Reports and Findings Assistant
About The Role
We are recruiting Reports and Findings Assistants to be part of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), as part of the Reports and Findings Team.
The role comes at an important time as the Commission transitions to become the Legacy Commission.
In this role you will work as part of a dedicated team supporting the Chief Commissioner (and the Independent Panel of Judges when the ICRIR becomes the Legacy Commission) to discharge their statutory duty to produce and publish reports.
The Reports and Findings Team is responsible for testing and analysing the evidence at the conclusion of each investigation, making findings, and writing reports that record those findings consistently in the Commission’s style. The team also manages the statutory representations process.
This is a challenging and rewarding role. We are seeking a committed person with a keen eye for detail who can work in a trauma-informed way. You will need to be objective, able to use sound judgment and knowledge to analyse high volumes of evidence to assist with the production of quality written reports and ensure that robust processes are consistently applied. You will thrive in a culture of continuous learning and improvement, based on feedback and honest self-assessment.
Reports are the product on which the Commission will be judged and will be closely scrutinised. In this role you will ensure, together with your team, that they are produced to a very high standard, deliver real value to requesting individuals or families, and support the Commission’s principal objective of promoting reconciliation.
We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.
Key Responsibilities
Review and organise documentary evidence and data relevant to the work of the Reports and Findings Team and present it in a preferred format to assist the drafting of reports, fact-checking and ensuring accuracy.
Support the team's work by writing the initial drafts of reports or parts of reports, prepared to the house style.
Support Reports and Findings Officers by using judgment and reasoning to make recommendations and suggestions about what findings can be made in individual cases, including where evidential gaps or inconsistencies exist.
Work with and provide support to Reports and Findings Officers at meetings and case reviews, deputising in their absence when requested.
Provide administrative and proofreading support to the Reports and Findings Team.
Provide support during the statutory representations process, including making recommendations to the team, preparing and indexing any annexes to reports, assisting with disclosure to eligible individuals and public authorities.
Liaise with internal colleagues and external bodies/stakeholders/relevant authorities where necessary.
Ensure deadlines and quality measures are adhered to.
Ensure compliance with all relevant policy, procedures, and guidance. Key policies include managing the disclosure of sensitive information; compliance with report-writing guidance; safeguarding; representations; and the approach to publication.
Build and maintain strong working relationships with senior members of the Reports and Findings Team and, through them, the Chief Commissioner. Ensure the Chief Commissioner and Director of Reports and Findings’ preferences are reflected throughout your work.
Establish and maintain constructive, professional relationships with other key teams across the Commission, including the Case Support Team, Information Recovery Team, General Counsel, Support and TRIM Team and Strategic Advisory colleagues.
Help to create an inclusive environment which values diversity, encourages continuous learning and development, and welcomes feedback. · Support the Findings team in carrying out any other duties that the team may reasonably require.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft in a clear, structured and impactful way, accessible to diverse audiences.
Strong ability to analyse, challenge, evaluate and weigh up multiple sources of evidence to draw out key points, reach balanced findings and support the drafting of high quality, accessible and accurate reports.
Proven ability to collaborate effectively across directorates and engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior leaders.
Excellent attention to detail, including experience of identifying and challenging inaccuracies and inconsistencies in written material.
Resilience and the ability to remain focused, organised and effective in fast-paced and changing environments with shifting priorities.
Strong organisational and administrative skills.
Demonstrate the values set out in the ICRIR Code of Conduct.
Willingness to undergo SC security vetting if not already in place.
Desirable Criteria
Experience of writing in a sensitive context.
Experience of working in legal, human rights, policy, or advocacy roles, whether in public, private, or third sector settings.
Experience of working with the bereaved, victims and survivors.
Experience of family engagement or transitional justice.
An understanding of investigations methodology and police processes.
Knowledge and understanding of the context within which the Commission operates.
Editing and/or proofreading experience.
Existing SC security clearance.
About Us
The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery is an independent organisation that has been created for families, victims, and survivors of Troubles-related deaths and serious harm. Amongst our statutory duties we recover information, produce and publish reports and promote reconciliation. This is an exciting opportunity to join an organisation with a unique and vital remit.
We are a values-led organisation. We operate with integrity, impartiality, openness, accountability, and respect, as set out in our Code of Conduct. This is reflected in our fair and open recruitment processes. We encourage people to join us from all backgrounds, communities and faiths to help us deliver.
The Commission is primarily based in Belfast, with further operational sites in Northern Ireland and London. Travel to all locations will be required, but hybrid working arrangements will help us support a range of flexible working patterns.
The Commission is formed of seven Commissioners, the Chief Commissioner, Sir Declan Morgan, the Chief Executive Officer, Louise Warde Hunter and the Commissioner for Investigations, Peter Sheridan, as well as four Non-Executive Commissioners to provide challenge and scrutiny to the executive team.
The Reports and Findings Team supports the Chief Commissioner in producing and publishing high quality written reports at the conclusion of every investigation and is led by the Director of Reports and Findings, Claire Welch. When the Commission transitions to become the Legacy Commission, the Reports and Findings Team will continue its work to support the Independent Panel of Judges to produce their reports.
The Commission’s role is to:
Investigate deaths and other serious Troubles-related incidents, where requested, including deciding whether a criminal investigation should be part of the investigation.
As part of investigations, give the opportunity for individuals to make personal statements on how the incidents have affected them.
Require that any information necessary for our work is provided by PSNI, the security services, the Northern Ireland Office or any other public body and require that any person comes to the Commission to provide information.
Use police powers, where appropriate, including to secure evidence, arrest, and question suspects.
Produce and publish reports setting out the findings that have been determined from the investigations and addressing questions that have been raised by those making the request.
Refer deaths and other serious Troubles-related incidents to prosecutors, where appropriate.
Produce a record of deaths that were caused by incidents during the Troubles, and strive, through all it does, to promote reconciliation.
In addition to its principal objective to promote reconciliation, the Commission has agreed that a trauma-informed approach should be taken in all its work and that it should follow three essential principles:
Compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR);
Respect for the principles of the 1998 Belfast (Good Friday Agreement; and
Focus on providing useful information to those affected by the Troubles.
Our team and our reports
The Chief Commissioner is responsible for the production and publication of reports at the conclusion of each investigation carried out by the Information Recovery Team under the direction of the Commissioner for Investigations. In this work, the Chief Commissioner is supported by the Director of Reports and Findings and the Reports and Findings Team.
When the Commission transitions to become the Legacy Commission, the Reports and Findings Team will continue its work to support the panel of Independent Judges to produce their reports.
The Reports and Findings Team is made up of:
The Director of Reports and Findings
The Deputy Director of Reports and Findings (new role, under recruitment)
Senior Reports and Findings Officers
Reports and Findings Officers
Reports and Findings Assistants (being recruited)
A Legal Delivery Manager and team of paralegals
A Reports and Findings Officer from the team is allocated to each investigation once it is accepted by the Information Recovery Team. They work collaboratively with the investigation team as the investigation progresses. This allows them to remain sighted on the direction of investigative work. The role of the Reports and Findings Team is to:
work alongside the investigations team during the investigation;
engage with the case support team to reflect the needs and preferences of families in our work;
assess, evaluate and analyse the evidence presented by the Commissioner for Investigations and his team at the end of each investigation;
write a report that makes findings, on the balance of probabilities, based on the totality of the evidence;
share draft reports with those entitled to make representations on its content before publication; and support the publication of the final report.
Where the evidence allows, the reports will explain all the circumstances of the event that led to the death or serious harm, record the findings that can be made and answer the requesting individual’s questions. The standard of proof we apply is the balance of probabilities.
For further information and an application pack, click the apply icon.