Chief Risk Officer

Verity Search Limited; Greater London; Sur place; GBP 230 000 - 280 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Bonus and benefits

Résumé du poste

Verity Search Limited seeks a Chief Risk Officer to design, implement and oversee the enterprise-wide Risk Management Framework and an independent Second Line Risk function. The role requires leadership across risk appetite, capital adequacy, prudential risk, compliance and operational resilience.

You will interact with the Board, Board Risk Committee and regulators to maintain a robust risk culture. The ideal candidate has senior risk leadership experience in UK regulated banking, deep

Qualifications

• Current or previous experience in a Chief Risk Officer or equivalent senior risk leader role.
• Deep expertise in enterprise risk management and risk appetite governance.
• Proven ability to engage credibly with regulators (PRA/FCA) and senior stakeholders.

Responsabilités

• Own and maintain the enterprise-wide Risk Management Framework, risk taxonomy, core risk policies and governance standards.
• Lead the three lines of defence model with strong Second Line oversight.
• Provide independent risk input to strategic plans, product approvals, and major transactions.
• Oversee capital, liquidity, ICAAP/ILAAP, stress testing and prudential risk oversight.
• Ensure robust risk culture and timely identification, assessment and remediation of risks.

Connaissances

Second Line Risk

Regulatory engagement

Enterprise risk management

Board communication

Formation

Experience at senior risk leadership in UK regulated bank

Description du poste

£230,000 to £280,000 + Bonus and benefits

The Chief Risk Officer is accountable for the design, implementation and effectiveness of the bank's enterprise-wide Risk Management Framework and for leading an independent, proportionate and commercially relevant Second Line Risk function.

The role provides independent oversight and challenge across the Bank, with particular emphasis on specialist credit risk, portfolio quality, risk appetite, capital adequacy, prudential risk, compliance, conduct, operational resilience and the effective management of material non-financial risks. The CRO will help scale its specialist lending activities while maintaining strong credit discipline, regulatory confidence and an effective risk culture.

As a member of the Executive Committee, the CRO will act as principal risk adviser to the Board, Board Risk Committee and Chief Executive Officer, and as the primary senior executive contact for the PRA and FCA on risk matters.

A rapidly growing UK specialist bank. Its risk profile is shaped principally by specialist property-backed, SME and corporate lending; deposit funding; capital and liquidity management; technology and third-party dependencies; and the need to maintain proportionate governance as the Bank grows and develops its product set.

• Specialist secured lending, including complex property-backed, SME and corporate credit.
• A growth agenda requiring disciplined risk selection, pricing, structuring and portfolio management.
• Close alignment between lending strategy, funding, liquidity, capital consumption and target returns.
• A regulated bank environment requiring credible Board oversight and constructive PRA and FCA engagement.

Key accountabilities

Executive and enterprise risk leadership

• Member of the Executive Committee, providing independent risk leadership and constructive challenge across strategic and operational decision-making.
• Own and maintain the enterprise-wide Risk Management Framework, risk taxonomy, core risk policies and governance standards.
• Ensure the three lines model operates effectively, with clear First Line ownership and independent Second Line oversight.
• Promote a strong, transparent and commercially grounded risk culture across the Bank.
• Ensure material current and emerging risks are identified, assessed, monitored, controlled and escalated.

Risk appetite and strategy

• Lead the development and annual review of the Risk Appetite Statement and supporting limits, triggers and metrics.
• Monitor adherence to risk appetite, escalates actual or forecast breaches and ensure credible remediation plans are agreed and tracked.
• Provide independent risk input to the strategic plan, financial plan, new products, partnerships, material transactions and changes in lending strategy.
• Assess whether planned growth is consistent with the Bank’s risk capacity, capital, liquidity, funding and operational capability.

Specialist credit risk

• Provide authoritative Second Line oversight of specialist property, SME, corporate and other complex credit exposures.
• Set and challenge credit policies, underwriting standards, delegated authorities, rating approaches, concentration limits and exception frameworks.
• Challenge material credit proposals and portfolio strategies independently, including structure, leverage, security, borrower cash flow, covenants, exit strategy and downside protection.
• Oversee portfolio quality, risk-adjusted returns, early warning indicators, watchlists, arrears, forbearance, recoveries, provisioning and problem debt strategies.
• Ensure stress testing captures relevant borrower, collateral, sector, refinancing and concentration risks.
• Maintain clear separation between origination, underwriting, sanction, portfolio management and independent risk oversight.

Prudential risk, ICAAP and stress testing

• Provide effective oversight and challenge of capital adequacy, liquidity and funding risk, market risk, interest rate risk and concentration risk.
• Lead the risk contribution to ICAAP, ILAAP, recovery planning, enterprise and reverse stress testing, and wider prudential assessments.
• Advise on the capital and risk implications of strategic growth, new products, funding structures and balance sheet changes.
• Oversee the risk implications of Basel 3.1, regulatory capital treatment and other prudential developments.
• Challenge impairment and provisioning judgements, including IFRS 9 assumptions and forward-looking risk assessments.

Non-financial risk and resilience oversight

• Oversee the Bank’s frameworks for operational, conduct, compliance, technology, cyber, third-party, outsourcing and strategic risk.
• Provide independent assurance over operational resilience and business continuity arrangements, including whether plans remain current and appropriately tested.
• Challenge the adequacy and embedding of controls, risk registers, incident management and remediation activity.
• Provide independent assurance on key operational risks and work across functions to ensure identified gaps are addressed.

Governance, Board and regulatory engagement

• Act as principal risk adviser to the Board, Board Risk Committee, CEO and Executive Committee.
• Chair the principal executive risk forum and contribute to Credit, Asset and Liability, and other governance committees as appropriate.
• Deliver concise, forward-looking risk reporting covering appetite, portfolio performance, concentrations, stress outcomes, emerging risks and management actions.
• Lead risk-related engagement with the PRA and FCA, including regulatory reviews, visits and inspections, and ensure commitments are delivered to the required standard.
• Provide early warning and advice on regulatory change, assess implications and support effective implementation.
• Exercise the independence, authority and judgement expected of the SMF4 role.

New products and strategic initiatives

• Provide independent risk oversight of new lending products, structured finance opportunities, funding structures, strategic partnerships, acquisitions, technology transformation and new market entry.
• Ensure material risks, control requirements, capital impacts and operational dependencies are appropriately assessed before implementation.

Risk function leadership

• Build and lead a high-quality Second Line team with the technical capability required by bank’s business model.
• Maintain an appropriate balance of specialist credit, prudential, enterprise and non-financial risk capability.
• Set clear objectives, accountabilities and development plans for the function.
• Ensure the function remains proportionate, responsive and capable of challenging the business effectively.

Experience and technical expertise

• Current or previous experience as a Chief Risk Officer, Deputy CRO, Chief Credit Officer, Head of Credit Risk or equivalent senior risk leader in a UK regulated bank, building society or specialist lender.
• Deep specialist credit expertise, particularly in property-backed, SME, corporate or complex secured lending.
• Demonstrable experience assessing complex transactions, including borrower cash flow, leverage, security, collateral, covenant protection, refinancing and exit risk.
• Strong portfolio risk experience spanning concentrations, stress testing, early warning indicators, watchlists, impairments, recoveries and problem debt.
• Strong understanding of enterprise risk management, risk appetite, governance and the operation of an effective Second Line function.
• Demonstrable experience of ICAAP, capital adequacy, stress testing and prudential risk oversight.
• Experience engaging directly and credibly with the PRA and FCA.
• Proven Board and committee experience, with the ability to communicate complex risk issues clearly and influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing specialist risk teams.

Highly desirable

• Experience within a challenger, specialist or digital bank operating through a period of material growth.
• Knowledge of structured finance, portfolio acquisitions, warehouse structures or securitisation.
• Exposure to capital optimisation, balance sheet management, recovery planning and regulatory change programmes.
• Experience assessing M&A, strategic partnerships, new products or new market entry.

Leadership attributes

• Commercially minded while maintaining clear independence and objectivity.
• Credible with regulators, non-executive directors and executive colleagues.
• Strong judgement, intellectual rigour and the courage to challenge constructively.
• Pragmatic, proportionate and solution-oriented, without compromising risk standards.
• Able to move comfortably between detailed credit matters, enterprise-wide risk and strategic Board discussions.
• Collaborative and influential, with the ability to build a strong risk culture across a fast-growing organisation.