Business Continuity Auditor - #2120354

About Westminster

Westminster City Council delivers vital services to one of the most dynamic and high-profile local authority areas in the UK. We are committed to building organisational resilience and ensuring our critical services can respond effectively to disruption, emergencies, and changing operating environments.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Business Continuity Auditor to provide independent assurance on the quality, effectiveness and compliance of Business Impact Assessments (BIAs) and Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) across Westminster City Council and Bi-borough Shared Services.

This role will lead on the design and delivery of a risk-based audit programme, assessing business continuity arrangements against recognised standards including ISO 22301, BS 65000 and the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) Good Practice Guidelines v7. The successful candidate will play a key role in strengthening organisational resilience through detailed audits, strategic insight and evidence-based recommendations.

Key Responsibilities

Design, deliver and manage a risk-based audit programme for BIAs and BCPs across the Council.

Conduct independent audits against ISO 22301, BS 65000 and BCI Good Practice Guidelines v7.

Assess the accuracy, completeness and practicality of Business Impact Assessments and Business Continuity Plans.

Produce formal audit reports containing findings, risk ratings and actionable recommendations.

Monitor and validate completion of agreed audit actions and remediation plans.

Maintain comprehensive audit records, evidence repositories and audit trails.

Identify recurring issues, systemic risks and control weaknesses, escalating where appropriate.

Provide independent assurance and resilience reporting to senior leadership.

Review alignment between documented continuity arrangements and operational capability.

Conduct thematic reviews examining organisational risks such as ICT dependencies, supplier resilience and critical service recovery.

Assess compliance with internal policies and statutory obligations, including the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

Review business continuity exercises and lessons learned to ensure improvements are embedded.

Evaluate supplier and third-party continuity arrangements within service plans.

Develop and improve audit methodologies, frameworks and assurance tools.

Coordinate multiple concurrent audits, ensuring timely and effective delivery.

Assess and report on organisational resilience maturity using recognised frameworks and models.

What We Expect This Role to Achieve

Deliver a robust and proportionate business continuity audit programme across council services.

Improve the quality and consistency of BIAs and BCPs throughout the organisation.

Provide senior leaders with independent assurance regarding resilience arrangements.

Identify organisational risks and improvement opportunities through evidence-based analysis.

Strengthen compliance with recognised business continuity standards and statutory requirements.

Support the ongoing development of organisational resilience capability and maturity.

About You Business Continuity Auditor

You will be an experienced auditor, resilience professional, or business continuity specialist with a strong understanding of recognised continuity management standards and best practice frameworks.

You will have excellent analytical skills and be confident challenging assumptions, reviewing complex information and engaging with stakeholders at all levels. You will be comfortable working independently while delivering high-quality assurance reporting and recommendations.

Essential Requirements Business Continuity Auditor

Strong knowledge of ISO 22301, BS 65000 and/or BCI Good Practice Guidelines v7.

Previous experience conducting audits, assessments, reviews or quality assurance activities.

Experience reviewing, developing, testing or evaluating Business Continuity Plans and Business Impact Assessments.

Ability to analyse complex information and produce clear, evidence-based reports.

Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.

Experience identifying risks, control weaknesses and organisational improvement opportunities.

Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver within agreed timescales.

Excellent Microsoft 365 skills.

Experience working within local government, public sector or similarly complex organisations is desirable.

Qualifications Business Continuity Auditor

Relevant Business Continuity, Risk Management, Audit or Resilience qualification desirable.

Membership of the Business Continuity Institute (BCI), Institute of Risk Management (IRM) or equivalent professional body is advantageous.

What We Offer Business Continuity Auditor

Hybrid working arrangement.

Opportunity to support resilience and assurance across one of the UK's most high-profile councils.

Collaborative and professional working environment.

Exposure to strategic resilience and organisational risk initiatives.