Chief Risk Officer

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty. The opportunity: Oxfam GB is seeking a highly skilled and values-driven Chief Risk Officer (CRO) to join our Strategic Leadership Team and play a critical role in safeguarding and strengthening Oxfam’s global impact. Reporting to the Chief Executive, you will lead our approach to risk, governance, integrity, and assurance, ensuring we meet the highest standards of accountability, ethical conduct, and operational safety. Working across UK and international operations, you will drive a culture grounded in feminist principles, decolonial practice, inclusion, and organisational learning. This is a pivotal leadership role for a strategic, trusted leader able to build resilience, oversee rigorous compliance and assurance systems, and champion integrity across a diverse, global organisation. What you will be doing: Partner with the CEO, Strategic Leadership Team, and Oxfam GB Trustees to shape strategic direction and provide expert risk and assurance advice. Lead safeguarding, integrity, ethics, anti-corruption, and risk & assurance functions across Oxfam GB. Drive a holistic approach to risk management and internal audit across UK retail, UK offices, and international operations. Provide assurance to senior leadership and trustees on governance, compliance, internal controls, and organisational resilience. Strengthen decision-making processes rooted in ethical, feminist, and human-rights principles. Oversee investigations into misconduct, fraud, and safeguarding concerns, ensuring accountability and fairness. Promote a robust speak-up culture and ensure effective whistleblowing processes. Lead Oxfam GB’s approach to reputational risk, working closely with senior leaders and communications teams. Represent Oxfam GB in the Oxfam Confederation and global risk networks, championing shared learning and alignment. Build organisational capability in risk management, embedding decolonial and anti-racist principles in practice. Inspire and develop diverse teams to deliver excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement. About you: We’re looking for an inspiring and collaborative leader with experience of delivering complex transformation in large, purpose-driven organisations. You’ll bring: A strong track record leading risk, compliance, assurance, or governance functions. Experience advising Boards and senior leadership on complex ethical and operational issues. Expertise in managing investigations (fraud, safeguarding, or misconduct) and internal audit processes. Proven ability to operate effectively in high-pressure environments and respond quickly to emerging risks. Strong analytical thinking, with the ability to turn complexity into clarity and action. Outstanding communication, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills. Experience working across global or multi-country environments. Commitment to feminist leadership, decolonial approaches, anti-racism, and Oxfam’s values of Inclusion, Accountability, and Empowerment. Desirable: Professional qualification in law, audit, compliance, or risk. Senior leadership experience in the international NGO sector or similarly complex organisation. Experience working within donor-funded or highly regulated environments How to apply: We are partnering with Strategic Dimensions for this recruitment. As part of your online application, please email your up-to-date CV to our recruitment partner, Natalie Hannabuss, at Strategic Dimensions: We want to ensure that you are comfortable and can demonstrate you full potential for this role, across all stages of the recruitment process. If you would like to talk to us about the role or feel there are adjustments that would help you succeed in the process, we would encourage you to get in touch for an informal chat. All offers of employment are subject to the successful completion of a 5-year history reference check and appropriate screening, including DBS and Right To Work checks. Closing date for applications is 21 November 2025 We offer: We offer a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits to staff including flexible working options, generous pension scheme, annual leave, additional leave allowances, company sick pay, life assurance and a range of other benefits. From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more. You can read more about all Oxfam has to offer here. Flexfam: We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you. Our values and commitment to safeguarding Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us. The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures. We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply. About us Oxfam GB is a member of an international confederation of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities across more than 90 countries. These organisations act together as partners with these communities, to fight inequality and poverty through tackling extreme vulnerability in crises, calling for climate justice and valuing all women’s work. Oxfam believes that when people come together, they can create real change. Whether it’s through signing a petition, volunteering in one of their shops, or donating what they can, when we act together, we can create a more equal world in which there is no them, just us. Open for business since 1948, Oxfam shops raise vital funds to support Oxfam’s work with partner organisations. Over 20,000 volunteers work in over 500 shops at the heart of their communities to raise as much money as possible to support our work on poverty and inequality. A thriving diverse Oxfam: It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today. To do that: We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors. We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring. We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.