Head of Risk and Assurance

Wates Property Services (WPS) is entering an exciting phase of growth and transformation, operating as a standalone business unit within the Wates Group. As the organisation continues to scale in both size and complexity, there is a critical need to strengthen and mature our risk and assurance capability.

We are now seeking a Head of Risk and Assurance to lead this evolution on a 12 month maternity cover (with the potential to extend).

This is a high-impact, senior role where you'll work closely with the WPS Board (MD, FD, CD) and Group stakeholders to develop and embed a robust risk and assurance framework, ensuring the business has clear visibility of risk exposure and operates within agreed risk appetite.

You'll play a key role in shaping how risk is understood, managed, and reported driving improved governance, supporting strategic decision-making, and embedding a strong risk culture across the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop & embed the risk framework
  Work in partnership with the Commercial Director, Finance Director and Group Risk to design and implement a comprehensive risk management and assurance framework, including key risk indicators and reporting.
• Risk identification, monitoring & mitigation
  Lead the identification of emerging risks, legislative changes and business-critical exposures, ensuring mitigation plans are in place and aligned to risk appetite.
• Risk registers & enterprise view
  Own and maintain business-wide risk registers, consolidating project risks into a single, clear organisational view and supporting risk owners across WPS.
• Governance & assurance
  Design and embed governance structures and assurance processes aligned to regulatory requirements, ISO standards and industry best practice.
• Board & committee reporting
  Prepare insightful reports, dashboards and risk analysis to support the Risk Committee, Group Head of Assurance and senior leadership decision-making.
• Stakeholder engagement
  Build strong relationships across WPS and the wider Group to drive consistency, transparency and best practice in risk management.
• Culture & capability building
  Champion a proactive risk culture, ensuring teams understand their responsibilities and feel empowered to identify and manage risk effectively.

What We're Looking For

Experience

• 12+ years proven experience in risk management within a corporate or complex operational environment
• Demonstatable experience advising senior leadership and Board-level stakeholders
• Experience operating at enterprise or divisional level
• Exposure to construction, maintenance or infrastructure sectors desirable

Qualifications

• Professional qualification such as ICAEW / ICAS / ACCA / CIMA or IRM (Institute of Risk Management)

Skills

• Strong stakeholder management and influencing capability
• Excellent analytical skills with experience using risk tools and methodologies
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships across teams
• Commercial awareness and strategic thinking
• Ability to translate complex risk concepts into clear, actionable insight

Why Join WPS?

This is a unique opportunity to shape and lead the risk agenda within a growing and evolving business. You'll have real influence at Board level, the ability to build frameworks from the ground up, and the chance to leave a lasting legacy across WPS.

Given the nature of this position, you will need to undergo a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) at offer stage. Applicants with criminal convictions will be assessed individually, and we assure you that we do not discriminate based on an applicant's criminal record or the details of any disclosed offenses. Additionally, certain roles may be subject to additional pre-employment checks. 

To learn more about the checks included in this process, please click on the following link: National Security Vetting