Assistant First Line Assurance Manager in Leeds

Permanent: 37.5 hours per week. Full time (we welcome flexible working discussions). Leeds 3 days office.

An opportunity to make a difference. At Border to Coast, our purpose is to make a difference and we are looking for a keen and experienced first line assurance specialist to join our award-winning team. As a customer-owned and customer-focused organisation, integrity is one of our values, as is our collaborative and sustainable approach. Our focus is to secure the pensions of over a million people who have provided valuable service to their communities and society.

We are recruiting for this role to support the First Line Assurance Senior Manager in strengthening our first line assurance capability. You will help provide the business with clear and reliable guidance on risk and control assurance, as well as incident management, as the organisation continues to grow and evolve.

The role - what you’ll be doing:

• Partnering with business teams to identify, assess, and manage risks and controls in line with our Risk Management Framework.
• Supporting incident management, ensuring incidents are recorded and managed promptly, including tracking actions, conducting root cause analysis, and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Coordinating assurance testing and providing challenge on internal controls to help maintain a strong and effective control environment.
• Planning and coordinating the annual AAF 01/20 control assurance programme, working closely with stakeholders across the business.
• Acting as a key point of contact for Internal and External Auditors, helping coordinate and track requests and actions, and ensuring smooth and professional engagement.
• Supporting first line risk, control and incident reporting activities, including preparing materials for senior leadership and Executive committees.
• Supporting the development and enhancement of the Risk Management Framework and supporting systems, including user testing, feedback, and training.
• Promoting a positive risk and control culture, helping colleagues understand their responsibilities and the value of strong risk management.

About you - and the value you’ll bring to our team:

• Experience in a first line risk and control role within financial services, or similar regulated environment.
• High levels of integrity, professionalism and trustworthiness.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively across all three lines of defence.
• Effective planning, organising, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong critical thinking abilities, with the capability to assess information, scenarios, and data to identify improvements and recommend actions.
• Familiarity with Governance, Risk and Compliance/Control (GRC) systems.
• A collaborative approach and a commitment to continuous improvement.
• A proactive mindset and willingness to continually develop your technical knowledge and skills.

If you’re driven to make a real impact on how we deliver risk and control assurance in a collaborative environment, we’d love to hear from you.

Why join Border to Coast?

• Competitive remuneration and access to excellent benefits.
• Vitality Health Insurance for all employees.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• A generous holiday allowance of 30 days a year, plus bank holidays.
• Professional Development including the opportunity to gain fully funded qualifications (e.g. IMC).
• Critical Illness Cover.
• Pension scheme.
• Stunning Leeds city centre location only a short walk to the train station.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Life Assurance of 6 times of salary.
• Sustainable travel plans.
• Range of discounts for Leeds gyms, shops and restaurants.
• Hybrid working.
• Onsite gym.

We welcome applications from people of all experience levels and backgrounds and value diversity of thought. We are committed to creating an inclusive and engaging workplace, ensuring that colleagues maintain a work-life balance. We encourage colleagues to progress, be themselves and be their best through both personal and professional development.

If you have a disability, or if you have a condition that you believe may affect your performance during our selection process, we would be happy to discuss making reasonable adjustments to our processes for you.

We’re looking for people with the right values, behaviours, skills and experiences and if you meet some of the role’s criteria and are interested in finding out more about Border to Coast and the team, we’d love to hear from you.

About Us: Based in Leeds, Border to Coast is the largest LGPS (Local Government Pension Scheme) pool in the UK. It is owned by 11 Local Government Pension Schemes funds (Partner Funds). The Partner Funds represent nearly 3,000 employers and over 1.1 million members. The Partner Funds have c.£65.3bn in investments, of which Border to Coast is directly responsible for the management or oversight of £55.4bn (as of 31 March 2025).