Head of Compliance and Assurance

Hello! Thanks for stopping by. Let us tell you about all the great reasons to join us here at Yorkshire Water: 

Salary and benefits:  We are offering a competitive salary, dependent on experience + generous pension + 25 days holiday per annum, plus a wellness day (excluding bank holidays)

Location: Regionally based, flexible hybrid working with a mix of home working and working from one of our regional offices.

Working Hours: 37 hours per week Monday to Friday, expectation to participate in a standby rota

We have an exciting opportunity for a senior leadership role within the Company Secretariat at Yorkshire Water and be a part of helping Yorkshire Water to provide the best service to our customers. Could this be you?

What we do:

Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year, can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it’s so much more than this.

We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire’s water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region’s health, wellbeing, and prosperity. 

New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and our ambition to create a thriving Yorkshire means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. The Company Secretariat forms the governance backbone of our business. Our purpose is unambiguous: to deliver safe, reliable water and wastewater services for customers, protect the environment, and build resilience for future generations. 

Reporting to the Group Company Secretary, the Head of Compliance and Assurance will lead the Compliance and Assurance team within the Company Secretariat to embed a robust compliance culture across Kelda Group. Key responsibilities include:

• Framework & Culture: Oversight of the compliance framework and central support for business-wide Compliance Leads.
• Assurance & Risk: Managing the integrated assurance map, identifying control gaps, and leading material control disclosures for UK Corporate Governance Code (Provision 29).
• Systems Management: Ownership of the Integrated Management System (IMS), including external audit liaison and implementing lessons learned.
• Collaboration: Partnering with Legal, Internal Audit, Risk, Data Protection and Insurance, while engaging with the senior leadership network.

Where you fit in:

As our Head of Compliance and Assurance, you will;

• Lead the Compliance and Assurance function to drive a high-performance culture and ensure robust regulatory alignment for the Kelda Group.
• Direct the Compliance and Assurance team and the wider network of Compliance Leads; provide expert reporting and advice to the Executive, Board, and Audit & Risk Committees.
• Own and develop the internal control framework (aligned with Provision 29), compliance policies, and the Integrated Management System (IMS) to ensure statutory and regulatory confidence.
• Manage integrated assurance plans and the Performance Excellence process to provide senior leadership with transparent, validated compliance data and gap analysis.
• Drive a compliance-centric culture across departmental strategies through coaching, cross-team collaboration, and external industry networking.
• Uphold excellence in health and safety, risk management, and YW Safety Policy compliance.
• Take personal responsibility for self and others with respect to health and safety, risk management and control of work to ensure compliance with the YW Safety Policy
• Accountable for adherence to Company standards, policy and procedure to ensure regulatory and legal compliance and maintenance of ISO accreditation.
• Strictly adhere to all life-saving rules and safe-working procedures, ensuring only approved equipment is used for every task. Actively identify and report hazards, maintaining a safe working environment by stopping any activity that poses a risk to health or safety.

What skills & qualifications you will need:

• Qualified or significant experience in building and maintaining successful compliance frameworks, with proven record of driving improved compliance culture.
• Highest standards of integrity and ethics.
• A pragmatic, approachable style that encourages people to engage and be open.
• Exceptional communication skills, both oral and written, including the ability to write succinct but informative reports.
• Ability to develop, maintain and leverage value from an extensive internal and external network.
• Excellent people management and motivational leadership.
• Ability to constructively challenge management at all levels and provide an independent opinion to Board members.
• Ability to juggle priorities to meet strict deadlines, with high motivation and results orientation.

You would also benefit from having:

• Experience of driving sustainable performance against challenging business targets.
• Awareness of working in a customer service industry.
• Experience of identifying and analysing compliance behaviours.
• Experience of programme and project management.

Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it’s important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or getting that ideal work/life balance isn’t always easy! 

Do we sound like your cup of tea?   

If you have senior-level experience in Compliance and Assurance and want to help us deliver outstanding service for our customers while protecting the environment, we encourage you to apply today and discover what a career with Yorkshire Water can offer.

If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third-Party Company, prior to commencing employment. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance.

All our roles are subject to a medical questionnaire, and further medicals when required.

We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that requires changes to the recruitment process, please include this information in your application. We will then discuss any reasonable adjustments required.

Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

No agencies please