Operational Risk and Assurance Manager

Role Purpose

To effectively manage the Bank's approach to Operational Risk.

About us

Founded in 2007, we are a challenger bank that operates in accordance with Shariah principles, with offices in London, Milton Keynes and Wilmslow. We're one of the fastest growing banks of our kind in the UK and are a subsidiary of Gatehouse Financial Group Limited.

We offer personal and corporate savings products and finance for UK residential and commercial property, in addition to sourcing and advising on UK real estate investments.

Our way of operating is stable, transparent, and shares risk and reward in an equitable way. That's why we talk about balanced banking.

Role Duties

• Lead junior staff in monitoring bank-wide operational processes, including their adequacy and effectiveness.
• Test adherence to policies and risk appetite including escalation via appropriate channels
• Assess the risks associated with 1LoD business line activities and assist in compiling and maintaining a complete control framework for risk management activities. Support the business lines and functions to identify risks from the First Line.
• Undertake quality reviews, taking a risk-based approach. This could include thematic reviews, regular testing of key controls, independent validation of Quality Controls and Assurance activities performed by the businesses or other methodologies as needs dictate.
• Monitor output from all 1LoD areas to identify potential operational risks and, where possible, ensure appropriate mitigating actions are in place, including recommendations for remediation, improvement of controls, staff training or coaching. Proactively identify process improvement/best practice and share as appropriate.
• Assure remediation of control failures and compliance breaches.
• Support the heads of business lines and Operations to develop Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) and risk appetite metrics with divisions in accordance with bank's Risk Appetite.
• Support business areas with Risk & Control Self Assessments to ensure all processes are captured.
• Be responsible for building, developing and maintaining effective relationships with stakeholders in the businesses and counterparts in other functions.
• Produce high quality reports/presentation packs for sharing with key stakeholders; Maintain a full audit trail with clear records to support review conclusions, stored in accordance with the bank's records management conventions.
• Ensure all Risk Events are documented and root cause is established. Oversight of remedial actions to ensure risks are mitigated. Full audit trail is established and trend analysis is undertaken

Skills required

• Good working knowledge of MS Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint as a minimum)
• Knowledge of UK banking (Customer Service, Credit. Financial Crime, Operations) and risk management & controls principles appropriate to the three lines of defence model
• Understanding of and compliance with group policies including Conduct Risk
• Ability to think creatively when resolving problems and/or identify alternatives where established procedures may not exist, ensuring an improved customer experience
• A professional and well-presented self-starter requiring leadership skills, including the ability to manage risk, compliance and control activities.
• Considerable knowledge and experience of best practice and governance frameworks, methodologies, and emerging practice, in relation to the UK regulated financial services context.
• Skilled communicator with the ability to influence and motivate others.
• Problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to analyse complex information to identify the key issue/action and drive resolution.
• Knowledge and understanding of risk control arrangements.
• Knowledge of regulatory environment and key regulatory regimes.

Additional Details

We offer highly attractive reward package; the typical benefits include:

• 25 days holiday entitlement increasing with service
• Pension Plan
• Private medical insurance

Gatehouse Bank is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.

Please be advised that we have an appointed recruitment partner, The Curve Group, to manage our recruitment process and give candidates the best possible experience in pursuing a career with Gatehouse Bank. The personal details you have shared with us may be processed by The Curve Group on behalf of Gatehouse Bank. Full details of their Privacy Policy can be viewed by using this link https://www.thecurvegroup.co.uk/privacy-policy/