Compliance Business Partner Job at County Durham Full Time

Compliance Business Partner

Sedgefield (NETPark) / Wilton | Hybrid working | £35,000 – £47,000

About the Role

CPI is seeking a Compliance Business Partner to join a small, specialist team responsible for ensuring the organisation operates in line with public sector funding rules and regulatory requirements.

This role sits at the heart of how CPI manages grant-funded programmes, ensuring that projects are delivered compliantly, audit-ready, and aligned with funding requirements such as subsidy control and public procurement rules.

You will act as a key interface between compliance, project teams, and external auditors – helping the business translate complex funding rules into practical, workable processes that support both compliance and commercial delivery.

What You’ll Be Responsible For:

Audit & Compliance Leadership

• Lead and support external and internal audits, acting as the key contact for auditors
• Ensure all documentation, processes, and evidence are audit-ready and fully compliant
• Manage audit responses and ensure learning is fed back into the business

Grant Funding & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure projects comply with public grant funding requirements
• Support compliance with:
• Subsidy Control / State Aid rules
• Public procurement guidelines
• Funding-specific KPIs and reporting requirements
• Work closely with project teams to ensure compliant delivery of funded programmes

Contract & Process Implementation

• Review contracts and identify key compliance obligations
• Translate requirements into practical processes and controls
• Support implementation and continuous improvement of compliance systems and frameworks

Stakeholder Partnering

• Act as a trusted advisor to internal teams, supporting decision-making while ensuring compliance
• Work with Finance, Procurement, and Project teams to ensure robust audit trails are in place
• Build strong relationships across the business and with external stakeholders

Reporting & Governance

• Ensure accurate collection, monitoring, and reporting of KPIs across funded projects
• Support preparation and submission of documentation to funders
• Maintain clear and compliant records to support claims and reporting

About You

You are a detail-focused, commercially aware compliance professional with experience working in regulated or funded environments.

You’ll bring:

• Experience in audit, compliance, or governance roles (essential)
• Strong understanding of contracts and how to implement compliance requirements in practice
• Experience working with processes, policies, and documentation in regulated environments
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to maintain robust audit trails
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills

Desirable (but not essential):

• Experience working with public sector grant funding programmes
• Familiarity with Subsidy Control / State Aid or public procurement rules
• Background in organisations such as:
• Universities or research organisations
• Local government or public sector business support
• Grant-funded programmes (e.g. ERDF, Innovate UK, H2020)
• Experience in contract management or managing funding agreements

This role is well suited to someone who:

• Enjoys working in structured, rules-based environments
• Can translate complexity into practical, business-friendly processes
• Balances a compliance mindset with commercial awareness

Why Join CPI?

• Play a key role in managing high-value public funding programmes
• Work in a highly collaborative, specialist team
• Exposure to a wide range of projects across science, engineering, and technology
• Opportunity to build expertise in funding compliance and governance
• Competitive salary (£35k-£47k)

Location & Working Pattern

• Based primarily at NETPark, Sedgefield, with some presence at Wilton
• Hybrid working with a minimum of 2 days on-site
• Flexible working arrangements available

The Opportunity

This is a unique opportunity to step into a role where you will directly influence how public funding is managed, governed, and audited – ensuring that complex programmes are delivered both compliantly and commercially effectively.

Guidant, Carbon60, Lorien & SRG – The Impellam Group Portfolio are acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.