Head of First Line Controls

Domestic & General; Wimbledon; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary & discretionary 5%+

25 days annual leave + bank holidays

Health cash plan

Company pension scheme

Life assurance 4x salary

Employee benefits portal

Car leasing – salary sacrifice

Travel loans

Cycle to Work

Health & wellbeing programs

Employee assistance programme

Discounted protection plans

Job summary

Domestic & General in the United Kingdom is seeking a Senior Head of First Line Controls to lead customer, sales, service and complaints governance with EU regulatory alignment. This high-visibility role reports to senior leadership and the board, driving robust control frameworks and continuous improvement across first line activities.

You will oversee a team of around 15 staff, partner with QA, define MI metrics, and ensure compliant sales processes while leveraging the First Line Controls CoE

Qualifications

• Experience leading in a regulated environment.
• Experience in warranty or insurance sectors.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Agile mindset with strong organisational capabilities.
• Experience managing teams.
• Knowledge of in-house and outsourced contact centre operations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Act as regulatory SME for insurance and service maintenance plans across EU jurisdictions.
• Manage and execute internal risk and audit actions, including RCSA activities.
• Develop scalable control and oversight frameworks with the CoE.
• Oversee supplier contracts and ensure integrated First Line Controls schedules.
• Document, review and approve sales processes per EU regulatory standards.
• Lead governance forums and strategic reporting to senior management.
• Create policies and best practice frameworks for robust First Line Controls.
• Establish and monitor MI metrics (sales, cancellations, QA, complaints, service levels).
• Present First Line Controls updates to senior management.
• Lead QA collaboration to ensure compliance with business requirements.
• Identify actions to enhance oversight and control frameworks.
• Provide oversight and continuous improvement of first line control activities (approx. 15 FTE).

Skills

Regulated environment leadership

Warranty/insurance industry experience

Strong communication

Agile mindset

Team management

Contact centre operations knowledge

Analytical, detail-oriented

Job description

Head of First Line Controls

Location: United Kingdom
Contract Type: Permanent - Hybrid or Remote

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and strategic leader to join our Growth Markets team as Head of First Line Controls. This is a pivotal role, ensuring that our customer, sales, service, and complaints management functions operate in full compliance with regulatory requirements and internal standards across the EU.

This is a high-impact position with visibility at both senior leadership and Board level.

About You

To succeed in this role, you will have:

• Strong leadership experience within a regulated environment.
• Experience within the warranty or insurance sector.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• An agile mindset with strong organisational capabilities.
• Experience managing teams.
• Knowledge of both in-house and outsourced contact centre operations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with exceptional attention to detail.

The Role

• Act as the regulatory subject matter expert for insurance and service maintenance plans across various EU jurisdictions.
• Take responsibility for the management and execution of internal risk and audit actions, ensuring completion of all RCSA (Risk and Control Self-Assessment) activities.
• Develop scalable control and oversight frameworks in partnership with the First Line Controls Centre of Excellence (CoE).
• Oversee supplier contracts, ensuring that First Line Controls schedules are incorporated and continuously enhanced.
• Ensure that all sales processes are documented, reviewed, and approved in line with EU regulatory standards.
• Facilitate governance forums and committees, driving strategic actions and reporting outcomes.
• Create and implement relevant policies and develop best practice frameworks to support the business in establishing robust First Line Controls.
• Establish and monitor management information (MI) metrics, including sales, cancellations, quality assurance (QA), complaints, and service levels.
• Present First Line Controls updates to senior management.
• Lead and collaborate with QA teams to ensure compliance with business requirements.
• Identify and agree management actions to enhance oversight and control frameworks.
• Provide effective oversight, assessment, and continuous improvement of first line control activities (approximately 15 full-time employees).

We offer lots of great benefits! Some of which include:

• Competitive salary and annual discretionary bonus
• 25 days annual leave plus bank/public holidays, as well as an annual option to buy up to 5 additional days of annual leave
• Training opportunities as well as clearly defined career progression
• Health cash plan – employer funded cover to enable you to claim money back on essential healthcare costs, including dental, optical, physiotherapy and many more. Cover also includes unlimited access to a 24/7 virtual GP service
• Attractive company pension scheme
• Life assurance – employer funded cover of 4x basic salary
• Dedicated online benefit portal offering access to saving and lending facilities, financial wellbeing and support services:
• Salary Finance – access to savings and borrowing through payroll
• Car Leasing – access to a carbon neutral salary sacrifice car leasing scheme, with an all-inclusive monthly cost covering all charge, taxes, insurance, repairs and maintenance on a range of brand-new vehicles
• Travel Loans – interest free loans to help spread the cost of annual travel tickets
• Cycle to Work – tax efficient bike and cycling equipment worth up to £1,000
• Health & Wellbeing – discounted gym membership, online virtual workout sessions, online culinary classes
• OnHand – Giving you the opportunity to be an Eco & Social volunteer via a handy app. Volunteer individually or in groups to get involved in Youth Mentoring, Food Poverty, Homelessness & Elderly help.
• Employee Assistance Programme – specialist advice and support on issues such as finance, relationships, illness and family issues
• Free Domestic & General protection plan – one free plan each year with access to discounted rates of up to 50% on additional plans, including referrals for family and friends
• Employee discounts – with a range of discounts for 100s of online and high street retailers

Domestic & General are an equal opportunities employer which means we treat people fairly. We welcome applications from all suitably skilled persons regardless of their gender, age, race, disability, ethnic background, religion/belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or marital/family status.
Please note that we have a thorough referencing process, which includes criminal record checks.

At Domestic & General, we are proud of our 100-year legacy and excited about our future growth plans. We are expanding our horizons, entering new markets and territories internationally and we need your expertise to help us on the journey.