Chief Risk Officer

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced risk professional with proven people leadership skills who can help implement and drive change. Strong experience within the financial services sector will be required with a pensions and investment background being desirable. Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate previous relevant senior management experience of FCA functions or readiness to step up.

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) plays a key strategic role in the development and implementation of the Lothian Pension Fund (LPF) group’s business plan and in liaising with its stakeholders and clients. At an exciting time and period of growth, there is a genuine real opportunity to help play a key part in the company’s development and for future career progression.

The CRO has oversight and ultimate accountability for risk and compliance and will need comprehensive knowledge and experience of the design and operation of risk management frameworks, procedures, and disciplines including interaction with regulators and governance bodies.

Key Responsibilities (including but not limited to)

• The primary liaison with the LPF group’s regulators, including the Financial Conduct Authority, the Pensions Regulator and the Information Commissioner’s office
• Participating in the LPF group’s investment committees and policy groups, as well as overseeing high value transactional and other investment, liability/employer management, pensions administration and compliance processes
• Playing a key role on and engaging with the LPF group’s corporate boards and senior committees
• Taking responsibility for appropriate business transformation projects
• Deputising for the Chief Executive in the relevant areas as required

About Lothian Pension Fund

Lothian Pension Fund (LPF) was voted one of the Sunday Times Scotland’s 40 Best Companies to Work For 2021. We administer the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in Edinburgh and the Lothians, a multi-employer scheme with £9 billion of assets, which was 106% funded at the last actuarial valuation. We manage the Fund on behalf of approximately 84,000 members and 70 employers and it’s the second largest LGPS fund in Scotland.

Our investment team is unique in Scotland in holding FCA authorisation. We manage over 85% of assets in-house via internal equity and bond portfolios and infrastructure investment.

We established a regulated investment company providing resourcing, operational support, governance and deal execution for our private markets and gained FCA authorisation in 2015.

LPF is a growing, vibrant, and exciting place to work. We offer flexible working and a blended work model, working both from home and our spacious city centre office. We have many social and wellbeing initiatives to ensure we keep our sense of community alive even during challenging times.

We are, above all, passionate about pensions and our values are enduring principles that inform, inspire and instruct day-to-day behaviour. We are proud to be:

• Agile and dependable – We approach work with an open and flexible attitude and take responsibility to manage our work effectively and efficiently. We also embrace new processes in a consistent and reliable way
• Self-motivated and team players – We actively participate as individuals – taking pride and responsibility in what we do. At the same time, we show awareness for the team and ensure our objectives support the team’s objectives
• Challenging and respectful – We appreciate the need to challenge status quo and ask questions in a constructive and respectful way
• Innovative and prudent – We always look to improve processes and practices and ensure we do this in a way that is safe and protects the Fund from unnecessary risk.

For more information, on this opportunity and on Lothian Pension Fund, please click here to download the candidate brochure.

To apply, please send your CV to Lindsay Cramond at cv@fwbparkbrown.com or contact her on 0131 539 7087 for a confidential discussion.