Governance, Risk and Controls Specialist

St. James's Place; Cirencester; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Leave 28 days

Private Medical Insurance

Pension scheme (10-15%)

Enhanced Parental Leave

Protection benefits

EV salary sacrifice

Job summary

St. James's Place in Cirencester or other UK offices seeks a Governance, Risk & Controls professional on a 13-month fixed-term basis. The role strengthens governance, risk and control environments to support the APProved Representative network and regulatory compliance.

You’ll interact with senior leaders to embed accountability and drive a strong risk culture. The successful candidate will lead risk assessments, reporting and remediation activities while developing controls, frameworks and

Qualifications

• Experience in Governance, Risk, Controls, or Compliance within a regulated financial services environment.
• Strong understanding of risk management frameworks and control assessment methodologies.
• Experience facilitating Risk & Control Self-Assessments and risk workshops.
• Proven ability to identify control weaknesses and support remediation plans.

Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of risk programmes and governance initiatives across the business.
• Partner with risk owners to maintain robust risk and control frameworks.
• Lead risk and control assessments, workshops and control testing activity.
• Produce high-quality risk reporting and governance papers for senior stakeholders.
• Manage issue identification, root cause analysis and remediation actions.
• Provide insight and recommendations through governance forums and committees.
• Support ongoing development of risk management processes and systems.
• Contribute to annual self-assessments and regulatory oversight activities.

Skills

Governance

Risk management

Controls

Regulatory compliance

RCSAs

Stakeholder engagement

Risk reporting

Education

Professional risk/compliance qualifications

Tools

Riskonnect

Job description

Are you ready to chart your own career path? With our refreshed strategy, we're building on our rich heritage and transforming our business to be more scalable and efficient, unlocking the capabilities needed for future success. This includes significantly investing in technology, streamlining the way we work and creating an environment where colleagues feel engaged, empowered and accountable; where they can show up, speak up and perform - because we believe in the difference our work makes.

At a glance:

• Location: Cirencester, Bristol, London or Manchester
• Workplace Type: Hybrid
• Employment Type: 13 month Fixed-Term Contract
• Seniority: Mid-Senior Level

About The Role

We're looking for a Governance, Risk & Controls professional to join our Partnership Directorate on a 13-month basis. The successful person will play a key role in strengthening the governance, risk and control environment that supports our Appointed Representative network.

This is an opportunity to work at the heart of a highly regulated business, partnering with team members across the organisation to ensure risks are effectively identified, managed and reported. You'll help drive a strong risk culture, support regulatory compliance, lead control testing activity and contribute to the continuous improvement of our governance and risk frameworks.

The role offers significant exposure to senior leadership and the opportunity to influence business decisions that support sustainable growth, good customer outcomes and effective risk management.

What You'll Be Doing

• Supporting the delivery of risk programmes and governance initiatives across the business.
• Partnering with risk owners to maintain robust risk and control frameworks and embed accountability.
• Leading risk and control assessments, workshops and control testing activity.
• Producing high-quality risk reporting, governance papers and management information for senior stakeholders.
• Managing issue identification, root cause analysis and remediation activities.
• Providing insight, challenge and recommendations through governance forums and committees.
• Supporting the ongoing development of risk management processes, systems and ways of working.
• Contributing to annual self-assessments and regulatory oversight activities.

About You

You’ll be an experienced risk, governance or controls professional who enjoys working collaboratively across a business to improve processes, strengthen controls and support better decision-making. You’ll be comfortable influencing collaborators at all levels, facilitating discussions about risk and control efficiency, and balancing regulatory requirements with commercial priorities. We’re looking for someone who can bring both strong technical risk knowledge and a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach.

Essential Criteria

• Experience working within Governance, Risk, Controls, Operational Risk or Compliance in a regulated financial services environment.
• Strong understanding of risk management frameworks, risk reporting and control assessment methodologies.
• Experience facilitating Risk & Control Self-Assessments (RCSAs), risk workshops or similar governance activities.
• Proven ability to identify control weaknesses, conduct root cause analysis and support remediation plans.

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge of Appointed Representative oversight, financial advice, wealth management or intermediary business models.
• Experience using Governance, Risk & Compliance systems such as Riskonnect.
• Exposure to board, committee or governance secretariat activities.
• Risk, compliance or audit-related professional qualifications.
• Experience gained within wealth management, banking, insurance or risk consulting environments.

Special Requirements

As this position is being offered on a 13-month fixed-term contract, the successful candidate will need to be available to commence employment inJanuary 2027.

You should also be comfortable with occasional travel as part of the role, including visits to our offices and collaborator meetings across the UK.

What's in it for you?

Whatever stage of life you're in, our benefits are designed to provide the support, flexibility, and peace of mind you need to thrive both at work and beyond.

In addition to our discretionary annual bonus scheme, which reflects both individual and company performance, you'll benefit from a market-leading benefits package tailored to support your wellbeing, financial security, and family life.

Our benefits include:

• 28 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase up to 5 additional days.
• Private Medical Insurance - company-funded cover for you and your immediate family
• Generous Pension Scheme - a non-contributory employer contribution of 10%, increasing with length of service up to 15%, plus the opportunity to increase this through salary sacrifice
• Enhanced Parental Leave - up to 26 weeks' full pay to support growing families.
• Protection Benefits - company-funded critical illness cover, income protection, and life assurance
• EV salary sacrifice scheme through Tusker

Reasonable Adjustments

We're an equalopportunities employer and want to ensure our recruitment process is accessibleand inclusive for all, if you require reasonable adjustment(s) at any stageplease let us know by emailing us at [e-mail] tells usthat applicants (especially those from underrepresented groups) can be put offfrom applying for a role if they do not meet all the criteria or have been onan extended career-break. If you think you would be a good match for this role andcan demonstrate some transferable experience please apply, regardless ofwhether you tick every box.