Risk Assurance Manager

The Risk Assurance Manager role is a senior specialist practitioner position within the 2nd line Risk Assurance function at Bupa. You will independently plan and deliver complex, risk-based assurance reviews, thematic deep dives, compliance monitoring and targeted investigations across areas of material risk.

As a Risk Assurance Manager, you 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.

Responsibilities:

• 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:

• 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.