Corporate Governance, Risk & Assurance Lead

Do you want to work on one or the most exciting transformation projects in the public sector?

The Defence Housing Service (DHS) is being created through the Armed Forces Bill to deliver a step-change in housing for the UK’s Armed Forces and their families following the publication of the Defence Housing Strategy on 3 November 2025, which marked the most significant change to Armed Forces housing in over 50 years. DHS will bring a dedicated focus to improving the homes, communities and lived experience of Service personnel, placing families firmly at the heart of everything it does.

This is one of the most ambitious housing transformation programmes in the UK today. Backed by a £9.2 billion investment, DHS will modernise tens of thousands of homes, introduce a more proactive and customer-focused approach to maintenance, and unlock new opportunities to develop housing on Defence land. DHS will have the focus and agility to deliver change at pace, combining public service values with greater flexibility to build the skills, systems and partnerships needed for the future.

This is a rare opportunity to be part of shaping its culture, influencing how it works, and helping deliver lasting improvements for Service families across the UK.

The Defence Housing team is currently part of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), who respond to the evolving needs of our military personnel, and the ways in which they live, work, train and deploy. We are proud to be the expert partner Defence needs for all their infrastructure requirements. From large scale infrastructure projects such as runways for the F35 fighter jets to net carbon-zero accommodation for our Service families, our activities focus relentlessly on our customers, and our outputs are unique in the UK and across the globe!

DIO , What we deliver every day.

The future delivery model for this team is currently under review and may change as part of potential organisational developments. This could include the team or function transferring to a different employer or organisational structure in the future. Should activities transfer out of the Ministry of Defence existing employees transferring with those activities will maintain the same, or substantially the same, terms and conditions of employment.

The Corporate Governance, Risk & Assurance Lead role is at the centre of the Defence Housing Service (DHS), providing strategic oversight of corporate governance, risk, assurance and control across the organisation.

You’ll be responsible for shaping and embedding the DHS governance and assurance framework, ensuring that arrangements are effective, proportionate and aligned to the Defence Operating Model and wider departmental expectations.

Leading on the development of risk-based assurance policy, reporting, processes and capability across DHS, you’ll provide expert advice to senior leaders on corporate, business and programme risk. You’ll ensure that high-quality analysis, insight and escalation, supports informed decision-making by the Executive Committee, Board, Audit and Risk Assurance Committee and other governance authorities.

You’ll maintain an effective organisational control environment, strengthening assurance maturity, driving continuous improvement. You’ll build trusted relationships across MOD and key assurance partners, to ensure robust stewardship, transparency and organisational resilience.

Responsibilities

Governance:

• Lead the development, maintenance and continuous improvement of the DHS governance framework, ensuring it remains fit for purpose, strategically aligned and compliant with the operating model and sponsorship arrangements to ensure DHS governance arrangements support accountability, transparency and organisational performance.
• Provide authoritative advice and challenge to senior leaders on governance design, operating principles and decision-making routes, ensuring effective governance is understood, adopted and embedded across the organisation.

Risk and Assurance:

• Lead the corporate approach to risk and assurance across DHS, working with risk owners and senior stakeholders to identify, assess, manage and escalate the most significant strategic and operational risks facing the organisation; and to drive the improvement in DHS risk and assurance maturity.
• Set, review and maintain the DHS risk management regime, including ownership of risk policy, the Risk Handbook and associated standards, tools and guidance to strengthen the DHS internal control environment by ensuring a consistent, proportionate and effective approach across the organisation.
• Lead the production of high-quality corporate assurance reporting, including the Annual Assurance Report, quarterly corporate risk deep dives and associated improvement activity, to support the Accounting Officer and senior governance bodies.

Leadership:

• Build strong collaborative relationships across DHS, MOD Centre and external partners, ensuring emerging issues, strategic dependencies and delivery risks are identified early and managed proactively.
• Provide visible, credible and inclusive leadership to the team, setting direction, prioritising workload and ensuring delivery of high-quality outputs in support of DHS and MOD priorities by creating a high-performing team culture, and supporting colleagues to deliver with confidence and accountability.

IRM International Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management (or equivalent)

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

At application, candidates will be required to provide:

• A CV detailing your job history and previous skills and experience. Review the essential criteria above and evidence how you meet them with clear and relevant examples.
• A personal statement (no more than 500 words). Applicants should use their personal statement to demonstrate how their skills, knowledge and experience align with essential criteria 1 & 2, as detailed in the Person Specification.

The sift will be conducted on your CV and personal statement.

Interviews

We’ll assess you against these behaviours & experience during the interview process:

Behaviours

• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating & Influencing

Experience

• You will be asked questions related to your relevant experience for the role.

In the event of a tied score at interview, the order of merit will be distinguished based on the ranking of the assessed Behaviours in the order listed above.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.