Controls Governance Manager

Beazley Management Limited; Greater London; Remote; GBP 90,000 - 113,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary with bonus

Excellent medical and life insurance

25 days' holiday + 8 public holidays

Home office stipend

Job summary

Beazley Management Limited is seeking a Controls Governance Manager to strengthen first-line accountability and provide independent second-line assurance over key financial, operational, and regulatory controls. The role reports to the Head of Controls Assurance and leads the controls testing framework, governance, and reporting to senior stakeholders.

The candidate will own the enterprise controls reporting suite, supervise outsourced testing services, and ensure alignment with Solvency II (or

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in internal control frameworks and testing methodologies.
• Experience leading outsourced assurance providers and QA of outputs.
• Ability to develop risk-based annual control testing plans.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the controls testing methodology and evidence requirements.
• Oversee outsourced testing services and KPI monitoring.
• Lead risk-based assurance planning and reporting to governance bodies.
• Produce enterprise controls reporting and ensure clear remediation messaging.
• Manage stakeholder relationships across major business units.
• Advise on controls best practices and regulatory governance requirements.
• Maintain the controls standard, library and taxonomy within the GRC platform.
• Coordinate controls attestations and support process improvements.
• Develop technical controls capability and train team and stakeholders.
• Support budgeting and resourcing for the Controls & Compliance Assurance team.

Skills

Internal control frameworks

Control testing methodologies

Risk-based sampling

Outsourced assurance management

Strategic testing planning

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Professional accounting qualification (ACA/ACCA/CPA)

Tools

GRC platforms

Assurance tooling

Job description

General

Job Title: Controls Governance Manager

Location: Flexible

Division: Risk & Compliance: Risk

Reports To: Head of Controls Assurance

Key Relationships

• Head of Controls Assurance
• Head of Enterprise Risk Management
• Risk & Governance LeadsinBusiness Areas
• Risk Owners/ Managing Risk Owners
• Compliance
• Head of Operational risk
• Head of Insurance risk
• Co-sourced Provider of “Controls Testing Services”

Job Summary

To strengthenfirst‑lineaccountability and provide independentsecond lineassurance over key financial,operational,and regulatory controls, we have restructured our Controls and Compliance Assurance team. Reporting to the Head ofControls Assurance, theControls Governance Managerwill be responsible for defining andmaintainingthe controls testingmethodology, overseeing governance and operational effectiveness, and ensuringhigh-qualityreporting to senior stakeholders.

This role is central to establishing a robust, SolvencyII‑aligned Internal Controls Framework for a largeglobal. The successful candidate will act as the technical authority for controls testing, lead quality assurance activities, oversee performance of the outsourced testing services provider, and own the organisation’s master reporting suite (“single version of the truth”) for controls. Strong stakeholder engagement and deepexpertisein controls best practice are essential.

Key Responsibilities

Ownership of Key Controls Frameworks

• Develop,maintain,and continuously enhance the controls testingmethodology, including sampling strategies, walkthroughstandards,and evidence requirements.
• Ensure themethodologyreflects best practice across the insurance sector and is updated in line with Solvency II (equivalent), PRA/FCA expectations, and emerging approaches such as automation anddata‑enabledtesting.
• Provideauthoritative guidance to the Controls and Compliance Assurance team andfirst‑linecontrolsowners on technical design and testing requirements.

Oversight Support for the Outsourced Testing Services Provider

• Support the Head ofControls Assurancein governing the Outsourced Provider of Controls Testing Services.
• Establish andoperate mechanisms to monitor supplier performance, including:
• contract management and SLA tracking
• technical quality reviews
• issue trends analysis
• performance dashboards and KPI monitoring
• Lead quality assurance reviews of all outsourced testing output, ensuring consistency,robustnessand compliance with internal standards.

Lead Risk-Based Assurance Planning

• Lead the annual refresh of the Compliance Universe and the development of the thematic review and controls testing plans, applying a risk-based methodology to prioritise assurance activity.
• Coordinate with other assurance functions and business stakeholders to ensure the plans reflect key and emerging risks, regulatory priorities, business needs, and areas of potential assurance overlap or reliance.
• Present the proposed plans, together with the supporting risk assessment and rationale, to the relevant senior stakeholders and governance committees for review and approval.
• Maintain oversight of the approved plans throughout the year and quarterly recommend changes where developments in the organisation’s risk profile or business priorities require assurance coverage to be adjusted.

Lead Production of Enterprise Controls Reporting

• Own and manage the organisation’s “single version of the truth” for controls reporting, integrating data from:
• the GRC system
• internal oversight activities
• outsourced testing results
• Producehigh‑quality,timelyreporting for senior management, including materials forExCo, Audit Committee, and Risk & Regulatory Committee.
• Ensure reporting clearly articulates control weaknesses, themes, remediation progress, and emerging risk insights.

Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Own assigned relationships with key Risk & Governance Leads across major business units (e.g., Finance, Claims, Underwriting, Operations, Investments, etc.).
• Providesubject‑matterexpertiseto support business areas in strengthening control design and remediation of issues.
• Act as a trusted advisor, offering technical insight whilemaintainingappropriatesecond‑linechallenge.

Controls Best Practice Advisory

• Serve as an internal expert on controls best practice, staying current with:
• developments in the insurance market
• Solvency II(equivalent) and relevant regulatory regimes and theirgovernance requirements
• risk and controls assurance practices
• automation, dataanalyticsand continuous controls monitoring
• Partner with the outsourced testing provider to bring fresh insights and thought leadership into the organisation.

Management of the Controls Standard, Library & Hierarchy

• Maintain the controls standard,libraryand hierarchy within the GRC platform.
• Monitorfirst‑lineuse of the GRC tool and drive improvements in control descriptions,risk‑controlmappings and documentation quality.
• Ensure consistent taxonomy and alignment with the broader Risk Management Framework.

Attestations

• Coordinate and oversee the periodic controls attestation process, ensuring accuracy,consistencyand completeness across all business areas.
• Work closely with Controls and Compliance Assurance colleagues to support their interactions with their assigned business stakeholders.

People Development

• Lead the development of technical controls capability within the Controls and Compliance Assurance team.
• Design and deliver training for both the team andfirst‑linestakeholders, supporting broader organisational control maturity.
• Mentor colleagues and leadcross‑teamactivities, such as coordinated quality reviews of outsourced testing work.

Operational Management

• Support operational responsibilities of the Controls and Compliance Assurance team, including budget planning, resource allocation,recruitmentand process improvement.
• Contribute to the effective running of governance forums, planningcyclesand resourcing discussions.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

• Deep subject matter expertise in internal control frameworks, control testing methodologies, and risk-based sampling techniques.
• Proven experience overseeing outsourced assurance providers, including quality assurance, contract performance management, service delivery monitoring, and SLA governance.
• Demonstrated ability to lead the development and execution of strategic, risk-based annual control testing plans and compliance thematic review programmes.
• Professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CPA, or equivalent).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels

Technical Expertise

• Proven ability to apply rigorous technical judgement to strengthen control environments.
• At least 10+ years’ experience in controls, risk assurance, internalauditor similar roles within the insurance industry.
• Strong understanding of:
• Solvency II(equivalent) and other regulatorysystem of governance requirements
• PRA/FCA/ Lloyd’sregulatory expectations
• The three lines of defence model
• RCSA and operational risk frameworks
• GRC platforms and assurance tooling

Test Delivery Experience

• Extensive experience leading design and operational effectiveness testing.
• Demonstrated ability to review and challenge testing performed by both internal teams andthird‑partyproviders.

Supplier Management

• Experiencemonitoringoutsourced assurance providers, including quality assurance, contract performance management, and SLA oversight.

Stakeholder Management

• Able to engage senior leaders, build trusted relationships, and provide credible technical challenge.
• Recognised as a “controls thought leader” capable of influencing business partners and leadership teams.

Presentation & Reporting Skills

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, capable of distilling complex control issues for senior governance bodies.
• Experience producingCommittee‑levelreporting.

Operational Management

• Comfortable with operational responsibilities including budgeting,recruitmentand planning.
• Skilled atestablishingand running efficient quality assurance processes.

People Leadership

• Ability to coach, develop and coordinate others, even without direct line management.
• Demonstrated capability to build technical competency across teams.

Qualifications(Preferred)

• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)
• ACA, ACCA, CPA or equivalent
• CRISC, CISA or similar
• Financial Risk Manager (FRM)

Aptitude&Disposition

• Growth mindset and commitment to continuous improvement.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and able to shape new methodologies and frameworks.

Strong interest in controls automation anddata‑driventesting, with willingness to lead innovation initiatives.

• Detail­oriented,rigorousand committed tomaintaininghigh technical standards.

The Rewards

• The opportunity to connect and build long-lasting professional relationships while advancing your career with a growing, dynamic organization
• Attractive base compensation and discretionary performance related bonus
• Competitively priced medical, dental and vision insurance
• Company paid life, and short- and long-term disability insurance
• 401(k) plan with 5% company match and immediate vesting
• 22 days PTO (prorated for 1st calendar year of employment), 11 paid holidays per year, with the ability to flex the religious bank holidays to suit your religious beliefs
• Up to $700 reimbursement for home office setup
• Free in‑office lunch, travel reimbursement for travel to office, and monthly lifestyle allowance
• Up to 26 weeks of fully paid parental leave
• Up to 2.5 days paid annually for volunteering at a charity of your choice

Salary for this role will be tailored to the successful individual’s location and experience. The expected compensation range for this position is to $139,500 per year plus discretionary annual bonus. You will be able to discuss your salary expectations should you be contacted about this role.

Don’t meet all the requirements? At Beazley we're committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every requirement and qualification in the job specification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be the right candidate for this, or one of our other roles.