Head of Risk and Compliance

Head of Risk & Compliance – London or Cheltenham
About Finova
Finova is the UK's largest mortgage and savings technology provider, powering one in every five mortgages across the country. Our agile, cloud-native solutions help over 60 banks, building societies, specialist lenders and equity release providers — plus a network of 2,400+ brokers — stay ahead of the market.

We offer a flexible, proven suite of software that covers the full customer journey — from mortgage and savings origination to servicing and CRM. Backed by an open architecture and a team with deep industry expertise, our platform is built to scale. Today, we process over £50 billion in loans each year, manage nearly £50 billion in savings, and support the digital servicing of more than 650,000 UK borrower accounts.

For Lenders
Finova offers a flexible, modular technology suite designed to help lenders move faster, scale efficiently, and deliver standout digital experiences. You can run your entire mortgage and savings business on Finova — or just use the modules you need, tailored by our team or configured in-house through our low-code platform.

Our Solutions Include

• Lending – end-to-end mortgage and specialist lending software built for speed, flexibility, and scale.
• Decisioning – powerful tools for smarter, more personalised lending decisions.
• Servicing – intuitive workflows and automation to simplify day-to-day account management and customer servicing.
• Savings – configurable onboarding and customer engagement tools across all savings products.
• Intermediary Manager – broker relationship and compliance management, powered by real-time external data.
• Broker ID – fast, automated broker verification and compliance tracking using KYB, KYC, and live monitoring from public data sources.

Lenders use Finova to launch products faster, process applications up to 50% more efficiently, and reduce operational costs — all while staying fully compliant in a fast-moving market.

About The Role
Finova is seeking a strategic and hands-on Head of Risk and Compliance to lead the development and execution of our enterprise risk management and compliance frameworks. This role will ensure regulatory alignment, embed a strong risk culture, and provide assurance to the Board and senior leadership. The successful candidate will bring regulatory knowledge, operational pragmatism and the ability to influence at all levels.

This is a hybrid role based in Finova's London or Cheltenham office at least 3 days per week, with occasional travel to other sites.

What will you be doing?
Leadership & Oversight

• Lead the Risk and Compliance function, managing a small team and external advisors.
• Act as the primary point of contact for regulatory bodies, internal audit, and external assurance providers.
• Provide regular reporting to the Board, Audit & Risk Committee, and Executive Team.

Risk Management

• Own and evolve the enterprise risk management framework, including risk appetite, registers, and controls.
• Oversee operational, third-party, and technology risk assessments.
• Lead scenario planning, stress testing, and business continuity risk reviews.
• Demonstrate strong knowledge of audit and risk methodologies, including the ability to interpret findings and implement corrective actions.

Compliance & Regulatory Affairs

• Ensure compliance with FCA, PRA, and other applicable regulatory requirements.
• Maintain and update policies and procedures in line with regulatory changes.
• Oversee compliance, conduct risk, and regulatory training programmes.

Culture & Engagement

• Champion a proactive risk and compliance culture across the business.
• Partner with business units to embed risk ownership and accountability.
• Deliver training and awareness initiatives to improve risk literacy.

Strategic Projects

• Support strategic initiatives such as new product launches, acquisitions, and regulatory change programmes.
• Provide risk and compliance input into transformation and technology projects.
• Identify and implement opportunities for automation in risk and compliance processes, including reporting, monitoring, and controls testing.

About You

• Proven experience in a senior risk and/or compliance role within financial services.
• Some awareness of UK regulatory frameworks (FCA, PRA, SMCR).
• Demonstrable knowledge of audit and risk practices, with experience managing internal and external audits.
• Evidence of implementing automation or digital tooling to enhance compliance and risk oversight.
• Experience engaging with Boards and senior stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, influencing and leadership skills.
• Relevant qualifications (e.g. ICA, IRM, legal or audit background) are desirable.

What We Offer
Flexible Working: 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, bank holiday trading and holiday purchase options, the opportunity to work from anywhere in the world for up to 4 weeks per year, and a flexible hybrid working policy.

Looking After You: Life Assurance, Group Income Protection, Private Medical Insurance, a pension scheme via Salary Exchange, an Employee Assistance Programme, and access to a Virtual GP.

Family-Friendly Policies: Enhanced maternity and paternity pay, as well as paid time off for fertility treatments and pregnancy loss.

Extra Perks: Cycle to Work Scheme, discounts on shops, restaurants, and gym memberships, free fresh fruit daily, and opportunities to join colleague networks and social groups.

Giving Back: One paid volunteering day annually and the Give-As-You-Earn scheme to support your favourite charities.

Equal Opportunity Statement
We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. If you're passionate about this role but don't meet all the criteria, please reach out—we'd love to discuss how your skills and experiences align with our needs.