Head of Technology and Operational Resilience Risk

Hello, we're Starling. We built a new kind of bank because we knew technology had the power to help people save, spend and manage their money in a new and transformative way. We're a fully licensed UK bank with the culture and spirit of a fast-moving, disruptive tech company. We're a bank, but better: fairer, easier to use and designed to demystify money for everyone. We employ more than 3,500 people across our London, Southampton, Cardiff and Manchester offices.

We are seeking an experienced strategic leader with a passion for cutting-edge technology and a deep understanding of UK financial services regulation to join our Team as the Head of Technology and Operational Resilience Risk.

We have built our bank on a modern, cloud-native platform and this role is crucial in ensuring that as we continue to innovate and grow, our important business services remain resilient to disruption and protect our customers and the integrity of the UK financial system. You will provide independent oversight, expert challenge, and advisory guidance, ensuring our technology and operational resilience capabilities meet and exceed the high standards set by the PRA and FCA, all while integrating seamlessly into the broader operational risk framework.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Leadership & Framework Ownership:

• Lead the continuous development, implementation, and enhancement of Starling's Technology and Operational Resilience Risk Management policies and provide oversight on the development of the underlying processes and controls. 
• Pursue the integration of technology and operational resilience risk into Starling's  risk management framework, ensuring a holistic view of material risks.

2. Independent Challenge & Assurance:

• Provide expert, independent challenge and scrutiny to the 1st Line of Defence's (1LoD) identification, assessment, and management of technology and operational resilience risks.
• Support and oversee the roll out of integrated disaster recovery and  business continuity requirements, including Business impact Assessment, consideration of important business services, impact tolerances and operational dependencies.
• Oversee and challenge the design, scope, and rigour of operational resilience scenario testing programs
• Provide independent 2nd Line oversight and challenge to Starling's technology and operational incident management processes, ensuring comprehensive root cause analysis and effective remediation of control weaknesses.
• Drive a culture of continuous learning from incidents and near misses, ensuring lessons learned are formally captured and embedded into resilience enhancements and the risk framework.
• Monitor technology change deliverables and robustness of deployment processes and controls 
• Conduct targeted deep-dive reviews and thematic risk assessments on Starling's technology infrastructure, availability monitoring and response, incident management and critical asset management

3. Regulatory Compliance and Advice:

• Act as the primary 2nd Line subject matter expert for UK operational resilience regulations and relevant aspects of the new UK Critical Third Parties regime.
• Proactively monitor and interpret evolving UK financial services regulations and industry best practices, translating them into actionable requirements for Starling's risk framework.
• Prepare and present high-quality, independent 2nd Line risk reports to Starling's Operational Risk Committee an Executive/ Board Risk Committee, where required
• Support regulatory engagements related to operational and technology resilience, providing robust challenge and independent oversight of responses and commitments.

• Risk Reporting, Metrics & Insights:

• Define, implement, and independently monitor Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to provide actionable insights into the effectiveness of 1LoD risk management and Starling's overall resilience.

• Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of 2nd Line technology and operational resilience risk professionals, fostering a culture of expertise, collaboration, and critical thinking.
  

Closing date: Wednesday 28th May at 12pm

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in risk management, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.
• Deep knowledge of Technology and resilience risk management practices and regulation.
• Understanding of enterprise wide risk management frameworks
• Proven track record in leading cross-functional risk initiatives and engaging with executive-level stakeholders

• Strong analytical and strategic thinking.
• Positive leadership and people management skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation capabilities
• High integrity, sound judgment, and decision-making capability under pressure
• Relevant certifications or degree in Risk Management are desirable

• 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
• An extra day's holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work and Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships

About Us

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can't accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren't sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway.

We're on a mission to radically reshape banking - and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we're proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.

Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we're proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Starling Bank are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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