Colleague Assurance Manager

Location: Leicester or Bexhill (hybrid)

Role Overview: As our Colleague Assurance Manager, you'll be leading our Hastings Colleague Assurance capability, providing clear assurance leadership and credible challenge that gives the business confidence in colleague assessment standards, customer outcomes and emerging risk visibility. You'll lead the Colleague Assurance team and own the effective operation of colleague assurance governance and controls across customer-facing operations. You'll also be setting assurance priorities, shaping how colleague assurance is targeted and governed as we reshape our Quality Assurance model and make risk-based prioritisation decisions that move the function from activity-based checking to outcome-focused assurance.

Job Details – you need to have demonstrable experience in:

• Leading Colleague Assurance Strategy and Delivery – setting the direction for colleague assurance across customer-facing operations, ensuring assessments are fair, evidence-based, risk-led and aligned to our QA framework.
• Driving Assurance Confidence and Risk Management – owning assurance confidence through quality standards, consistency, governance and risk escalation, providing reliable assurance that colleague assessment activity meets framework requirements.
• Developing Assurance Capability and Standards – leading accreditation, calibration and capability development to ensure consistent interpretation of QA standards, strong professional judgement and effective quality governance.
• Leading and Inspiring the Assurance Team – building and developing a high-performing Colleague Assurance team, making risk-based prioritisation and resource decisions while fostering accountability, challenge and continuous improvement.
• Embedding Data-Led and Outcome-Focused Assurance – driving the shift from volume-based checking to targeted, analytics-led, end-to-end customer journey assurance, focusing effort on the areas of greatest customer, conduct and operational risk.
• Influencing Quality Improvement and Senior Decision Making – acting as the lead for the Colleague Assurance pillar, providing insight, assurance expertise and constructive challenge to influence governance outcomes, operational improvements and senior stakeholder decisions.

Essential Skills/Experience:

• Strong quality assurance leadership experience, including managing assurance activity within insurance, financial services or other regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge of FCA regulation, Consumer Duty and customer outcome-focused assurance with a clear understanding of QA frameworks, governance and assurance methodologies.
• Proven leadership capability, with experience of developing high-performing teams through coaching, calibration, accreditation and quality governance.
• Strong analytical and risk-based decision making skills, using data and insight to identify risks, prioritise assurance activity and drive improvements.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience presenting assurance insight and providing constructive challenge to senior leaders.
• Resilient and adaptable change leader, able to collaborate across multiple functions and drive continuous improvement in quality, assurance effectiveness and customer outcomes.

The Interview Process:

• Recruiter intro/screening call
• 1st stage interview with hiring leader
• 2nd interview with hiring leaders leader

Disability Confident employer – we welcome applications through the Disability Confident Scheme and support reasonable adjustments throughout recruitment.

Sponsorship: Regrettably we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Benefits: In addition to a competitive salary and £5k car allowance you will also receive the following:

• Flexible working – we champion a flexible hybrid working approach; please speak to your recruiter to discuss in more detail.
• Competitive bonus scheme – all colleagues are eligible for our annual 4Cs performance bonus.
• Physical wellbeing – as a Band 4 colleague, Hastings pays for you to receive private medical insurance (PMI), giving you flexibility and convenience to see a specialist or consultant.
• Financial wellbeing – 4× your salary with our life assurance cover, income protection at no extra cost, matched pension contributions up to 10%, and an award-winning package which includes discounts, cashback, free independent mortgage advice and free access to financial wellbeing support.
• Mental wellbeing programme – thrive mental health app, colleague assistance programme available 24/7, in-house mental health first aiders, support groups and a dedicated team to cover your needs.
• Additional perks – 27 days annual leave + bank holidays, option to buy or sell a week, health care cash back plans, dental plans, discounted health assessments, cycle-to-work and tech schemes, discounted and free onsite facilities, social events throughout the year and more.

EEO Statement: Hastings Group is an equal opportunities employer which means we treat people fairly. We welcome applications from all suitably skilled persons regardless of their gender, age, race, disability, ethnic background, religion/belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or marital/family status. Please also note that we have a thorough referencing process, which includes credit and criminal record checks.