Risk and Governance Manager

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is a trusted provider of hydrographic data, products and services that support safe, sustainable and efficient navigation around the world. Operating in both the defence and commercial sectors, UKHO plays a critical role in enabling global maritime activity. That mission brings complexity, scrutiny and risk — which is why strong risk management and effective governance are fundamental to our success. 

The Risk and Governance Manager is a pivotal role in ensuring the organisation can take informed decisions, manage uncertainty confidently and deliver its strategic objectives. 

The Risk and Governance Manager sits at the heart of how UKHO makes confident and well‑evidenced decisions. This is a role with real influence: shaping how risk is understood, talked about and embedded across the organisation, and ensuring governance is not just compliant but genuinely enables delivery. Your impact comes from bringing clarity and coherence: making sure risks are visible, understood and acted on at the right level, and that governance supports good decisions rather than slowing them down. 

The main focus is impact: improving risk maturity and helping leaders see what’s coming over the horizon before it becomes an issue. If you want a role where your expertise in enterprise risk management genuinely shapes outcomes — this is a chance to make your mark. 

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated individual for the position to support us in delivering our vision ‘To be the beacon for quality, innovative maritime navigation solutions; trusted by customers and partners worldwide.’

• Act as UKHO’s lead authority on enterprise risk management and governance, ensuring risks are visible, well‑understood and actively informing senior decision‑making. 
• Work closely with stakeholders and senior managers across the business (including the Executive Leadership Team - ELT) to provide clear, credible insight on strategic, corporate and divisional risks. 
• Translate complex risk and assurance information into concise, decision‑ready reporting for ELT and Audit Risk & Assurance Committee (ARAC); 
• Embed a consistent, mature approach to risk across the organisation so risk management supports delivery, transformation and long‑term strategy. This includes overseeing and maintaining our Risk Management Policies and Processes, which must align to Ministry of Defence (MOD), government and wider relevant policies; 
• Build capability across the business by supporting and developing risk focal points, improving risk quality and promoting best practice;  
• Shape and strengthen governance arrangements, identifying where they add value and where improvements are needed to enable effective oversight; ensuring that all best practice processes, standards and templates for governance are developed and implemented;  
• Deliver practical assurance that risks are being managed proportionately via bi-annual reviews of the assurance heatmap.

Specific Technical/Functional Skills and Experience.    

• Institute of Risk Management (IRM) Enterprise risk management professional qualification (or equivalent) and/or proven experience leading on risk and risk management with the ability to influence decision‑making at senior level is essential   
• Strong understanding of risk, assurance and governance frameworks such as HM Treasury Orange Book and/or MOD risk policy/process 
• Analytical and forward‑looking, with the ability to identify emerging risks and connect issues across strategy, operations and change. 
• Experienced in improving risk maturity, governance effectiveness and organisational capability 

Person Specification - We are seeking a motivated individual to join the with the following characteristics:  

• Excellent communicating and influencing skills, both in written reports and verbally, to all levels of the organisation (including non-executive and executive level directors), which is supported by demonstrable experience; 
• A proven track record of building and sustaining trusted relationships with senior management and team members through clear communication, engagement and consultation 
• Excellent numeracy, literacy and IT skills (e.g. MS Office, SharePoint & Power BI) in order to undertake a range of tasks;   
• Highly organised, resilient and delivery‑focused, able to manage competing priorities at pace; 

Alongside your salary of £48,746, UK Hydrographic Office contributes £14,121 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. At the UK Hydrographic Office, it's very important to us that our people feel valued. We offer a huge range of benefits such as training and development, well-being support, flexible/ homeworking, a fantastic state of the art building, high spec equipment, and so much more. See our attached Candidate Information Pack for more details.

Please submit your application through Civil Service Jobs. You will be short-listed against set criteria.

Please read all criteria in detail and tailor your application to these requirements.