Head of Resilience and Ops Control

About this role

Head of Resilience & Operations Controls

Permanent | London (Hybrid)

Build the Future of Operational Resilience

This is a rare opportunity to shape and lead the operational resilience agenda for a leading specialty insurer.

Reporting to the Head of the Office of the COO, you'll be responsible for setting the enterprise operational resilience strategy, embedding governance, and ensuring the organisation is prepared to respond to future regulatory and operational challenges.

This is far more than a compliance role. You'll have the opportunity to build on strong foundations, influence executive decision-making, and continue developing resilience as a strategic capability across the business.

Alongside leading the firm's resilience agenda, you'll also have responsibility for the Operations Risk & Controls function, ensuring robust governance, effective controls and strong first-line risk management.

The Opportunity

You'll be responsible for

• Defining and delivering the firm's Operational Resilience strategy and multi-year roadmap.
• Owning the Business Continuity and Operational Resilience framework across the organisation.
• Building and enhancing governance, reporting and Executive/Board oversight.
• Leading DORA implementation and ensuring ongoing compliance with UK and European regulatory expectations.
• Preparing the organisation for future operational resilience and third-party risk regulations.
• Leading scenario testing, crisis management planning and organisational response capability.
• Providing oversight across Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, Technology Recovery, Cyber Security and Building Recovery to ensure an integrated resilience capability.
• Driving a strong resilience culture across Front Office, Operations, Technology and Corporate Functions.
• Leading the Operations Risk & Controls function, ensuring effective governance across technology, security, architecture and data risks.
• Managing and developing a team of three covering Risk & Controls, Business Continuity and Governance.

About You

We're looking for an experienced Operational Resilience leader who combines deep technical expertise with exceptional stakeholder management.

You'll bring

• Significant Operational Resilience leadership experience within a highly regulated financial services environment.
• Strong experience designing and embedding Operational Resilience frameworks, governance and scenario testing.
• Hands-on knowledge of DORA and wider UK & European operational resilience regulation.
• Experience operating within a first-line Risk & Controls environment.
• Strong understanding of Business Continuity, crisis management and organisational resilience.
• Experience engaging with regulators, with PRA exposure highly desirable.
• Proven people leadership experience, developing high-performing teams.
• The ability to influence senior stakeholders and Executive leadership across the organisation.

Experience within insurance or the Lloyd's market would be advantageous, however we will also consider candidates from banking or broader financial services with strong operational resilience expertise.

Why Join?

This role offers a genuine opportunity to shape the future of operational resilience within an organisation where resilience is recognised as a strategic business capability-not simply a regulatory requirement.

You'll join at a pivotal stage of the firm's resilience journey, with strong executive sponsorship, Board visibility and the opportunity to:

• Shape enterprise resilience strategy from the ground up.
• Continue embedding DORA and prepare the business for future regulatory requirements.
• Build governance and mature resilience capabilities across the organisation.
• Influence culture and drive resilience thinking across every business function.
• Work directly with Executive leadership and the Board on one of the firm's highest strategic priorities.

If you're looking for a role where you can make a lasting impact on organisational resilience while working in a collaborative, forward-thinking financial services organisation, we'd love to hear from you.

About Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry unleashes potential in people, teams, and organizations. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers. To learn more, please visit Korn Ferry at www.Kornferry.com

About risk & resilience roles for ex-police

Risk management, business continuity and emergency-planning roles. Contingency planning, threat assessment and multi-agency coordination experience from policing is directly transferable.