Operational Risk Manager - BANKING 
Cardiff 
£50,000–£60,000 +bonus + benefits.

A specialist property lender with big ambitions — and a seat at the table to help shape its future.

We're working with a fast-growing, well-capitalised UK bank that's carved out a strong reputation in specialist short-term property lending — bridging, development finance, commercial and residential — funded through its own retail savings book. With a loan portfolio already north of £150m and growing, this is a business scaling with real momentum, not just ambition on a slide deck.

As they grow, so does the need for a robust second line of defence — and that's where you come in.

The Role:

You'll be the company-wide voice on Operational Risk, embedding the Enterprise-wide Risk Management framework and operational risk policies across every UK business line.
You'll provide independent challenge to the first line, oversee incident investigations and root-cause analysis, and play a central role in operational resilience — from business continuity to IT resilience and third-party risk.
You'll report directly into the Chief Risk Officer — a senior leader with a heavyweight background across major global banks and asset managers — who's building a small, high-calibre risk function and is looking for someone proactive, relationship-focused and ready to make the role their own.

What you'll be doing:
  • Owning and embedding the ERM framework and operational risk policies across the business
  • Providing independent challenge on RCSAs, KRIs and control design
  • Overseeing risk event investigations, root-cause analysis and remediation
  • Leading on operational resilience — BCM, IT resilience and vendor/third-party risk
  • Producing risk reporting and dashboards for senior leadership and the Board
  • Acting as the go-to expert for governance, risk and compliance systems
What You'll Bring
  • 5–8 years' operational risk experience, ideally 2nd line within a PRA/FCA-regulated bank or financial institution
  • Strong knowledge of the UK regulatory landscape — SMCR, operational resilience, Three Lines of Defence
  • Confidence to challenge senior stakeholders constructively and champion a strong risk culture
  • Experience with GRC platforms and data visualisation tools (Power BI/Tableau) is a plus
  • Relevant qualifications (CISI, IRM, CRISC) strongly preferred
Why Join:

This is a genuinely rare opportunity to join a growing bank at a pivotal stage — small enough that your impact is visible and valued, ambitious enough that the ceiling on your career here is effectively unlimited. You'll be based in brand-new, newly refurbished offices in the heart of Cardiff, working alongside experienced leaders who are genuinely invested in developing their people.


Ready to Take the Next Step? If you're an operational risk professional looking to step into a high-visibility role with a growing bank — one where your voice shapes the framework rather than just following it — we want to hear from you.

Apply now to find out more and take the first step toward a role with real scope, real backing, and real growth potential.