Licensing Committees Manager

We are looking for a full-time Licensing Committees Manager to support the delivery of our full range of licensing committees and related work. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is quality focused and a natural problem solver who wants to make a real and tangible difference to our work and the lives of patients.

Main duties of the job

The HFEA licenses all fertility clinics and research projects in the UK, through three different licensing mechanisms: the Licence Committee, the Executive Licensing Panel, and a Licensing Officer. There are also appeals mechanisms for the decisions made by our licensing committees. In addition, the HFEA's Statutory Approvals Committee considers applications for treatment using mitochondrial donation, for genetic conditions for which PGT-M (preimplantation genetic testing) can be carried out, and special directions for the import and export of gametes and embryos.

The right candidate will have solid prior experience of managing and minuting formal committees and panels, ideally in a licensing, governance, or other quasi-legal setting, and may have worked in another regulator or similar public body. You will also have experience of line managing and developing staff.

As well as an awareness of legal risks and the nature of quasi-legal decision making, you will have excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to engage sensitively with senior staff, board members, and colleagues to proactively problem solve and deliver a high-quality service. You should also have the skills and resilience required to keep calm in stressful situations and work under pressure, and to make reasoned judgments in high-risk situations.

Interviews are likely to take place on Wednesday 16th April at Redman Place, London.

About us

The HFEA is the UK's independent regulator overseeing safe and appropriate practice in infertility treatment and embryo research. We license and monitor clinics carrying out IVF, donor insemination, and human embryo research.

This post is offered as either office-based (in which case you will need to attend the office at least one day per week) or home-based (in which case office attendance will be specified by your line manager based on business need). Our office is in Stratford, east London, in attractive new premises on the edge of the Olympic Park, alongside several other health Arms Length Bodies. In addition to flexibility and hybrid working, we offer generous annual leave and pension arrangements.

The HFEA is a member of the Community Race and Work Charter and the Disability Confident Charter. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and supportive working environment that is free from any form of discrimination. We recognise that there are real benefits of having a diverse community of staff and aim for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society. Additionally, we adopt a culture that hopes to attract and retain talented individuals that want to work with us.

Job responsibilities

Working closely with the Head of Licensing, the Licensing Committees Manager will lead the operational delivery of the HFEA's statutory licensing function, which is an essential part of how we regulate fertility clinics and human embryo research centres. The post-holder will have responsibility for ensuring that each licensing meeting runs smoothly in accordance with HFEA procedures and will provide daily direction and management to the small team of Committee Officers. This includes ensuring that committee members are well supported, that key performance indicators are met consistently, and that our licensing activities fulfil the HFEA's statutory obligations.

Duties:

1. Lead the operational delivery of the HFEA licensing function, with a focus on ensuring that support for meetings is of the highest quality, that minuting performance is monitored and reported through corporate systems, and that licensing decisions are robust, consistent, and accurately recorded.
2. Ensuring licensing committees and Chairs are well supported and receive high-quality papers.
3. Attending meetings of the various committees as required.
4. Providing secretariat support to the various committees in the absence of the committee officers.
5. Establishing and maintaining templates and standard practices for all licensing documents issued, including minutes, licences, special directions, and notices.
6. Establishing and maintaining precedent libraries to assist consistent decision-making.
7. Monitoring and reporting KPIs.
8. Line manage and develop the licensing Committee Officers.
9. Lead the servicing of occasional representations hearings and appeals.
10. Lead on ensuring up-to-date and appropriate licensing practices and tools are in place, including standard operating procedures and quality assurance measures.
11. Ensure that licensing records are accurately maintained and regularly audited.
12. Work closely with the Board Governance Manager and Head of Licensing to ensure that terms of office are managed and that new licensing committee and panel members, and their advisers, are appropriately trained and inducted before taking up their roles.
13. Build and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders and colleagues, such as committee members and the Compliance team, to ensure the efficient running of licensing activities.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Legal or governance qualification or corresponding prior experience in a legal, licensing, or governance role
• Good working knowledge of regulation and wider corporate governance practices and public sector transparency requirements
• Awareness of legal risks and the nature of quasi-legal decision making
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritise effectively
• Ability to make reasoned judgments in high-risk situations
• Ability to keep calm in stressful situations, managing more senior colleagues sensitively yet robustly

Experience

• Experience of managing (and minuting) formal committees and panels, ideally in a licensing or similar statutory setting
• Experience of working within a legislative framework
• Experience of liaising with senior staff and board members
• Experience of line managing and developing staff, including remote workers and non-office based staff
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and an ability to coach and improve others in this area
• Experience of running a robust quality assurance system
• Experience of managing a licensing, governance, or committees team

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.