Senior Director, Risk Assurance

at  Prudential Plc

Prudential’s purpose is to be partners for every life and protectors for every future. Our purpose encourages everything we do by creating a culture in which diversity is celebrated and inclusion assured, for our people, customers, and partners. We provide a platform for our people to do their best work and make an impact to the business, and we support our people’s career ambitions. We pledge to make Prudential a place where you can Connect, Grow, and Succeed.
The role holder will manage, oversee and enable the performance and delivery of the RCS Assurance team. As part of this, they will be responsible for leading the annual assurance planning process and overseeing its execution, including resource planning and execution. The role holder will ensure that the RCS Assurance team is operating in line with its mandate and that high quality output is being produced for consumption by Prudential Senior Management. As part of this, they will guide, review, and approve work carried out on review assignments to ensure the scope of work is appropriate, controls are correctly identified, assessed and carried out in line with the approved review methodology. The role holder will work closely with the broader Risk, Compliance and Security function and Group-wide Internal Audit (GwIA) to ensure that the annual plan covers the highest risk areas. In addition, it is expected that they will work closely with the local subsidiary teams to define and implement a coordinated planning and delivery approach and to ensure that subsidiary teams are conducting reviews in line with agreed quality standards. They will also provide leadership and act as role model for the review teams across the region and support talent development and retention of staff members.

Job Responsibilities

• Responsible for overseeing the performance of the RCS Assurance team and for enabling the team to perform the work in line with agreed quality standards.
• Provide strong technical and managerial leadership in reviews of insurance and asset/ investment management related processes.
• Drive data analytics efforts on assurance activities.
• Regular engagement with business partners to be aware of key changes and new initiatives.
• Keep abreast of emerging internal and external risk trends as well as industry best practice for areas of coverage that can be applied in recommendations to stakeholders.
• Provide coaching and oversight to team members and proactively identify staff development opportunities to raise the bench strength of the assurance team.

Job Requirements

• At least 15 years of internal audit or second line assurance experience gained at a multi-national Life insurance company, including data driven auditing experience.
• Strong influencing and engagement skills. Needs to be adept at dealing with senior leaders, including C-Suite at Regional/ Group level
• Technical skills in key insurance processes such as Agency Sales, Claims, Underwriting, and Financial Crime (including Fraud).
• Strong understanding of risk management, internal controls, compliance and auditing standards.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to interact effectively with stakeholders at all levels. Proven skill to synthesize complex technical concepts into plain language for non-specialist audiences.
• Analytical mindset, attention to detail, and the ability to think critically and strategically.
• Strong team player who is willing to roll up sleeves to execute.
• Demonstrates personal initiative, strives to innovate and build best practice.
• A continuous learner with a growth mindset who is open-minded and able to adapt to different circumstances.
• An actuarial background and international experience will be considered an advantage.

Prudential is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equality of opportunity of benefits for all who apply and who perform work for our organisation irrespective of sex, race, age, ethnic origin, educational, social and cultural background, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, disability or part-time / fixed-term work, or any other status protected by applicable law. We encourage the same standards from our recruitment and third-party suppliers taking into account the context of grade, job and location. We also allow for reasonable adjustments to support people with individual physical or mental health requirements.

• Responsible for overseeing the performance of the RCS Assurance team and for enabling the team to perform the work in line with agreed quality standards.
• Provide strong technical and managerial leadership in reviews of insurance and asset/ investment management related processes.
• Drive data analytics efforts on assurance activities.
• Regular engagement with business partners to be aware of key changes and new initiatives.
• Keep abreast of emerging internal and external risk trends as well as industry best practice for areas of coverage that can be applied in recommendations to stakeholders.
• Provide coaching and oversight to team members and proactively identify staff development opportunities to raise the bench strength of the assurance team