
The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post at present and are not exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks suitable for the EO grade.
Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills
- Microsoft 365 Applications (specifically Excel)
Desirable Knowledge, Experience and skills
- Knowledge of LAA contracts – Crime and Civil
Person Specification –
- You can analyse information to make considered decisions.
- You enjoy working with data with a focus on numerical and casting accuracy.
- You are happy working in a process driven environment and understand the importance of making decisions according to set rules and guidelines.
- You remain effective and can be flexible when faced with conflicting deadlines.
- You always have a plan in place to make best use of your time.
- You are a highly organised, able to motivate yourself to work independently and take accountability for your decisions.
- You communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
- You are comfortable having challenging conversations.
Assessment approach
Application Process –
To apply complete an application based of the following behaviours, each behaviour should be no more than 250 words:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
When submitting an example of a behaviour remember to include the situation, what you did and why, and what was the outcome / result.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Making Effective Decisions. Candidates who pass the initial sift will progress to a full sift, or progress straight to interview.
Please note that we only require Behaviour answers for your application. The wording on this advert may suggest that an Experience question is also required, however this is not necessary.
Interview / assessment Process
If you are successful through the application stage, you will be invited to an interview / assessment centre in person or via Microsoft Teams w you will be assessed against the following:
Strengths relevant to the role
The following Behaviours:
- Making effective decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
Ability assessment
- Practical exercise to assess your analytical skills.
This will be a written exercise involving a small file audit. Candidates will require access to a computer and will be asked to remain on Teams with their camera on throughout the exercise. The exercise will be issued at the start of the interview slot and candidates will be monitored while completing it.
Your Experience of implementing, promoting, or understanding diversity and inclusion policy - Diversity is the presence of difference, this can include one or more of the protected characteristics (Gender, Age, Race, Disability etc.) or it can be about working patterns, whether we like to jump into a task or reflect on it before acting. Inclusion is how we welcome, value, and celebrate diversity, giving everyone a voice, tapping into ideas, and enabling everyone to be themselves at work and achieve their potential.
For this grade/ role we would expect the candidate to demonstrate understanding of the terms Diversity and Inclusion and be able to explain why they are important to them and to w they work. Examples of action they have taken (in or outside of work) to embrace diversity (e.g., increasing understanding) or improve inclusion for others will increase the strength of their answer.
Shortlisting is planned for week commencing 24th August 2026
Interviews are planned for week commencing 7th September 2026
If you would like more information on this opportunity, please contact –Emily Dudley ([email protected])
Our LAA commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain, and invest in talent wver it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. Under the Equality Act 2010 a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months.
If you are responding to a role within the Legal Aid Agency and would like to be considered under the guaranteed interview, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the sift or later selection processes.
The LAA’s goal is to build an organisation that is open and inclusive and truly values and celebrates the diversity of its workforce. One that reflects and understands the needs of the diverse society we serve. This is regardless of social background, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, beliefs, disabilities or long-term illness or caring responsibilities.
Reasonable Adjustments
We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process, please let us know by adding the information to the applications system or emailing [email protected] after you have applied so that we can discuss options with you.
Complaints procedure
If you have any complaints about this recruitment activity, please share your concerns by emailing [email protected] initially. We aim to respond to any complaint within 10 working days.
