Risk Assurance Manager

Bupa; Salford; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday per year

Viva wellbeing programme

Employee assistance programme

Workplace pension

Online discounts

Job summary

Bupa is seeking a Risk Assurance Manager to join its second-line risk function. This hybrid role involves plan and execution of complex assurance reviews, with senior stakeholders and subject matter experts across the organisation.

You will influence risk governance and ensure robust controls, with opportunity to lead as a trusted senior reviewer. The role carries no direct people management, but offers visibility and influence across Bupa, including diverse risk areas such as operational risk,

Qualifications

• 10+ years in risk, assurance, governance and control roles within regulated financial services or insurance.
• Proven ability to lead complex reviews, deep dives and investigations end-to-end.
• Strong judgement in complex or ambiguous situations with clear conclusions.
• Understanding of second-line assurance and risk management frameworks.
• Experience communicating sensitive messages to senior stakeholders.
• Specialist expertise in one or more risk areas (operational, regulatory, conduct, data, etc).
• Experience in financial services; health insurance or closely related regulated environment preferred.
• Relevant professional qualification or equivalent experience desirable.

Responsibilities

• Independently plan and deliver complex, risk-based second-line assurance reviews and investigations.
• Lead assurance assignments end-to-end with input from SMEs and timely conclusions.
• Validate management actions and ensure remediation strengthens controls.
• Provide independent challenge and influence improvements to risk management.
• Engage stakeholders to agree proportionate actions and drive improvements.
• Operate as a senior specialist with depth in key risk areas across the organisation.
• Manage planning and delivery of assurance work balancing pace, quality and evidence.
• Apply assurance insights to identify risk themes and strengthen ownership.

Skills

Risk management

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical judgement

Second-line assurance

Independent reviewing

Job description

Job Description:

Risk Assurance Manager
Grade: C16

Contract: Permanent

Location: Bupa Place (M50 3SP) Angel Court (EC2R 7HJ) Staines (TW18 3DZ) Brighton (BN1 4FY)
Hybrid working: 2 days per week in any Bupa office
Working hours: 37.5 hours per week

Salary: From £60,000 per annum, depending on experience
Benefits: Role-specific bonus of 10% MBS

Closing Date: 25/11/2026

The role holder is a senior specialist practitioner within the 2nd line Risk Assurance function, responsible for independently planning and delivering complex, risk-based assurance reviews, thematic deep dives, compliance monitoring and targeted investigations across areas of material risk. The role provides an independent view on whether key risks are understood, owned and effectively controlled, with a focus on the issues that matter most to customers, regulators and the organisation.

This is a highly visible individual contributor role. The role holder will work directly with senior stakeholders, subject matter experts and functional leaders, using evidence, insight and professional judgement to provide credible second-line challenge and influence practical improvements to risk management, controls, governance and regulatory compliance.

The role does not carry direct people-management responsibilities. Instead, it offers the opportunity to operate as a senior technical contributor, trusted adviser and lead reviewer, with broad exposure across the organisation and the ability to influence how material risks are understood, prioritised and addressed.

How you'll help us make health happen

• Independently plan and deliver complex, risk-based second-line assurance reviews, thematic reviews, deep dives, compliance monitoring and targeted investigations across areas of significant business, customer and regulatory risk.
• Lead individual assurance assignments end-to-end, coordinating input from subject matter experts where required and ensuring work is completed at pace, to a high standard and with clear conclusions.
• Provide independent validation of management actions and remediation, assessing whether actions address root causes and sustainably strengthen the risk and control environment.
• Act as a trusted second-line specialist to senior stakeholders, bringing an independent perspective to complex, ambiguous or sensitive risk issues.
• Influence stakeholders to understand the significance of assurance findings, agree proportionate actions and make sustainable improvements to risk and control outcomes.
• Operate as a senior specialist practitioner, bringing depth of expertise in one or more areas such as operational risk, regulatory compliance, conduct, customer outcomes, third parties, operational resilience, data, technology, claims, underwriting or assurance.
• Manage the planning and delivery of assigned assurance work, balancing pace, quality, stakeholder engagement and evidence requirements across competing priorities.
• Apply second-line assurance expertise to material risks across the organisation, including operational, regulatory, conduct, customer, third party, technology, data, change and operational resilience risks.
• Use assurance outcomes to provide forward-looking insight on themes, risk trends, control effectiveness and areas where standards, ownership or remediation need strengthening.

Key Skills / Qualifications needed for this role:

• Strong 10 years plus experience in risk, assurance, governance, and control roles as a specialist risk, compliance, assurance, controls or audit practitioner within a complex regulated financial services or insurance environment.
• Proven experience independently leading complex reviews, deep dives, investigations, compliance monitoring or assurance assignments from scope through to reporting and action validation.
• Strong ability to exercise judgement in complex or ambiguous situations, including assessing evidence, determining materiality, identifying root cause and forming clear, defensible conclusions.
• Strong understanding of second-line assurance, risk management frameworks, control environments, regulatory obligations and the interaction between first, second and third line activity.
• Experience communicating difficult or sensitive assurance messages to senior stakeholders in a clear, constructive and influential way.
• Specialist expertise in one or more relevant risk areas, such as operational risk, conduct, customer outcomes, regulatory compliance, third party risk, operational resilience, data, technology, claims, underwriting or health insurance operations.
• A pragmatic approach, with the ability to distinguish between genuine material risk and issues that are process imperfections, low-value compliance points or better addressed through first line ownership.
• Experience working in financial services is essential; experience in health insurance, general insurance or a closely related regulated insurance environment is strongly preferred.
• Relevant professional qualification or equivalent experience in risk management, assurance, compliance, audit, insurance or financial services regulation is desirable; equivalent specialist expertise is equally valued.

Benefits

Our benefits are designed to make health happen for our people. Viva is our global wellbeing programme and includes all aspects of our health, from mental and physical, to financial, social and environmental wellbeing. We support flexible working and have a range of family friendly benefits.

Joining Bupa in this role you will receive the following benefits and more:

25 days holiday per year, pro rata to your contract.

Access to a range of services to support your physical and mental wellbeing

Fixed term benefits allowance

Access to our confidential employee assistance programme

Workplace pension

Online discounts covering your everyday shopping, entertainment, eating out and more.

Why Bupa

We're a health insurer and provider. With no shareholders, our customers are our focus. Our people are all driven by the same purpose - helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world. We make health happen by being brave, caring and responsible in everything we do.

We encourage all of our people to ”Be you at Bupa”, we champion diversity, and we understand the importance of our people representing the communities and customers we serve. That's why we especially encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Bupa is a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. This means we aim to offer an interview/assessment to every disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the role. We'll make sure you are treated fairly and offer reasonable adjustments as part of our recruitment process to anyone that needs them.

Time Type:

Full time

Job Area:

Locations:

Angel Court, London, Bupa Place