Head of Enterprise Controls

Coventry Building Society; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

28 days holiday a year plus bank

Private Medical Insurance

Health Screening

Life assurance (6x annual salary)

Annual discretionary bonus scheme

Job summary

Coventry Building Society is seeking a Head of Enterprise Controls to lead first line risk and governance across the organisation, based in Coventry or Manchester. The role shapes enterprise-wide control frameworks, resilience and assurance, driving risk-aware decision making at executive level.

You will oversee risk, control testing and governance across key customer journeys, liaising with committees and senior leaders to embed robust controls and effective governance across the group.

Qualifications

• Seasoned leader in enterprise controls and first line risk management within large financial services.
• Experience shaping governance, assurance programmes and control testing at enterprise level.
• Proven ability to partner with executives and boards to drive risk-aware culture.
• Strong track record delivering risk insights, reporting and remediation across complex operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and continuous improvement of enterprise-wide first line risk and control frameworks, governance and assurance activities.
• Oversee 1st Line managers and teams across customer journeys, QA, control testing and control effectiveness reviews.
• Own and enhance Group Operational Resilience, incident management, business continuity and crisis management frameworks.
• Monitor risk appetite, control performance, emerging risks, KRIs and assurance outcomes.
• Partner with senior stakeholders to drive risk-aware culture and effective non-financial risk management.
• Provide high-quality insight, reporting and assurance to Executive and Board Committees.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Risk management

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder engagement

Governance

Job description

Coventry Building Society are proud to be offering a highly unique leadership opportunity for a Head of Enterprise Controls to join the organisation on a permanent basis, based out of either of our fantastic Coventry or Manchester offices. Following the acquisition of The Cooperative Bank in 2025, this is an incredibly exciting time to join one of the leading customer owned financial services businesses in UK at a pivotal moment within the organisation.

This 1st Line of Defence (1LoD) operational Head of Enterprise Controls job provides strategic level first line risk and controls, operational resilience and governance across the organisation, leading the development and ongoing enhancement of a robust control environment that supports sustainable growth, strong customer outcomes and effective management of non-financial risk.

Working across the organisation, the Head of Enterprise Controls will lead crucial 1st line operational teams and be responsible for strengthening risk culture, improving control effectiveness and ensuring appropriate governance frameworks are embedded and operating effectively. This enterprise/group level leadership role also supports Executive/Board Committees and senior leaders through insight, challenge and assurance, helping the organisation meet its regulatory obligations whist also delivering our long-term strategic goals & ambitions.

Additionally, duties & responsibilities will cover:

• Leading the development and continuous improvement of enterprise-wide first line risk and control frameworks, governance and assurance activities.
• Managing the relevant 1st Line managers & teams in overseeing the likes of customer outcomes testing, quality assurance, critical control testing and control effectiveness reviews across key customer journeys and operations.
• Owning and enhancing the Group Operational Resilience, incident management, business continuity and crisis management frameworks.
• Monitoring and reporting on risk appetite, control performance, emerging risks, key risk indicators and assurance outcomes.
• Partnering with senior stakeholders to drive a strong risk-aware culture and ensure effective management of non-financial risk.
• Delivering high-quality insight, reporting and assurance to Executive and Board Committees, ensuring issues are identified, escalated and remediated appropriately.

Please note

We operate on a team-led hybrid working approach. For this role you will be required to hold a frequent presence in both our Coventry & Manchester offices.

Our benefits include:

• Car allowance (supplemented into your monthly income)
• 28 days holiday a year plus bank holidays and a holiday buy/sell scheme
• Personal pension with greater than matched contributions
• Private Medical Insurance
• Health Screening
• Life assurance (6 times annual salary)
• Annual discretionary bonus scheme

About you

You’ll be an experienced controls, assurance and 1LoD risk leader with a proven track record of operating at enterprise/group level within complex regulated financial services organisations. You’ll be comfortable influencing senior stakeholders, leading large teams and driving strong risk, control and customer outcomes across a diverse business landscape.

For this role you’ll need to have:

• Significant experience leading enterprise controls, first line risk, business controls, assurance, governance or operational risk functions within a large regulated banking / financial services organisation.
• Proven group-wide or enterprise-level leadership experience, including leading managers and specialist teams across complex organisational structures.
• Strong understanding of retail banking, savings, lending and broader financial services products together with non-financial risk management frameworks.
• Experience designing, implementing and enhancing enterprise control frameworks, assurance programmes, control testing and governance processes.
• Strong Executive Committee and Board-level communication capability, including influencing, challenge and strategic reporting.
• Experience operating successfully within highly regulated banking or financial services environments and working with regulators, audit and compliance functions.

Experience in these areas would be helpful:

• Operational Resilience, business continuity, crisis management or incident management.
• Customer outcomes testing, Consumer Duty, conduct risk or quality assurance programmes.
• Financial Crime, supplier risk, third-party risk or control effectiveness activities.
• Large-scale controls transformation, governance enhancement or regulatory change programmes.

About us

In 2025, Coventry Building Society purchased The Co-operative Bank. Bringing together our purpose-led building society with the UK's original ethical bank was the start of an exciting journey. Trusted by over four million people, we're a mutually owned business free from shareholders, and with our combined experience of almost 300 years, our ethics and dedication will continue to guide us. Together, we have shared values and an ethical approach towards our members, customers and colleagues.

We're officially recognised as a 'Great Place to Work' and our benefits go beyond basic pay, with a discretionary bonus scheme, a culture of reward and recognition and comprehensive support for wellbeing. We're serious about equality, of race, age, faith, disability, and sexual orientation and we celebrate diversity. By working together, we know you'll build more than just a career with us.

Flexibility and why it matters

We understand the need for flexibility, so wherever possible, we'll consider alternative working patterns. Have a chat with us before you apply to see what the possibilities are for this role.

Proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer

We're proud to offer an interview or assessment to every disabled applicant who meet the minimum criteria for our vacancies. As part of the application process, disabled applicants can opt in for the Disability Confident Interview Scheme. If there are ever occasions where it is not practicable to interview all candidates that meet the essential criteria, such as when we receive a high number of applications, we commit to interviewing disabled candidates who best meet the minimum essential and desirable criteria.