Controls Assurance Manager COO

At Aberdeen our ambition is to be the UK’s leading Wealth & Investments group. Strengthening talent and culture is one of our strategic priorities. We strive to make Aberdeen a great place to work so that we can attract and retain the industry’s best talent. Our people put our stakeholders at the heart of everything they do by helping us make a positive difference to the lives of our clients, customers, colleagues, shareholders and society. We are focused on growing our direct and advised wealth platforms and repositioning our specialist asset management business to meet client demand. We are committed to providing excellent client service supported by leading technology and talent.

The Technology Controls Assurance team sits within the Chief Operating Office (COO) which was established earlier this year as part of a strategic restructure. The COO function includes procurement change, supplier management and technology controls. The department is central to ensuring our people and data remain safe and is focused on maturing our control testing capabilities and embedding robust assurance practices across the business.

This senior individual contributor role allows you to shape and influence the future of technology controls assurance at Aberdeen. You will work closely with the Head of Governance, Risk & Control and internal stakeholders to develop and implement our ICT Risk Framework. You will be responsible for operating and enhancing control oversight activities, delivering risk‑based reporting and supporting external reviews and regulatory engagements. The role offers the chance to build a strong internal profile acting as a bridge between third‑party testers and internal control owners.

• Lead and coordinate control oversight activities to assess effectiveness against regulatory and policy standards.
• Provide consultancy and expertise to improve control design and operation.
• Deliver insightful risk‑based reporting to senior stakeholders and regulators.
• Support the implementation of ICT risk initiatives to drive continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with internal teams and third‑party providers to ensure control readiness and quality.
• Contribute to the evolution of our testing environment and assurance maturity.

• Strong understanding of IT security and operational resilience in large organisations.
• Proven experience with information security controls and standards (e.g. COBIT, NIST, ISO 27001/2).
• Demonstrable knowledge of enterprise risk management in a technical setting.
• Experience delivering assurance activities including control testing.
• Excellent communication, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and remain calm under pressure.
• Exposure to cloud technologies (Azure preferred).

We are proud to be a Disability Confident committed employer. If you have a disability and would like to apply to one of our UK roles under the Disability Confident Scheme please notify us by completing the relevant section in our candidate questionnaire. One of our team will reach out to support you through your application process.

We believe there’s more to working life than a good salary. We provide a supportive environment where you can learn, get involved and thrive. When you join us your reward package is one of the best around. It includes 40 days annual leave, a 16% employer pension contribution, a discretionary performance‑based bonus (where applicable), private healthcare and a range of flexible benefits including gym discounts, season ticket loans and access to an employee discount portal.

Whatever way you like to work, if you have the talent and commitment to join our team we’d love to hear from you. At Aberdeen we’ve adopted a blended working approach. This approach combines the benefits of face‑to‑face collaboration, coaching and connecting in our offices with the flexibility of working from home. It enables colleagues to find a balance that works for their roles, their teams, our clients and our business.

An inclusive culture where diverse perspectives drive our actions is at the core of who we are and what we do. If you need assistance with your application or a reasonable adjustment to your interview arrangements—for example because you are neurodivergent or have a physical, sensory, cognitive, mental, visible or invisible disability—please let us know and we will be happy to help.

We’re committed to providing an inclusive workplace where all forms of difference are valued and which is free from any form of unfair or unlawful treatment. We define diversity in its broadest sense, including but not limited to our diversity of educational and professional backgrounds, experience, cognitive and neurodiversity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief, ethnicity and geographical provenance. We support a culture that values meritocracy, fairness and transparency and welcomes enquiries from everyone.