Director - Process and Controls

Director, Risk Consulting 

The Opportunity 

EY’s Risk Consulting Practice help leading organisations navigate complex risk landscapes, through providing insight and expertise to deliver integrated, technology-enabled solutions across areas such as risk management, internal audit and internal controls and controls transformation. 

Risk management is a vital enabler within an organisation; Boards and Executives leverage it to make informed decisions, deliver assurance over key risks and drive effective transformations. Our team works with many of the world’s leading organisations to address the critical challenges they face. In a world marked by uncertainty and complexity, our clients demand integrated, strategic, and tech-enabled end-to-end solutions. We are committed to delivering tailored risk offerings that place client value and relationships at the forefront of our efforts. By prioritising risk, we empower organisations to navigate opportunities and transformations effectively. You can expect to engage with senior client personnel and deliver high-quality outcomes that drive meaningful results. 

Our Risk team is made up of talented professionals who value curiosity, innovation and collaboration. Here, you will have an opportunity to build a career as unique as you are. supported by EY’s global scale, inclusive culture, and cutting-edge technology. We’re committed to your growth, offering exceptional career development, diverse experiences, and a flexible work-life balance, including hybrid working. Join us to create an exceptional experience for yourself and help build a better working world for everyone. 

This senior leadership role is suited to a driven, passionate individual with an established network and prior success in opportunity generation and sales. 

Your Key Responsibilities 

We are seeking a highly skilled, experienced and strategic Director in Risk Consulting to join our dynamic Risk team. The ideal candidate will possess a robust network of relationships and industry knowledge across key risk consulting offers and sectors. You will play a key role in leading complex engagements and guiding our diverse set of clients across our various process and controls solutions. This role requires a proven track record of leveraging industry networks to identify and convert opportunities, as well as the ability to build strong relationships with C-suite executives.  

• Business Development: Established networks/relationships across key sectors. Leverage of networks to identify, pursue, and convert opportunities, such as proposal development, contribution to additional sales, and production of thought leadership.  

• Engagement Delivery: Lead and own the delivery of Risk Consulting engagements (e.g., risk management, internal audit, UK Corporate Reform, SOX 404, controls transformation) ensuring projects are effective, exceeding client expectations and identifying sell-on work.  

• Agility: Ability to self-start and balance sales activity with engagement management.  

• Trusted Advisor Role: Act as a ‘trusted advisor’ to clients, serving as a first point of contact in navigating complex regulations, including UK Corporate Reform, US Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance, Global Internal Audit Standards and other industry-specific requirements; guiding clients on how these regulations impact their internal controls and reporting obligations.  

• Client relationship management:  Excellent interpersonal skills to build and maintain strong relationships with clients, understanding their needs and creating tailored solutions. 

• Process & Controls Leadership: Lead confidently across the breadth of our process and controls related solutions. Be a present, high touch leader of our team dedicated to developing and nurturing our talent, engaging in internal team initiatives and fostering a positive team culture. 

• Solution Development: Develop new solutions and existing offerings pertaining to risk and control strategies, policies and governance.  

• Quality and Risk Management: Detailed understanding and demonstratable track record of compliance with quality and risk management principles.  

• Business Acumen: Demonstrate business acumen through an ability to understand the broader business context, considering financial, operational, compliance and strategic aspects. 

• Learning and Development: Foster a culture of continuous learning and professional development for yourself and the wider team, demonstrating a proactive approach and natural curiosity. Providing and inspiring role model for the team. 

• Collaboration: Work cross-functionally with internal and client teams across risk, IT, compliance, finance, and security to drive integrated risk management solutions.  

• Team Mentorship: Mentor, coach and develop a team of Risk professionals, supporting their professional development and contributing to a positive team environment with continuous growth.  

• Industry Knowledge: Stay informed about industry trends, including regulatory changes, technology growth and other relevant risk best practices.  

• Performance Excellence: Monitor engagement success metrics and KPIS, proactively resolving deviations to deliver high-quality outcomes.  

• Communication: Excellent communication skills and the ability to flex your style, deliver difficult messages whilst maintaining strong relationships. 

• Values: Promote our values around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness.  

Skills and Experience:  

You will be a trusted and inspirational Director with proven ability to balance sales activities and delivery of high-quality and better practice insights across the breadth of our risk, process and controls solutions. You will also foster employee engagement and development of the team. 

• Industry Expertise: Industry-leading and demonstrable expertise pertaining to risk, processes and controls solutions with agility and aptitude to flex across solutions and sectors. 

• Business Development: Demonstrated success in leveraging industry networks to identify and convert opportunities, with experience in proposal development and thought leadership. 

• Relationships: Proven experience in building and maintaining relationships with C-suite executives, with the ability to discuss complex risk solutions confidently. 

• Regulatory Knowledge: Strong understanding of complex regulations, including UK Corporate Reform and US Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance, with the ability to guide clients on regulatory impacts. 

• Communication Skills: Exceptional communication and presentation skills for executive reporting, stakeholder engagement, and internal leadership.  

• Leadership: Strong leadership skills and demonstrated ability to inspire, nurture, develop and motivate team members, fostering an environment of collaboration and continuous growth.  

• Ethical Standards: Strong sense of ethics and integrity, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory standards while promoting ethical practices within the organisation. 

• Proactive Learning: A self-starter with a proactive approach and a strong commitment to continuous learning and professional growth. 

• Adaptability: Ability to navigate and adapt to changing regulatory environments and emerging risks. 

• Audit & Accounting Experience: Proven ability to bring external audit and financial accounting experience to engagements, ensuring strong control frameworks aligned with best practices. 

• Systems Expertise: Expertise in core systems (e.g., SAP and Oracle) to identify control weaknesses and recommend improvements. 

• Transformation and Digital Solutions: Experience of driving transformation and deploying digital solutions to solve complex client problems. 

To qualify for this role, you should have:  

• Extensive experience in generating and leading risk, process and control services at large and complex organisations. 

• A relevant professional certification (ACA, ACCA, CIA, CISA, or equivalent). 

• Significant expertise in the delivery of risk, process and controls related solutions such as risk management, internal audit, controls transformation, SOX 404 implementation.  

• Significant experience in understanding and enabling regulatory compliance requirements (e.g. UK Corporate Reform, SOX, and other industry-specific regulatory requirements. 

What we look for:  

We are interested to hear from entrepreneurial people who feed on the energy of a thriving global team and are market oriented. We seek a high level of drive, commitment to achieving solutions, and ability to work under pressure. We need people worthy of trust, who demonstrate enthusiasm, passion to grow fast and are highly motivated to support this purpose. There is an expectation to be able to travel outside of the assigned office, which may involve UK regional or international travel. 

We invite applications from all cultures, backgrounds and experiences and are proud of our culture where people from all walks of life can grow and thrive. If you want to know more about our people and our culture, search #EyCulture on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.  

What we offer: 

EY is committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. We strive to achieve the right balance for our people, enabling us to deliver excellent client service whilst allowing you to build your career without sacrificing your personal priorities. While our client-facing professionals can be required to travel regularly, and at times be based at client sites, our flexible working arrangements can help you to achieve a lifestyle balance. 

We offer a competitive remuneration package. Our comprehensive Total Rewards package includes support for flexible working and career development, and with FlexEY you can select benefits that suit your needs, covering holidays, health and well-being, insurance, savings and a wide range of discounts, offers and promotions. Plus, we offer: 

• Continuous learning:You’ll develop the mindset and skills to navigate whatever comes next, including having the opportunity to gain an EY Tech MBA which is an accredited MBA program offered to all EY professionals globally. 

• Success as defined by you:We’ll provide the tools and flexibility, so you can make a meaningful impact, your way. 

• Transformative leadership:We’ll give you the insights, coaching and confidence to be the leader the world needs. 

• Diverse and inclusive culture:You’ll be embraced for who you are and empowered to use your voice to help others find theirs. 

If you can demonstrate that you meet the criteria above, please contact us as soon as possible. 

The exceptional EY experience. It’s yours to build. 

Apply now. 

Please note: Prior to finalizing your application, you will be asked to provide personal information across several dimensions of diversity and inclusiveness. The information you provide is kept entirely confidential and will not be used to evaluate your candidacy. We collect this data to help us analyse our recruitment process holistically and implement actions that promote diversity and inclusiveness. While optional, we encourage you to provide this information to hold us accountable towards our goal of building a better working world. We ask because it matters!