Risk & Insurance Manager in Stevenage

Starting Salary: £61,443 progressing to £68,775 per annum

Hours: 37 per week

Location: Stevenage with hybrid working opportunities

Contract Type: Permanent

Directorate: Resources

About The Team

The combined Risk and Insurance Team at Hertfordshire County Council have cultivated a leading reputation in terms of risk management and insurance arrangements – ensuring delivery of a high-quality service to the County Council. The team deliver a full range of risk and insurance-related services, working to a jointly developed and shared vision, and linking closely with internal audit, counter fraud and health and safety.

The Risk Management Team support the risk management framework, strategy and policy, while the Insurance team is responsible for arranging and advising on the County Council's external insurance arrangements, advising on the scope, extent and terms of insurance required, managing the Insurance Fund, ensuring timely settlement of claims and maintaining relationships with insurance companies, brokers and solicitors.

About The Role

The post holder will:

• Ensure that the Council’s risk management and insurance strategies are complementary and support the Authority’s policies, aims and objectives, and governance arrangements
• Manage the Risk and Insurance team along business principles, delivering lean and efficient arrangements and a modern, commercial focus
• Act as budget holder for the service
• Oversee the full portfolio of the Council’s insurance programme, including property, liability, motor, and specialty lines
• Lead policy renewals, procurement, negotiate terms, and manage brokers and insurers to secure competitive coverage
• Provide expert advice on the scope and coverage provided under the Council’s insurance arrangements to service managers, schools and the council’s subsidiaries
• Take forward the Council’s insurance strategy ensuring an optimal balance between external insurance and self-insurance, and that appropriate and robust arrangements are in place for the handling of insurance claims and the calculation and maintenance of the insurance reserve
• Oversee the claims process (including liability claims), ensuring timely responses, accurate documentation, and clear communication with claimants, insurers, and legal partners
• Oversee systems and processes for sharing intelligence and information about the authority’s risk profile, risk appetite, insurance claims incidents, risk prevention and emerging risks, helping the authority understand which risks to take, avoid and manage
• Report on risk management and insurance activity to appropriate stakeholders such as the Audit Committee, Strategic Management Board and Directorate Boards, using this as a means of monitoring progress on risks, communicating the authority’s risk appetite, highlighting emerging risks, and mitigating actions required
• Ensure there is appropriate guidance, advice, resources, training and support for risk management and insurance for both officers and Members
• Work pro-actively with partners to promote effective risk management and insurance arrangements, leading work to extend collaboration with District Councils and creating and taking up opportunities to provide risk management and insurance services externally
• Lead and motivate the Risk and Insurance Team, encouraging them to deliver excellence
• Work closely with the teams in Assurance Services to contribute to the effective governance of the organisation identifying joint approaches to service delivery where appropriate
• Support the transition of insurance arrangements as part of Local Government Reorganisation in conjunction with colleagues in Hertfordshire’s districts and boroughs

Essential About you

• Experience in leading and managing risk management and insurance, including delivering results
• Educated to degree level or equivalent with ACII or relevant professional qualification
• Demonstrable knowledge of all aspects of risk management and insurance activity
• Able to communicate effectively and convincingly at senior officer and member levels, demonstrating strong influencing and negotiating skills
• Experience in leading a team, motivating and supporting them towards achieving high standards of delivery
• Ability to implement new ways of working and manage change

Desirable

• Experience working in a political environment

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is within the Corporate Services, level CORP14 job profile.

To hear more about this opportunity please contact ChrisP.Wood@hertfordshire.gov.uk, Head of Assurance, for an informal discussion about the role.

Proposed Interview Date: 26th February 2026. Please note this may be subject to change.

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert/job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Disability Confident

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.