Head of Risk Assurance

Action; Zwaagdijk-Oost; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Executive visibility

Market salary and benefits

Annual bonus

Company car

Vacation days 24

Pension plan

Employee discount 15%

Growth opportunities

Job summary

Action, a leading European retailer, seeks a Head of Risk Assurance to own the international Risk Assurance strategy and raise risk maturity across countries. You will translate complex risk, governance, and assurance challenges into clear direction at board level and lead a global team to deliver measurable results.

You will define the governance framework, build a risk-aware culture, and report on enterprise risk, governance, and assurance performance to senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree supplemented by a professional qualification in Risk Management, Audit, or a related discipline.
• Extensive experience in a senior Risk, Assurance, Internal Audit, or Governance role within retail/operations.
• Proven ability to advise and influence senior leadership and board-level stakeholders.
• Strong experience in building enterprise risk management, governance, and assurance frameworks across multiple countries.
• Strong leadership and change management skills.
• Excellent English communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the international Risk Assurance strategy aligned with growth ambitions.
• Build and embed a strong risk-aware culture across stores, distribution centres, HQ, and support functions.
• Advise senior leadership and board with clear reporting on enterprise risk, governance, and assurance performance.
• Establish and improve a global Risk Assurance framework ensuring compliance and consistency across countries.
• Lead development of KPIs, reporting structures, and dashboards for executive reporting.
• Identify strategic and operational risks and translate into business cases and mitigations.
• Drive enterprise risk assessments, internal control reviews, and privacy programmes across countries.
• Deliver the annual internal audit plan and lead audit scope delivery.
• Ensure communication, awareness programmes, and training on risk/privacy/audit.
• Lead and develop the Risk Assurance team and shape the future organisation.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Governance

Communication

Education

Master’s degree with professional qualification in Risk Management or Audit

Job description

Do you want to shape the risk and assurance culture of one of Europe’s fastest-growing retailers?Are you a strategic leader who can translate complex risk, governance, and assurance challenges into clear direction and impact at board level? At Action, we are looking for a senior Risk Assurance leader who will take ownership of our international Risk Assurance strategy and drive a step change in risk maturity, governance, and organisational resilience across all countries.

Your daily tasks

As Head of Risk Assurance, you are responsible for setting the direction, structure, and impact of Risk Management, Privacy Management and Internal Audit across Action’s international operations. You combine strategic leadership with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate plans into measurable results.

You will:

• Define and drive the international Risk Assurance strategy, aligned with Action’s growth ambitions and operational reality.
• Build and embed a strong risk-aware culture across stores, distribution centres, headquarters, and support functions.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and board level, providing insights, direction, and clear reporting on enterprise risk, governance, and assurance performance.
• Establish and continuously improve a global Risk Assurance framework, ensuring compliance with applicable legislation, regulations, and internal policies while driving consistency across countries.
• Lead the development of KPIs, reporting structures, and dashboards, enabling quarterly and annual reporting at executive level.
• Identify strategic and operational risks and translate them into clear business cases, mitigation plans, and assurance activities, balancing risk, cost, and business objectives.
• Drive enterprise risk assessments, internal control reviews, privacy-focused programmes, and continuous improvement initiatives across all countries.
• Deliver the annual internal audit plan and lead the delivery of the planned audit scope.
• Ensure effective communication, awareness programmes, and training, making risk management, privacy and internal audit practical and relevant for all employees.
• Lead and develop the Risk Assurance team and define the future organisation needed to support Action’s continued growth.

Your team

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, Yyou will be part of the international leadership environment and work closely with senior stakeholders across the business, including Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, Legal, IT, and Country Management.
You will lead and further build the Risk Assurance function, strengthening both central governance and local execution across all countries.

This is you

You are a senior, strategic professional with a strong track record in Risk Management, Internal Audit, Governance, or Assurance within a complex, international environment. You are not just a specialist, you are a leader who can build structure, influence decisions, and drive organisational improvement.

• A master’s degree supplemented by a professional qualification in Risk Management, Audit, or a related discipline.
• Extensive experience in a senior Risk, Assurance, Internal Audit, or Governance role within retail, logistics, manufacturing, or another operational environment.
• Proven ability to advise and influence senior leadership and board-level stakeholders.
• Strong experience in building enterprise risk management, governance, and assurance frameworks across multiple countries.
• Strong leadership and change management skills.
• Excellent communication skills in English.

What we offer

Surprisingly much! From our headquarters in the Netherlands, you will have an impact across Europe. With more than 3,000+ stores in 14+ countries, Action is growing fast and so can you.

• A highly impactful, strategic role with visibility at executive level.
• A market-based salary and attractive benefits package.
• A yearly bonus based on company and personal objectives.
• Company car or mobility allowance.
• 24 vacation days, with the option to purchase additional days.
• A good pension scheme and travel allowance.
• 15% employee discount at Action.
• Extensive opportunities for growth and development within an international environment.

How we contribute to society

At Action, we believe in making a positive impact—not only for our customers, but also for our employees and society.

• We support over 2,000 children through SOS Children’s Villages.
• Our workforce represents over 120 nationalities.
• We are continuously improving sustainability across our products and operations.