Head of Internal Audit and Risk

Company Description
Water Utility Company based in Yorkshire region of England.

Head of Internal Audit and Risk

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?

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, its so much more than this.

We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshires 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 regions 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.

As our Head of Internal Audit and Risk, you will report to the Group Company Secretary, and will lead the Internal Audit and Risk team to embed group-wide risk management, support Board risk-appetite setting, and provide robust assurance to the Audit and Risk Committee. Deliver comprehensive internal audit services via internal and co-sourced resources while overseeing group whistleblowing and investigations.

Key responsibilities include:

• Audit & Reporting:
  Develop and deliver an agile, risk-based audit plan and impactful reporting for the Board and Audit & Risk Committee, incorporating root‑cause analysis and financial statement contributions.
• Risk & Strategy:
  Facilitate risk appetite setting, embed day‑to‑day risk management to inform decision‑making, and provide "critical friend" support for major projects like the Price Review.
• Governance & Integrity:
  Manage whistleblowing (Speak Up), fraud prevention, and money laundering compliance, including leading investigations and promoting an anti‑fraud culture.
• Team & Resource Management:
  Provide leadership and coaching to the team while managing co‑source partnerships and risk‑informed insurance packages, including vendor re‑tendering.
• Collaboration:
  
  Build strong relationships with executives and sector peers to align audit, risk, and compliance activities with business goals.

• Degree or professionally qualified.
• 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.
• Audit experience either internally for a large organisation, or through external audit experience.
• Knowledge and experience of delivering best practice in assurance services.
• 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.

• Experience investigating irregularities and fraud, including leading Speak Up…