Job Description
We’re looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Head of Risk and Assurance located at our Head Office in Islington.
£60,000.00 - £65,000.00 (depending on experience) per annum, working 35 hours per week.
Want to feel in control of your career? You’ll feel at home here.
Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren’t token gestures - we’ve thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.
Our benefits include:
* Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
* Free DBS
* Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
* Fully paid induction programme and further training
* ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
* Cycle to work scheme
* Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
* Online wellbeing resources
* A generous pension – we will contribute up to 4% and life assurance cover up to £10,000 (T&Cs apply)
* Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff’s commitment and contribution
All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.
Working with the senior leadership team, Board and CEO office functions to ensure that the organisation has a high standard of compliance with regulatory and legal frameworks, risk management and assurance. This role will also deputise for the Director of Governance and Assurance and Company Secretary.
Act as an advisor to the Senior Leadership Team, Audit and Risk Committee and Board, providing clear, evidence-based assurance and constructive professional challenge on risk, control and compliance matters.
Lead the continued development and embedding of a mature, proactive risk culture across the organisation, ensuring risk considerations are integrated into strategic decision-making and operational delivery.
What you’ll do:
* Manage and develop, as appropriate, systems for identifying, checking and demonstrating effective controls and compliance with all legal and regulatory responsibilities relating to the governance and management of Look Ahead’s services, including health and safety, data protection and security, and financial and regulatory reporting.
* Be Look Ahead’s expert on compliance and business assurance, working collaboratively with Directors and Senior Managers to provide support and advice.
* Keep up to date with legislative, regulatory, and best practice requirements and changes, assessing the risks and potential impact on Look Ahead and advising staff and Board members as appropriate.
* Lead and maintain Look Ahead’s Risk Registers and Risk Maps and conduct the regular review and development of those registers/maps.
* Ensure risk registers are dynamic, forward-looking and aligned to the Corporate Plan, risk appetite and business planning assumptions.
* Monitor emerging regulatory, financial and operational risks and sector developments, advising SLT and Board on potential impact and mitigation strategies. Work closely with the Senior Leadership Team to ensure clear ownership of strategic and operational risks, supporting risk owners in the identification, assessment and mitigation of risks.
* Provide appropriate challenge and escalate significant, emerging or unmanaged risk to the Executive Team and the Audit and Risk Committee where necessary.
* Drive and support the further development of appropriate controls to manage and, where appropriate, minimise risk to Look Ahead’s operations and viability (including risk of theft and fraud).
* Develop Look Ahead’s business assurance framework to demonstrate appropriate first, second- and third-line assurance on all key risks.
* Develop and maintain a structured approach to control self-assessment, providing evidence of control effectiveness across key operational, financial and regulatory risk areas.
* Provide assurance over the design and operating effectiveness of key controls, ensuring timely remediation where gaps are identified.
* Support the annual review of the Operational Plan and support the Senior Leadership Team in monitoring the delivery of the Plan.
* Work with external advisers, consultants, regulators, commissioners, inspectors etc., where necessary, to improve controls and compliance and to demonstrate third party oversight and assurance
* Promote and support an appropriate culture within Look Ahead to identify, assess and manage compliance
* Share relevant lesson learnt and good practice across the organisation.
* Provide briefings, guidance and training on compliance and business assurance.
* Prepare and present reports to managers, committees, and the Board, as required. Ensure reporting clearly articulates risk exposure, movement in risk profile, control effectiveness and any areas of concern requiring Board and Committee attention.
* Deputise for the Director of Governance and Assurance & Company Secretary when required.
* Lead the co-ordination and delivery of the Internal Audit programme, including development of the risk-based annual audit plan in conjunction with the Director of Governance and Assurance.
* Liaise with internal auditors to ensure high-quality, value-for-money assurance, and lead the monitoring and delivery of internal audit actions, ensuring clear ownership, robust tracking against agreed deadlines, and timely implementation of recommendations.
* Lead the annual insurance renewal process, ensuring timely co-ordination of inputs from all Directorates and Executive Team members, with clear ownership of risk disclosures and adherence to agreed deadlines. Ensure that all relevant operational, financial and property risks are accurately captured and reflected in submissions to brokers and insurers, and that the organisation maintains appropriate and cost-effective cover. Escalate overdue or high-risk actions to the Senior Leadership Team and Audit and Risk Committee, providing clear reporting on progress, risks and barriers to delivery.
* To carry out other duties at the request of the Chief Executive or Director of Governance & Assurance & Company Secretary. This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead.
* Lead, in conjunction with the Director of Governance and Assurance, the development and maintenance of Look Ahead’s Business Continuity and organisational resilience framework, ensuring plans are up to date, regularly tested and aligned to key strategic and operational risks.
* Promote Look Ahead’s Business Continuity organisational learning following incidents and near misses, embedding improvements and strengthening resilience.
This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead
About you:
* Positive and proactive approach with a friendly, flexible and approachable manner.
* Diplomatic and works co-operatively with others to get things done, willingly giving help and advice to colleagues
* Able to work on own initiative and as a member of a team
* Professional and consistent approach to work and maintenance of standards
* Able to perform under pressure
* Treats people fairly, with respect and dignity, dealing with them regardless of their background or circumstances
* Able to work outside normal office hours if required and to attend evening meetings.
What you’ll bring:
Essential:
Qualifications
* Educated to degree level
* Good knowledge of compliance and business assurance processes
Knowledge and Skills
* Demonstrable experience of advising senior leaders and non-executive directors within a regulated environment
* Knowledge of the housing sector and its statutory and regulatory environment
* Experience of embedding risk management frameworks, driving cultural change, managing or working with a risk and assurance function
* Understanding of business continuity and organisational resilience frameworks
* Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to interpret and present complex data
* The ability to develop good working relationships with a wide range of people.
* Ability to research and prepare succinct briefings and reports appropriate to the identified audience
* Ability to influence and challenge appropriately
* High level written skills
* Good organisational skills
* Calm under pressure and comfortable working in a busy environment
* High levels of IT literacy including Word, Excel, and bespoke reporting databases
* Strong attention to detail
Experience
* Compliance and business assurance, or related experience such as business improvement, internal audit or legal
* Experience of working in a regulated environment
* Working and communicating with a wide range of stakeholders
* Working in a Housing or Supported Housing organisation
Desirable:
* Relevant professional qualification in risk, audit, compliance or governance or demonstrable equivalent senior experience.
About us:
Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.
We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:
* We focus on Excellence and innovation.
* We are Caring and Compassionate.
* We are Inclusive and Trusted.
* We work in Partnership and are One-Team.
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.
If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.