Head of Risk & Compliance

OptumUK; Leeds; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Comprehensive benefits package

Career development opportunities

Job summary

OptumUK, part of Optum, is seeking a senior leader to shape enterprise risk, compliance and assurance across a rapidly transforming healthcare technology business. You will report to the Group General Counsel and provide cross‑functional oversight of obligations, risks and controls, chair the risk forum and drive a culture of integrity and robust governance.

You will collaborate with executive stakeholders, lead the Risk & Compliance team, and ensure effective remediation and regulatory

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a senior Risk, Compliance, Governance, Legal, Audit or Assurance leadership role.
• Strong understanding of enterprise risk management frameworks and corporate governance principles.
• Experience leading compliance, assurance or regulatory programmes within a regulated environment.
• Demonstrable experience overseeing internal audit, certification or control assurance activities.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and challenge at Executive and Board level.
• Proven people leadership experience, including building and developing high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead and continually enhance our Enterprise Risk Management Framework.
• Chair and coordinate the Risk Forum, ensuring risks are identified, assessed, escalated and monitored effectively.
• Provide independent oversight of compliance activities across the organisation, ensuring clear ownership and accountability for regulatory obligations.
• Oversee the Internal Audit programme, driving meaningful assurance activity and effective remediation of findings.
• Oversee ISO certification and assurance programmes, ensuring continued compliance with relevant standards and accreditations.
• Maintain oversight of sustainability and ESG compliance activities, monitoring emerging regulatory requirements and reporting obligations.
• Lead, develop and coach the Risk & Compliance team while promoting a culture of integrity, accountability and risk awareness throughout the business.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

Governance & risk

Regulatory compliance

People leadership

Board interaction

Job description

About us

At Optum | EMIS (becoming Enlivio Health on 23 September) we're using technology, data and insights to help make healthcare work better for everyone.

Through innovative healthcare technology solutions, we support clinicians, healthcare providers and patients with trusted digital services that help improve outcomes and experiences across the healthcare system. Following our recent acquisition, we're entering an exciting new phase of growth and transformation, creating new opportunities to strengthen our governance, resilience and operational excellence.

Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

About the Team

The Legal, Compliance, Privacy and Contracts team plays a critical role in helping Optum | EMIS operate responsibly and effectively within an evolving and heavily regulatory landscape.

Working closely with leaders across the business, the team provides oversight, advice and assurance across legal, privacy, customer contracting, enterprise risk management, compliance, internal audit, sustainability and governance activities. The function helps ensure legal and regulatory obligations are understood, managed appropriately and embedded throughout the organisation, enabling informed decision-making and supporting scalability and long-term business success.

About the Role

This newly created leadership role offers a unique opportunity to shape and strengthen Optum | EMIS' risk and compliance capability during a significant period of growth and transformation.

Reporting to the Group General Counsel, you'll provide enterprise-wide oversight of risk, compliance and assurance activities, ensuring the organisation has a clear understanding of its obligations, risks and control environment. Whilst accountability for certain regulatory requirements sits within business functions, you'll act as the central point of coordination, challenge and assurance across the organisation as well as having oversight for specific compliance areas.

You'll work closely with senior stakeholders and governance forums, while chairing the risk forum, helping to improve organisational resilience, strengthen governance and support strategic decision-making.

Key responsibilities of the role

• Lead and continually enhance our Enterprise Risk Management Framework.
• Chair and coordinate the Risk Forum, ensuring risks are identified, assessed, escalated and monitored effectively.
• Provide independent oversight of compliance activities across the organisation, ensuring clear ownership and accountability for regulatory obligations.
• Oversee the Internal Audit programme, driving meaningful assurance activity and effective remediation of findings.
• Oversee ISO certification and assurance programmes, ensuring continued compliance with relevant standards and accreditations.
• Maintain oversight of sustainability and ESG compliance activities, monitoring emerging regulatory requirements and reporting obligations.
• Lead, develop and coach the Risk & Compliance team while promoting a culture of integrity, accountability and risk awareness throughout the business.

Who you are

You're a strategic and commercially minded leader who understands how to balance effective governance and risk management with business objectives.

You are comfortable operating across complex organisations and have the credibility to influence stakeholders at all levels, including Executive and Board-level leadership. Whether your background is in risk, compliance, legal, audit or assurance, you're able to connect the dots across multiple regulatory disciplines and provide practical, value-added guidance.

Most importantly, you're passionate about building strong governance frameworks, driving continuous improvement and helping organisations operate responsibly and effectively in a regulated environment.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Significant experience in a senior Risk, Compliance, Governance, Legal, Audit or Assurance leadership role.
• Strong understanding of enterprise risk management frameworks and corporate governance principles.
• Experience leading compliance, assurance or regulatory programmes within a regulated environment.
• Demonstrable experience overseeing internal audit, certification or control assurance activities.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and challenge at Executive and Board level.
• Proven people leadership experience, including building and developing high-performing teams.

Why Join Us?

This is a rare opportunity to establish and shape a critical leadership function at a pivotal moment in Optum | EMIS' evolution.

You'll work closely with senior leadership, influence strategic decision-making and help build a best-in-class risk and compliance capability that supports sustainable business growth while safeguarding the organisation's future success.

In return, you'll receive a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits package and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within one of the UK's leading healthcare technology organisations.