Enterprise and Operational Risk Director

Team and role overview

Risk management is critical to every aspect of our businesses at BII. The Risk Department is central to identify, mitigate and ensure management of risk and maintain transparency with all stakeholders. As one its key pillars, the Enterprise and Operational Risk team is responsible for the design and implementation of our strategic and overall operational risk management framework, including: 

• Enterprise risk management including firmwide risk appetite. 
• Providing enterprise-wide risk reporting to the Operations Committee, Risk Committee, Board and Shareholder, enabling these bodies to understand the main risks facing BII and provide oversight on how they are being managed. Providing independent oversight, challenge, and monitoring of operational risks across the organisation.
• Supporting risk owners in the identification of risks and controls, enabling them to make informed decisions about which risks require additional attention, and ultimately resulting in a reduction in the potential impact of risks to BII. 
• Supporting firmwide committees and working groups including the reputational risk committee and the new activity process. 
• Promoting continuous improvement of our risk framework, given external expectations are evolving over time and the scope and ambition of our business activities continues to grow. 

The role of the Enterprise and Operational Risk Director is to support the Head of Risk and Chief Risk Officer in delivering these responsibilities, ensuring that enterprise and operational risks are effectively integrated into strategic decision-making, supporting the Board and Executive in maintaining a robust and forward-looking view of risk across the organisation. 

Purpose

The Enterprise and Operational Risk Director plays a critical leadership role at the heart of BII’s risk framework, responsible for shaping, embedding, and enhancing the organisation’s enterprise-wide approach to risk management. Central to supporting the successful delivery of our new strategy, the role ensures that risk considerations are fully integrated into strategic decision-making, enabling the firm to take informed, disciplined risks in pursuit of development impact.

Responsibilities

Enterprise and Operational Risk team management

• Lead, and develop a small, high-performing operational risk team, ensuring strong execution of the enterprise risk management framework and embedding commensurate operational risk practices across the organisation.
• Work closely with Credit Risk, Investment teams, Finance, Legal, and Impact teams. Provide independent challenge while supporting risk-informed decision-making and strong engagement with first-line risk owners. 

Enterprise and Strategic Risk Leadership

• Enhance, and operate our enterprise risk management framework, including risk taxonomy, governance, and policies.
• Enhance, and operate our risk appetite framework and associated metrics. Support the CRO and senior leadership in setting and reviewing risk appetite. Ensure effective escalation and management of breaches and exceptions.
• Enhance and operate our identification and risk mitigation of Strategic risks.
• Design and deliver high-quality, enterprise‑level risk heat maps and dashboards, identifying trends, interdependencies, and emerging risks and decision-focused risk reporting to the Board Risk Committee.
• Ensure alignment with best practices for DFIs and financial institutions.
• Build capability, credibility and influence across the firm.

Operational Risk Management

• Support risk owners in the identification of risks and controls, enabling them to make informed decisions about which risks require additional attention, and ultimately resulting in a reduction in the potential impact of risks to BII.
• Enhance, lead and maintain BII’s risk identification and event management framework.
• Provide a clear, aggregated view of risk exposures, trends, and interdependencies.

Risk Culture and Capability

• Promote a strong risk culture aligned with BII values.
• Deliver training and guidance to improve risk awareness and capabilities.
• Build and lead a high-performing Enterprise and Operational Risk function.
• Drive continuous improvement in policies, methodologies, tools and systems.

The candidate

Technical Skills

• 12–15+ years of relevant experience in enterprise risk management and operational risk ideally within financial services
• Experience within DFIs, banking, or investment management preferred
• Strong understanding of:
  - Enterprise risk frameworks
  - Risk appetite design and calibration
  - Operational Risk including risk identification and risk event management
• Experience working with emerging markets is desirable
• Proven ability to design implement and operate risk frameworks at an institutional level
  
  

Leadership and Personal Attributes 

• Strong leadership and team management capability
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex risk issues clearly to senior stakeholders and the Board
• Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to influence and challenge constructively across all levels
• High level of judgment, independence, and integrity
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Candidates should be strongly motivated by our development mission and ideally demonstrate some commitment to development or social goals through previous executive or non-executive activity.

Our cultural values

We look for team members who aspire, as we do, to work at our best and to be:

• Impact-led, commercially rigorous
• Tenacious in the face of challenges
• Collaborative and caring

British International Investment is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes all applicants regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or educational background. 

Please provide a cover letter with your application

Salary: Competitive