Head of Risk
SKILLS
FULL DESCRIPTION
Head of Risk
[Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] is a leading commercial law firm. We are looking for a highly experienced risk & compliance professional to join our growing Risk & Best Practice team as Head of Risk. This is a senior leadership role based in Birmingham, Bristol, or Leeds with hybrid working.
About the Role
As Head of Risk, you will work closely with the Director of Risk to lead and deliver a first-class risk and regulatory service to the firm. You will be responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the Risk & Best Practice sub-teams/functions.
Main Responsibilities
- Leadership and Governance: Oversight of the Risk & Best Practice function, deputising for the Director of Risk, and supporting Board reporting.
- Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management: Ensuring compliance with SRA Standards, AML/CTF, data protection, bribery, and other legal frameworks. Managing the Enterprise Risk Register and incidents.
- Specialist Oversight: AML/CTF, data protection governance, information security (ISO 27001, ISO 22301), quality and environmental management (ISO 9001, ISO 14001), and internal audit.
- Insurance, Claims and Complaints: Professional indemnity insurance renewal, claims handling, and complaints administration.
- Advice and Client Support: Senior legal and regulatory advice on ethical issues, client contracts, tenders, and client audits.
- Training, Reporting and Continuous Improvement: Designing and delivering risk and compliance training, monitoring KPIs, driving process improvements.
- People, Operations and Budget Management: Managing team performance, capacity, recruitment, and budgets.
What We Are Looking For
- Experience as a risk lawyer or senior risk & compliance professional within law firms.
- Experience leading and mentoring a team.
- Familiarity with ISO 27001, 9001, 22301 and running ISO-compliant management systems.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to provide pragmatic advice.
- Careful, methodical approach with strong attention to detail.
- Calm under pressure, experienced in advising partners and senior managers.
- Collegiate, collaborative approach and ambassador for best practice.
- Ability to focus on strategic objectives while maintaining operational oversight.
Working at [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]
We operate a hybrid working model. Core hours are 9am-5:15pm Monday to Friday, with flexibility. Benefits include 25 days holiday (option to buy up to 5 more), discretionary bonus, generous pension, private medical insurance, life assurance, and more. We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. If you need adjustments, email [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal].