Assistant Director - Assurance & Partnerships (Chief Audit Executive)

Tameside Council; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Tameside Council in Ashton-under-Lyme, Greater Manchester, invites applications for a Senior Assurance Lead and Chief Audit Executive. You will provide strategic leadership across internal audit, risk, counter fraud, insurance, business continuity, and corporate assurance, while guiding partnerships such as SWAP to enhance assurance capabilities.

You will work with the Chief Executive and senior leaders to transform assurance into a trusted adviser role, strengthening governance and enabling

Qualifications

• Experience across multiple assurance disciplines.
• Ability to operate strategically and influence senior stakeholders.
• Leadership and relationship-building to enable change.

Responsibilities

• Lead internal audit, risk, counter fraud, insurance, business continuity and corporate assurance.
• Oversee key partnerships including SWAP for Internal Audit.
• Influence corporate decision-making and strengthen the assurance framework.
• Drive transformation and organisational resilience.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Influencing skills

Job description

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £98,303

Location: Ashton-under-Lyme / Hybrid (circa 2 days onsite per week, on average)

The Opportunity

This is a rare opportunity to join an ambitious local authority at a pivotal stage in its transformation and play a leading role in shaping how assurance, governance and risk support the delivery of better outcomes for residents.

Reporting to the Strategic Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer), you will act as the Senior Assurance Lead and Council's Chief Audit Executive leader, providing strategic leadership across, internal audit, risk, counter fraud, insurance, business continuity and corporate assurance, whilst overseeing key strategic partnerships including SWAP (South West Audit Partnership) who we partner with for our Internal Audit function.

Far more than a traditional internal audit role, you will help redefine the way assurance supports the organisation - moving from compliance and assurance in isolation towards a modern, enabling function that acts as a trusted adviser and critical friend to services, supporting innovation whilst ensuring effective governance, proportionate control and informed decision-making.

Working closely with the Chief Executive, Members and senior leaders, you will influence corporate decision-making, strengthen the Council's assurance framework, oversee major transformation programmes and help drive continuous improvement across governance, risk management and organisational resilience.

The Organisation

Like many local authorities, Tameside faces financial and service pressures. However, the Council also has a clear vision for the future, underpinned by ambitious plans for transformation, innovation and improved outcomes for residents.

Significant investment has already been made in strengthening the Council's audit and assurance arrangements, creating an exciting platform from which to develop a genuinely modern assurance function that enables transformation, supports better decision-making and strengthens organisational resilience.

Candidates

We are interested in speaking with experienced Chief Audit Executives, Assistant Directors, Heads of Internal Audit, Heads of Risk, Governance or Assurance, together with other ambitious senior assurance professionals who have experience across multiple assurance disciplines.

You will combine strong professional credibility with outstanding leadership, relationship-building and influencing skills. Whether your experience has been gained within local government or another large, complex public sector organisation, you will be confident operating strategically, managing partnerships, constructively challenging senior stakeholders and enabling positive organisational change.