Investec – Where Out of the Ordinary Happens

Who are we?
Investec is a distinctive financial services group serving clients principally in the UK and South Africa. Our culture gives us our edge: we work hard to find colleagues that bring out of the ordinary thinking, and we put them in environments where they'll flourish. We combine an accessible structure with a focus on internal mobility. The role demands an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to learn and collaborate to help the business grow and to drive profitability; to deliver a commercial impact for the business.

Role Profile

Description of Role and Key Responsibilities:

Overview:

This is a senior second-line risk role responsible for shaping and enhancing the operational risk framework across IBCI. The successful candidate will partner with business leaders, influence strategic decision-making, oversee risk governance and provide independent challenge across operational resilience, change initiatives, regulatory obligations and emerging risks.

The IBCI Operational Risk Team are responsible for the following areas:

Operational Risk Management, Leadership and Oversight

•    Act as a senior second-line risk partner to the business, providing independent oversight, challenge and guidance on operational risk matters across IBCI.
•    Lead the ongoing development, enhancement and implementation of the IBCI Operational Risk Framework, ensuring alignment with Investec Bank Plc policies, standards and regulatory expectations.
•    Oversee the identification, assessment, monitoring and reporting of material operational risks, ensuring emerging risks and significant exposures are escalated appropriately to the IBCI Board, Leadership Team, Risk Review Forum and Investec Bank Plc Operational Risk.
•    Monitor IBCI's operational risk profile against approved risk appetite and tolerance levels, providing insight, challenge and recommendations to support informed decision-making.
•    Provide effective challenge and oversight of Risk and Control Self-Assessments (RCSAs), ensuring material risks, control weaknesses and remediation actions are appropriately identified and managed.
•    Partner with business, support and control functions to strengthen the effectiveness of operational risk management practices and promote consistent application of the risk framework.
•    Maintain strong working relationships with Internal Audit, Compliance, Information Security, Operational Resilience, Business Continuity and other assurance functions to ensure coordinated management of operational risks.
•    Represent IBCI at Investec Group operational risk forums and act as the primary liaison between IBCI and Investec Bank Plc Operational Risk.
•    Provide independent risk oversight and challenge across strategic change initiatives, transformation programmes, technology implementations, outsourcing arrangements and new product approvals, ensuring operational risks are identified, assessed and appropriately mitigated.
•    Support the ongoing development and enhancement of IBCI's operational resilience capabilities, including oversight of key operational resilience risks, vulnerabilities and remediation activities.
•    Oversee the management of operational risk events, ensuring root cause analysis is performed, lessons learned are identified and sustainable corrective actions are implemented.
•    Monitor the timely resolution of audit findings, risk actions and control deficiencies, providing challenge and escalation where required.

Risk Reporting & Governance

•    Produce high-quality operational risk reporting and management information for senior management, governance forums and Board committees, providing clear insights into the operational risk profile and emerging risk themes.
•    Oversee the identification, collection, analysis and reporting of Key Risk Indicators (KRIs), ensuring meaningful monitoring against risk appetite and tolerance thresholds.
•    Support the planning, delivery and ongoing effectiveness of the Operational Risk Committee and other relevant governance forums.
•    Provide management with timely analysis of operational risk trends, control effectiveness and areas requiring management attention or intervention.

Risk Culture & Awareness

•    Champion a strong risk culture across IBCI, promoting accountability, proactive risk management and effective decision-making.
•    Develop and deliver operational risk, fraud and risk awareness initiatives to enhance employee understanding of risk management responsibilities.
•    Maintain an up-to-date understanding of relevant regulatory developments, industry best practice and emerging operational risk trends, ensuring these are appropriately reflected within IBCI's risk management approach.

Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) System Management

•    Oversee the effective operation and integrity of the Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) system as the central repository for operational risk information.
•    Ensure operational risks, controls, risk events, issues, actions and treatments are accurately captured, maintained and governed within the system.
•    Facilitate risk identification and assessment activities with business stakeholders, ensuring appropriate ownership, approval and accountability for risk management activities.
•    Ensure clear ownership and accountability are assigned for all identified risks, controls and remediation activities.
•    Monitor the quality, completeness and accuracy of risk data within the GRC platform to support effective reporting, governance and decision-making.
•    Oversee the capture, investigation and analysis of operational risk events, ensuring timely remediation and appropriate escalation of significant issues.
•    Ensure operational risk losses and events recorded within the GRC system are appropriately reconciled and validated against financial records.
•    Track and challenge the timely completion of agreed remediation actions and treatment plans to ensure sustainable risk reduction.
•    Ensure Investec Bank Plc Operational Risk policies are reviewed, assessed and presented to the appropriate IBCI governance forums within required timeframes, incorporating local regulatory requirements and business-specific considerations where necessary.
•    Provide guidance and challenge to business stakeholders to ensure policy requirements are understood, implemented and embedded effectively across IBCI.

Core Skills and Knowledge:

Experience & Qualifications

Essential

•    Significant experience in Operational Risk, Internal Audit, External Audit, Risk Management or a related control function within banking, wealth management or financial services.
•    Proven experience operating within a regulated financial services environment and engaging with senior management, governance forums and control functions.
•    Demonstrable experience of developing, implementing and enhancing operational risk frameworks, policies and risk management practices.
•    Experience in facilitating and challenging risk assessments, control evaluations, incident management and remediation activities.
•    Experience supporting regulatory engagement, internal and external audits, and governance committee reporting.
•    Strong understanding of operational risk management principles, methodologies and industry best practices.

Desirable

•    Relevant professional qualification such as ACA, ACCA, CIA, CISA, IRM, ICA or equivalent.
•    Experience supporting major business, technology or regulatory change programmes, with responsibility for operational risk oversight and challenge.
•    Knowledge of operational resilience, outsourcing risk, third-party risk management, information security and business continuity management.

Knowledge

•    Strong understanding of operational risk management frameworks, governance structures and regulatory expectations within financial services.
•    Broad understanding of banking, wealth management and financial services products, processes and operating models.
•    Good understanding of risk and control assessment methodologies, key risk indicators, incident management and risk reporting.
•    Knowledge of current regulatory developments, emerging risks and industry best practices relating to operational risk and operational resilience.
•    Understanding of governance, risk and compliance (GRC) systems and their application in supporting effective risk management.
•    Appreciation of the commercial environment and the balance between risk management, customer outcomes and business objectives.

Skills & Personal Attributes

•    Ability to influence, challenge and build credibility with senior stakeholders across business, support and control functions.
•    Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to convey complex risk matters clearly and effectively to a range of audiences, including Executive Committees and Boards.
•    Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to identify key risk themes, emerging issues and practical solutions.
•    Strong judgement and decision-making skills, with a pragmatic and commercially focused approach to risk management.
•    Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes in a dynamic and evolving environment.
•    Strong planning, organisational and execution skills, with a focus on delivering results and driving accountability.
•    Excellent stakeholder management skills, including the ability to navigate differing viewpoints and achieve constructive outcomes.
•    Strong attention to detail while maintaining an appropriate strategic and enterprise-wide perspective.
•    High levels of professionalism, integrity and personal accountability.
•    Self-motivated and proactive, with the ability to work independently whilst contributing effectively as part of a wider team.
•    Effective presentation and facilitation skills, including the ability to lead workshops, challenge discussions and governance forums.
•    A commitment to continuous learning and professional development.
•    Demonstrates sound judgement, acts with integrity at all times and champions fair customer outcomes and good conduct.

Embedded in our culture is a sense of belonging and inclusion. At Investec we want everyone to find it easy to be themselves, and to feel they belong. It's a responsibility we all share and is integral to our purpose and values as an organisation. We believe that innovation thrives when everyone feels respected, included, and empowered to contribute.

We actively seek out diverse talent and foster an inclusive environment, encouraging applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences. Here, you'll find networks, benefits, and development opportunities designed to support your career journey, wherever it may lead.

If this role excites you but you don't meet every requirement, we'd still love to hear from you. Your unique perspective and experience could be exactly what we are looking for.  Get in touch!

At Investec, we're deeply invested in our clients, our colleagues, and our communities. It's more than a mindset; it's how we show up every day.

Be part of something Out of the Ordinary.

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