Control Assurance Manager - Traditional Products (Incidents)

Job Description Summary
Job Description

Grade - 4P9

Operations & Service supports the delivery of Aegon UK's platform proposition of an online, automated service for advisers, employers and customers.

The Control Assurance function within Operations & Service provides critical first line management assurance and oversight of the entire Platform Solutions Operations & Service area. This is a fantastic team which is driving and supporting the identification of key control issues and improvements across Operations & Service. Reporting to the Head of Control Assurance, the Control Assurance Manager will play an integral role in the embedding of a strong risk and controls culture across our sites.

Seeking someone passionate about making a difference in the strengthening of our risk and control environment.

The Control Assurance Manager is responsible for providing assurance on the first line control environment, performing key controls & ensuring that Operations & Service operates with focus on appropriate management of the risk & control framework. The role holder will work with all functional areas across Platform Solutions to maintain a robust framework and focus on meeting appropriate deadlines. In addition, they will support the wider Operations & Service management team by providing support, insight and analysis on our internal governance processes. The Control Assurance Manager may have responsibility for managing staff (directly & indirectly) and day to day team oversight risk and control activities.

The role holder will assist the Head of Control Assurance with providing operational readiness assurance on transformational and regulatory change projects - ensuring risk, control and governance framework remains fit for purpose and consistent across Platform Solutions.

The role holder will have a strong knowledge of the Traditional Products proposition at company and market level, the key benefits, features and regulatory rules of the tax wrappers, the risks and regulations governing business, technology, platform and products. Must be confident in use of technology and have a flexible, can-do approach as they manage their team to take full responsibility for each item and deliver a high level of output at all times, ensuring that the customer voice and outcomes are at the heart of all team activities.

Key activities for the role holder are outlined below:

• Supporting the incident and breach management processes
• Supporting oversight of transformation activities e.g. Harris
• Managing and enhancing the efficiency of daily, weekly and monthly controls including fraud checks, FCDS markers and quality model reporting
• Managing and enhancing the User Entitlement Review process
• Supporting and monitoring SOX progress and deficiencies
• Develop and support assurance plans and activities to identify concerns with key controls which lead to recommendations and improvements e.g. learning and development awareness.

The role holder will oversee the performance of their direct reports to ensure that all the above criteria are met. They will additionally have responsibility for the planning and monitoring of resources and will have a key role to play in ensuring that desired quality standards are maintained. The role holder is also responsible for ensuring all team activities are aligned to and fit within agreed budget and driving continuous improvement of our first line risk management framework, ensuring that it remains fit for purpose as the business continues to grow.

Key Tasks:

Risk Management

• The Control Assurance Manager will be responsible for risk and control oversight across Platform Solutions and escalation to Line manager & relevant Department and Team Managers where appropriate. This will ensure full focus on incident management, audit, breaches, and risk to ensure managers are proactive in meeting their deadlines.
• Provide guidance and technical support across Operations & Service to aid embedding of responsibilities in relation to risk and control requirements.
• Produce high quality MI and support the Operations & Service teams to fulfil their responsibilities to make sure the areas they represent identify, assess and manage risks and controls.
• In conjunction with the Platform Academy, support risk and control awareness and training, ensuring the risk framework continues to be effectively embedded and supports a strong risk culture across the organisation.

People Management

• Demonstrate commitment daily to the AEGON Future Fit behaviours.
• Responsibility for embedding a positive working culture within the team that empowers the team to deliver outstanding performance.
• Manage their team members performance in accordance with agreed HR procedures and the AEGON UK performance review, development planning and pay and reward systems
• Ensure all of teams' objectives are aligned and consistent to the Operations & Service outcomes. Ensure regular review and monitoring throughout year, revise as needed.
• Actively support the development of team members by utilising existing skills to their optimum in readiness for succession management, through robust development plans, coaching and mentoring
• Regularly hold team sessions and/or formal team meetings to share key department information and progress against plans and business objectives
• Ensure all direct reports are working towards or have achieved the minimum level of competence required for their role.

Team operations/Planning & Oversight reporting

• Responsibility for ensuring team key tasks (oversight controls) and cost targets are achieved.
• Plan, prioritise and organise work and resource allocation to ensure deadlines/objectives are achieved
• Deliver high quality risk and control management through strong team management, work flow within the team and collaborating across Platform Solutions as a whole.
• Act as a department lead on driving forward and embedding strong risk and control management culture within peers and delegates in relation to their responsibilities.
• Monitor performance to ensure that all processes and functions operate to an appropriate level of business control and audit, in line with compliance and regulatory requirements. This includes escalating any risks associated with money laundering, fraud and other financial crime including terrorist financing.
• Continuously review, develop and work with appropriate teams to improve team/department processes/procedures.
• Contribute to new initiatives for improvements to current practices.
• Deal with business referrals exercising commercial judgement when reaching conclusions, making decisions, relative to both internal and external
• Contribute to department reporting requirements as necessary and regularly report to the DM on the operation wide achievements
• Work with the wider operation, negotiate and deal with conflict whilst making appropriate business decisions
• Continuously review, develop and improve team/department processes/procedures
• Contribute to new initiatives for improvements to current practices.

Team Strategy

• Coordinate, communicate and deliver against platform outcomes
• Translate key business objectives into team and then individual objectives, with particular focus on customer, control, people and process.
• Maintain an awareness of the relevant market segment and the key issues faced
• Act as a member of the Department's management team.

Budget

• Work with Line Manager in the management of and expenditure of the team budget.
• Maintain an awareness of performance against budget taking action to address and manage any variances

Key skills:

• Collaborating with others
• Developing relationships with key stakeholders
• Challenging and influencing others
• Negotiating with others
• Dealing with and resolving conflict
• Coaching and developing others
• Facilitating groups
• Managing people
• Planning and organising
• Managing projects or programmes
• Innovative thinking
• Problem solving and finding solutions
• Improving processes and identifying efficiencies
• Analysing and interpreting complex data
• Preparing written reports

Technical Knowledge and Skills:

• Strong understanding of the Traditional Products book of business (essential)
• Influencing, negotiating and consulting skills, in particular outsourcer stakeholder management.
• Strong communication skills both written and verbal
• Strong analytical capability including the ability to provide insight into key risk exposures
• Planning and organising skills, demonstrating flexibility in meeting key priorities

Experience:

• Incident management / oversight (essential)
• Internal audit, risk or controls experience in a fast paced delivery focused environment
• Development and embedding of risk and control frameworks
• Management level engagement
• Use of analysis and reporting tools, techniques and applications

Qualifications:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent with relevant experience.

This role can be based from any of our three UK offices which include Edinburgh, Witham (Essex) or Peterborough.

Please submit your application by the closing date 11th March 2021.

Additional Job Description

Equal Opportunity Employer:

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age