Senior Internal Controls Manager

Summary

Join AJ Bell as their Internal Control Senior Manager, a newly created role reporting to the Head of Internal Control. This integral position will contribute to shaping and validating the Group’s financial, operational, and compliance control environment. You will collaborate with senior members across various departments, including Operations, Product owners, Technology Services, and Risk and Compliance. The role involves establishing the Internal Control team, developing a control testing program, reviewing business processes, and identifying automation opportunities. You will also provide support, advice, and education to the business on internal controls and corporate governance. This position offers excellent exposure and opportunities for professional growth within a FTSE 250 company.

Requirements

• Experience in a similar risk, internal control or audit role, ideally within a regulated industry
• Strong project and task management skills
• Excellent communicator who can produce meaningful insights that can help the business better manage their risk and control environment
• Ability to utilise and identify data sets that can build risk and control indicators
• A critical thinker who seeks to understand the business, its processes, risks and control environment
• Ability to formulate proposals and make solid recommendations to risk and control owners to address weaknesses in the control environment
• Able to build and maintain positive relationships at all levels
• Excellent problem solving and decision-making skills with the ability to compile, evaluate and present data for decision making
• High levels of organisation and attention to detail

Responsibilities

• Support the establishment of the Internal Control team and help determine and implement the future operating model
• Develop the Internal Control Project’s governance, communications and status reporting to management
• Support the development and ongoing monitoring of the Group’s control framework across finance and operational business areas, where appropriate developing and implementing risk and control indicators
• Support the development and delivery of a control testing programme for the Group’s financial, reporting, operational and compliance controls
• Lead the end-to-end review of business processes and the creation/review of detailed process maps and where controls are identified or not thought to be fit for purpose work with the business to strengthen or redesign the control
• Identify processes and controls that have the potential for automation, working with the business and SMEs to drive efficiency, risk reduction and the strengthening of controls
• Lead Design Effectiveness reviews of the control framework, directing junior members of the team and working with the business and SMEs to resolve control design failures
• Review testing outcomes and recommend improvements to address root-causes of control deficiencies and advise the business, including senior management, in internal control / operational best practices
• Develop clear concise reporting to articulate findings and impact to senior management and Board committees
• Develop a clear and insightful suite of reporting that can be utilised by management across the business to inform them on the performance of internal controls, utilising this data to drive conversations relating to the assessment of associated risk
• Provide support, advice and education to the business on the importance of maintaining a robust control environment and enable them to own the controls and contribute to the development of management self assessing their controls
• Provide support, advice and education to the business on the impact of new UK Corporate Governance Code requirements
• Providing ongoing coaching and support to junior team members
• Support and where required lead discussions with key internal and external stakeholders
• Deputise where required for the Head of Internal Control

Preferred Qualifications

Actively seek to improve other skills and talents by providing constructive feedback, coaching, mentoring and training opportunities

Benefits

• Starting salary £80,000 (DOE)
• Starting holiday entitlement of 27, increasing up to 31 days with length of service and a holiday buy and sell scheme
• A choice of pension schemes with matched contributions up to 8%
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Annual free share awards scheme
• Buy As You Earn (BAYE) Scheme
• Health Cash Plan – provided by SimplyHealth
• Discounted private healthcare scheme and dental plan
• Free onsite gym
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Bike loan scheme
• Sick pay+ pledge
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
• Loans for travel season tickets
• Death in service scheme
• Paid time off for volunteer work
• Charitable giving opportunities through salary sacrifice
• Calendar of social events, including monthly payday drinks, annual Christmas party, summer party and much more
• Parking at Exchange Quay (Subject to availability)
• Personal development programmes built around you and your career goals, including access to personal skills workshops
• Ongoing technical training
• Professional qualification support
• Talent development programmes
• Peer recognition scheme, with rewards including restaurant and shopping vouchers or time off
• Monthly leadership breakfasts and lunches
• Casual dress code
• Access to a range of benefits from our sponsorship deals
• Hybrid working: At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That's why we offer a hybrid working model, where you’ll spend a minimum of 50% of your working time per month in the office. For new team members, an initial period will be full-time in the office to help you immerse yourself in our business and build valuable relationships with your colleagues