Head of Finance – Chief Control Office

Job Title

Head of Finance – Chief Control Office

Location:

Edinburgh, Bristol & Halifax

Salary: £116,535 - £137,100

Hours:

Full-time

Working pattern:
Hybrid – spend at least two days per week (40%) at one of our office sites.

Job  | Posted 7 days ago.

We’re on an exciting journey to strengthen the way Finance manages risk, ensures control excellence, and delivers trusted outcomes for the Group. Within the Finance Chief Operating Office (FCOO), the Chief Control Office (CCO) plays a critical role, safeguarding Finance through effective risk management, operational resilience, and strong first‑line accountability.

As Head of Finance, you’ll lead, develop, and elevate the control environment for Non‑Financial Risk within Finance, embedding the Group Risk Management framework across several operational risk types including Information & Cyber Security, Supplier Management, Data, People, Model and Operational Resilience. You’ll own the control improvement plan and the resulting risk reduction pathway for these risk types.

• Set the vision and lead the Finance control agenda
  , ensuring risk and control frameworks are robust, well embedded and aligned to the Group’s strategic ambitions.
• Champion a culture of proactive and transparent risk management
  , supporting leaders across Finance to embed strong behaviours, clear ownership and consistent control maturity.
• Strengthen connectivity across Finance, Risk and the wider Group
  , ensuring completeness of risk, issue and assurance activity and representing Finance in key governance forums.
• Drive excellence in regulatory and control delivery
  , overseeing responsibilities across SOX, Open Pages, operational resilience and security risk.
• Lead a high‑performing, expert team
  , providing clear direction, setting expectations and fostering a culture of accountability, learning and continuous improvement.
• Shape and coordinate strategic assurance activity
  , ensuring high quality insights, narratives and materials for senior committees including Audit Committee, regulatory interactions and Group Risk governance.
• Provide authoritative challenge and insight
  , using deep control expertise to guide decision making, strengthen outcomes and anticipate emerging risks.
• Lead the evolution of Finance’s control environment
  , shaping the transition towards more automated, data‑led and technology‑enabled control capabilities, and ensuring Finance is well positioned for future AI‑enabled control developments.
• Role model purpose‑led leadership and personal integrity
  , living the Group’s values and setting clear expectations for behaviour, accountability and decision making across Finance.

• A strong finance background, with significant experience in risk, controls or financial governance.
• Proven experience of leading governance and oversight environments within large, complex organisations, ideally within financial services.
• Strong technical understanding of Sarbanes‑Oxley compliance, Open Pages tooling, operational risk approaches and regulatory expectations.
• A track record of leading large, distributed teams, embedding high performance and successfully driving cultural and capability change.
• Deep experience of influencing at senior level, operating credibly with executives, risk partners, internal and external auditors, and regulators.
• The ability to translate complex risk and control concepts into clear, actionable guidance for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrates curiosity, uses data and insight to inform decisions, and looks ahead to anticipate issues and shape practical solutions.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling narratives and deliver effective, values‑led challenge.

• A professional finance qualification is desirable but not essential.

This role offers outstanding visibility, influence and breadth, shaping the risk management, control and assurance agenda for a critical part of the Group. You’ll work in a dynamic and progressive environment where control maturity evolves, and where your leadership and expertise will make a tangible difference.…