Job title: Interim Head of Operational Assurance and First Line Risk - FTC 6 months

Closing date: 30 April 2026

About us

Founded in 2007, we are a challenger bank that operates in accordance with Shariah principles, with offices in London, Milton Keynes and Wilmslow. We offer personal and corporate savings products and finance for UK residential and commercial property, in addition to sourcing and advising on UK real estate investments.

Key responsibilities

• Enhance the bank’s control framework by carrying out assurance of control testing across all Home Finance Operations areas.
• Lead a team of Quality Assurance Analysts responsible for testing and sampling first line of defence (1LOD) business activity and customer outcomes.
• Provide independent oversight and be responsible for the control and implementation of the Bank’s Complaint Handling Policy. Ensuring all regulatory, legal, and service requirements are met and the relevant reporting, feedback, and root cause analysis frameworks are in place and fully operational across retail saving and home finance products.
• Manage complaint resolution in the first line ensuring that complaint awareness and handling training is regularly reviewed, delivered and that customers receive fair and good outcomes.
• Support the Head of Customer Support Head of Underwriting and Head of Financial Crime and Head of Operational Change to manage monitoring of operational processes, including their adequacy and effectiveness.
• Test adherence to policies and risk appetite including escalation via appropriate channels.
• Assess the risks associated with First Line of Defence business line activities and assist in maintaining a complete control framework for risk management activities. Support the colleagues to identify risks from First Line of Defence.
• Undertake quality controls testing reviews via regular testing of key controls, independent validation of Quality Controls (QC) and Assurance activities performed by the business. Ensure the delivery of the QA Checks across the function in line with agreed framework.
• Support the monitoring of output from all First Line of Defence areas to identify potential operational risks and, where possible, ensure appropriate mitigating actions are in place, including recommendations for remediation, improvement of controls, staff training or coaching. Proactively identify process improvement/best practice and share as appropriate.
• Assure remediation of control failures and compliance breaches.
• Support the heads of business lines and Operations to ensure Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) and risk appetite metrics are in line with the bank’s Risk Appetite.
• Support colleagues Risk & Control Self Assessments to ensure all processes are captured. Manage and oversee the development, design, and control monitoring of the Operations function RCSAs.
• Be responsible for building, developing, and maintaining effective relationships with colleagues across the business areas and with counterparts in other functions such as Operational Risk and Assurance and Compliance.
• Responsible for the oversight and leadership of the Operational Resilience Risk Management Framework, ensuring it meets regulatory expectations and robustly safeguards the Bank’s important business services.
• Responsible for the control and oversight of the Third‑Party and Outsourcing Risk Management Framework, ensuring all supplier arrangements meet the Bank’s governance standards and the framework is managed in line with regulatory expectations. Deliver e high quality reports/presentation packs for sharing with key stakeholders; Maintain a full audit trail with clear records to support review conclusions, stored in accordance with the bank’s records management conventions.
• Ensure all Risk Incidents are raised appropriately by the business, documented and root cause is established. Oversight of remedial actions to ensure risks are mitigated. Full audit trail is established.
• Manage and control timely closure for all second and third line of defence (3LOD) monitoring actions.
• Control, manage and where appropriate maintain all Standard Operating Procedures across HFO with assistance from relevant senior leaders.
• Manage and liaise as first point of contact reviews undertaken by second and third line of defence. Lead your team by role modelling our ROC values and behaviours. People managers are responsible for completing all colleague life cycle activities such as recruitment; performance review process: providing input and encouraging colleague development with a focus on values, behaviours; wellbeing and to promote and enhance colleague engagement. People managers are also expected to adhere to all policies and procedures and ensure their team function effectively.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the necessary experience and/or training.

Skills and qualifications required

• Proven experience of working in a Risk/Controls Quality Assurance function within a financial institution including Knowledge and understanding of risk control arrangements.
• Knowledge of regulatory environment and key regulatory regimes including demonstrable understanding of regulatory requirements and Conduct rules (CONC, COBS, BCOBS, MCOB, SYSC, DISP).
• Knowledge of UK banking (Customer Service, Credit. Financial Crime, Operations) and risk management & controls principles appropriate to the three lines of defence model.
• Understanding of compliance with group policies including Conduct Risk.
• Excellent attention to detail with a ‘can do’ attitude and strong team skills.
• Ability to think creatively when resolving problems and/or identify alternatives where established procedures may not exist, ensuring an improved customer experience.
• Strong communication (written and oral) and organisational skills
• Able to work under pressure, whether alone or as part of a small team.
• Willingness to challenge, collaborate and adapt.
• Considerable knowledge and experience of best practice and governance frameworks, methodologies, and emerging practice, in relation to the UK regulated financial services context.
• Skilled communicator with the ability to influence and motivate others.
• Problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to analyse complex information to identify the key issue/action and drive resolution.
• GCSE English and Mathematics (or equivalent).
• Relevant professional qualifications (e.g., ICA, ORM, Chartered Banker, CeMAP etc.) and/or a willingness to study.

Beneficial skills

• Understanding of Islamic Banking products such as Home Purchase Plans and a knowledge of the traditional home finance market.

Additional Details:

We offer a highly attractive reward package; the typical benefits include:

• 25 days holiday entitlement increasing with service
• Pension Plan
• Private medical insurance
• Group dental insurance
• Income Protection
• Life Assurance
• Employee Referral Bonus

Gatehouse Bank is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.

Please be advised that we have an appointed recruitment partner, The Curve Group, to manage our recruitment process and give candidates the best possible experience in pursuing a career with Gatehouse Bank. The personal details you have shared with us may be processed by The Curve Group on behalf of Gatehouse Bank. Full details of their Privacy Policy can be viewed here.