UK

United Kingdom · Operations · Director/VP (16-20 years)

Director, Operational Risk

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

See how AI is changing this job, and get the full read by email.

Start my free Automation Fluency module

As a Director, Operational Risk, a good place to start on AI-Powered Risk Intelligence & Decision Support is Planning Automation Across a Department, a free Future Fluency module at Level 5. You'd practise working out what in your department's work could be automated, what should not be, and what to recommend.

Free to start, no card.

Keep this job description

Where should we send it?

One email: what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for, where it leads, and where to start free. With a link back here. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

Your employer, or 'self-employed'

Leading a team? Try this with up to five of them for 14 days, free.

  • Experience bandDirector/VP (16-20 years)
  • Direct reports25-100+ reports
  • Reports toVP of Operations or Chief Operations Officer (COO)
  • UK framework levelUsually a director, accountable for a division and its numbers

Also advertised as Head of Operational Resilience (Operations) · VP of Risk & Controls (Operations) · Senior Director, Enterprise Operational Risk

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in what real qualifications cover

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

NQual Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management NQual · Level 5 · covers 2 of 12 standards
CMI Level 5 Award in Management and Leadership Chartered Management Institute · Level 5 · covers 2 of 12 standards
CMI Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Management and Leadership Chartered Management Institute · Level 5 · covers 1 of 12 standards
CMI Level 5 Certificate in Police Management Chartered Management Institute · Level 5 · covers 1 of 12 standards
BIIAB Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership (NVQ) BIIAB · Level 5 · covers 1 of 12 standards
Highfield Level 5 Diploma in Operations Management Highfield Qualifications · Level 5 · covers 1 of 12 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Risk management NQual Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management
Managing Risk CMI Level 5 Award in Management and Leadership
Develop and implement an operational plan CMI Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Management and Leadership
Operational Planning Highfield Level 5 Diploma in Operations Management

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Automation Fluency building AI into how work runs
Foresight Fluency seeing round the corner
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Director, Operational Risk

4 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Risk management NQual · covers 2 of 12 standards Level 5
  2. Managing Risk Chartered Management Institute · covers 2 of 12 standards Level 5
  3. Develop and implement an operational plan Chartered Management Institute · covers 1 of 12 standards Level 5
  4. Operational Planning Highfield Qualifications · covers 1 of 12 standards Level 5
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Director, Operational Risk?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • AI-Powered Risk Intelligence & Decision Support
  • Geopolitical & Macro-Economic Risk Integration
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Director, Operational Risk plan as you set up, starting with the free Automation Fluency module. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

Ready to pay? Subscribe for £70 a month

Keep this read. One email with what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for and where to start free. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

3What this role really is

This job leads work on operational resilience, making sure a business can keep running through disruption or system failure.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

ServiceNow GRC / Archer / LogicGate Strategic

Defining the enterprise GRC data model, leading platform selection/migration, approving integration with other critical systems (ERP, HRIS), and using it to provide real-time risk insights to the C-suite.

Microsoft Visio / Signavio / Lucidchart Architect

Setting enterprise standards for process modelling, championing process mining initiatives to identify hidden inefficiencies and risks across the business unit, ensuring process maps are integrated into the GRC framework.

Power BI / Tableau / Advanced Excel (Power Query, DAX) Strategic

Defining the risk data analytics strategy for the business unit, commissioning new data warehouses, and presenting high-level, actionable insights to the board using executive dashboards.

SharePoint / Confluence / Jira / MS Teams Strategic

Owning the information architecture for all risk documentation, ensuring seamless collaboration between the 'three lines of defence', and driving the adoption of collaborative tools for risk management.

Diligent Boards / Nasdaq Boardvantage Expert

Preparing and uploading comprehensive board packs, managing secure communications with board members, and using the platform to present the enterprise operational risk profile and strategic recommendations.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Operational Risk Strategy & Policy N/A N/A Defines and implements the operational risk strategy for a specific business unit, aligning with enterprise risk appetite. Approves all local operational risk policies and procedures.
Budget Allocation (Risk Initiatives) N/A N/A Manages and approves budget allocation for operational risk programmes and technology investments up to £5M, seeking C-suite approval for larger sums.
Major Incident Response N/A N/A Leads and directs the operational risk response for major incidents impacting the business unit, including communication to executive leadership and regulators. Authorises recovery strategies.
Team Hiring & Structure N/A N/A Has full authority for hiring, performance management, and organisational design within the operational risk function for their business unit, including senior manager roles.
Regulatory Engagement N/A N/A Acts as the primary point of contact and decision-maker for regulatory interactions concerning operational risk within their business unit, including formal submissions and responses.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Reduction in Operational Loss Events
The total financial impact of operational failures (e.g., system outages, process errors, fraud) within your business unit.
Target · Achieve a year-over-year reduction of 10-15% in the financial impact of operational loss events.

If Q1 2024 saw £2.5M in operational losses, we'd expect Q1 2025 losses to be no more than £2.25M, ideally lower.

Risk Maturity Score Improvement
Our internal assessment of how mature our risk management practices are, across all three lines of defence.
Target · Improve the business unit's risk maturity assessment score from 'Repeatable' to 'Defined' (or 'Defined' to 'Optimised') within 18 months.

Moving from a score of 2.5 to 3.2 on the risk maturity scale, reflecting better documentation, more proactive identification, and robust testing.

Audit & Regulatory Findings
The number and severity of findings from internal audits, external auditors, and regulatory bodies related to operational risk.
Target · Receive 'Satisfactory' or better ratings on all internal and external audits of the risk management function, with zero 'Significant' or 'Critical' findings.

After a major regulatory review, no new enforcement actions or severe remediation plans are issued against our operational risk framework.

Business Continuity Plan (BCP) Effectiveness
How well our business continuity plans perform during simulated or actual disruptive events.
Target · Achieve 95%+ success rate in meeting Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) during BCP tests and actual incidents.

During a simulated data centre outage, critical operations are restored within 4 hours, meeting the defined RTO for that service.

Strategic Risk Advisory Impact
Your ability to influence strategic decisions by providing clear, actionable risk insights to senior leadership and the Board.
  • You're consistently invited to strategic planning sessions, your input is actively sought on major projects or M&A activities, and your recommendations are integrated into key business decisions. Board members specifically reference your analysis in discussions.
Risk Culture & Ownership
How deeply operational risk is embedded into the day-to-day decision-making and accountability of business unit leaders.
  • Business unit leaders proactively identify and escalate risks, champion control improvements, and integrate risk discussions into their team meetings without prompting. You see a genuine shift from 'risk is your job' to 'risk is everyone's job'.
Regulatory Relationship Management
The strength and effectiveness of our relationships with key regulators regarding operational risk matters.
  • Regulators view you as a credible, transparent, and proactive partner. We receive positive feedback on our responses to regulatory requests, and you're able to anticipate and address concerns before they escalate into formal issues.
Team Leadership & Development
How effectively you build, mentor, and inspire your operational risk team, fostering a high-performance culture.
  • Your direct reports show strong career progression, high engagement scores in internal surveys, and are consistently recognised for their contributions. You've successfully built a pipeline of future risk leaders within your function.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Protecting the Business

You get a genuine sense of purpose from knowing your work directly safeguards the company's assets, reputation, and future. Every control you strengthen, every risk you mitigate, feels like a win for the entire organisation.

You feel a surge of satisfaction when a new control you championed prevents a significant data breach or a major supply chain disruption.

Strategic Problem Solving

You thrive on dissecting complex, ambiguous operational challenges and designing robust, enterprise-wide solutions. It's about seeing the big picture, anticipating future threats, and building resilient systems.

You enjoy leading a cross-functional task force to re-architect a critical process after a 'near miss', ensuring it's bulletproof for the future.

Influencing & Leading Change

You're energised by the challenge of convincing senior leaders to adopt new risk practices, shifting mindsets, and building a stronger risk culture across a large organisation. You love seeing your vision for operational resilience come to life.

You're proud when a business unit leader, who initially resisted a new control, later thanks you for helping them avoid a major incident.

What frustrates people
  • Being labelled the 'Business Prevention Department' despite your efforts to enable intelligent risk-taking.
  • The soul-crushing reality that critical risk data often lives in a thousand inconsistent, manually-updated Excel spreadsheets, despite expensive GRC systems.
  • Accountability without direct authority: being responsible for overseeing risks but having no power to force a business unit to fix underlying control gaps.
  • Post-mortem politics: being brought in to analyse a major failure, only to find everyone more interested in assigning blame than in finding the true root cause.
  • The constant gap between the board-approved 'Risk Appetite Statement' and the much higher level of risk the business is actually running day-to-day to meet targets.
What this role does not give you
  • A quiet, predictable 9-to-5 job with no surprises.
  • Direct control over operational teams or their budgets.
  • The ability to always say 'no' without needing to justify it with a compelling business case.
  • A role where all your recommendations are immediately adopted without challenge or negotiation.

8Who you work with

This role directly influences the strategic direction and long-term viability of a multi-million-pound business unit. Your decisions can literally prevent or mitigate enterprise-level crises, safeguarding our financial performance, brand reputation, and regulatory standing. You're not just managing risk; you're enabling intelligent risk-taking that drives growth.

Inside the business
  • C-Suite (CEO, CFO, CPO)
  • Board of Directors (especially Audit & Risk Committee)
  • Business Unit General Managers
  • Heads of Legal & Compliance
  • Internal Audit Leadership
Outside the business
  • Key Regulators (e.g., FCA, PRA, ICO)
  • External Auditors
  • Major Supply Chain Partners
  • Industry Bodies and Associations
  • Insurance Providers

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Extensive experience (16+ years) in operational risk management within a large, complex organisation, ideally in a regulated industry.
  • Proven track record of leading and managing large teams (20+ people, including managers) in a risk or operations function.
  • Demonstrable experience in designing and implementing enterprise-level operational risk frameworks and strategies.
  • Significant experience presenting to and influencing C-suite executives and Board-level committees.
  • Deep understanding of the 'Three Lines of Defence' model and practical experience operating as the Second Line.
  • A strong grasp of financial management principles, including P&L accountability and budget management (£2M+).

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced GRC Platform Optimisation & Integration

GRC platforms are becoming the central nervous system for risk management. As a Director, you'll need to drive their full potential, ensuring they're not just data repositories but intelligent systems that provide real-time insights and automate complex workflows across the enterprise. This means seamless integration with other critical business systems.

API-driven GRC Integration · Low-Code/No-Code GRC Workflow Design · GRC Data Governance & Quality · Advanced Reporting & Visualisation

  • This quarter: Meet with our GRC platform vendor to understand their roadmap and new features, particularly around AI and integration.
  • Next 6 months: Champion a project to integrate our GRC platform with one key operational system (e.g., incident management tool) to automate data flow.
  • Next 12 months: Lead a review of our GRC data model, ensuring it's optimised for advanced analytics and regulatory reporting.
  • Ongoing: Regularly review industry benchmarks for GRC platform utilisation and best practices.

Quick win: Challenge your team to identify one manual data entry task that could be automated by linking the GRC platform to another system via a simple API integration.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attend industry conferences and executive forums on operational risk, resilience, and emerging threats (e.g., OpRisk Europe, RiskMinds).
  • Participate in executive leadership programmes focused on strategic decision-making, influencing, and organisational change.
  • Engage with regulatory bodies through industry working groups or consultations to stay ahead of policy developments.
  • Mentor junior risk professionals, as teaching often solidifies your own understanding and leadership skills.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI-Powered Risk Intelligence & Decision Support

The sheer volume and velocity of operational data (from IoT sensors, transaction logs, customer interactions) are exploding. Traditional human analysis can't keep up. AI and machine learning are becoming indispensable for sifting through this noise, identifying subtle risk signals, and providing predictive insights that inform strategic decisions faster and more accurately.

  • Advanced Predictive Modelling
  • Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Unstructured Data
  • AI Ethics & Explainability in Risk
  • AI-Driven Scenario Planning

Geopolitical & Macro-Economic Risk Integration

Global supply chains, interconnected financial markets, and rapid geopolitical shifts mean that operational risks are no longer purely internal. A conflict in one region or a major economic downturn can have immediate and severe operational impacts. Leaders need to integrate these external factors into their risk models.

  • Scenario Planning for Geopolitical Events
  • Macro-Economic Stress Testing
  • Supply Chain Mapping & Vulnerability Analysis
  • ESG Risk Integration

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Framework Design
  • Risk & Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) Leadership
  • KRI/KPI Framework Development & Strategic Use
  • Business Continuity & Resilience Planning (BCM/DRP) at Scale
  • Three Lines of Defence Model Implementation
  • Root Cause Analysis (RCA) & Incident Learning

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Senior Manager, Operational Risk (Large Division)

    3-5 years

    Skills to master

    • Leading multi-functional risk programmes, managing a team of managers, presenting to VP-level stakeholders, driving significant control enhancements across a major business area.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully led 2-3 major risk transformation projects end-to-end.
    • Consistently received 'Excellent' feedback on strategic influence and stakeholder management.
    • Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop senior individual contributors into managers.
    • Proven capability to manage a budget of £1M+ for risk initiatives.
  2. 2

    Head of Risk for a Smaller Business Unit

    4-6 years

    Skills to master

    • Full accountability for a smaller P&L's operational risk profile, direct engagement with external regulators, setting local risk appetite, and building a risk function from the ground up.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully established and embedded a robust operational risk framework for a smaller entity.
    • Built strong relationships with local regulators and achieved positive audit outcomes.
    • Demonstrated ability to operate with significant autonomy and strategic decision-making.
    • Proven track record of building and leading a dedicated risk team.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This role can lead to wider leadership positions such as Chief Operations Officer or a board-level risk role.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Director, Operational Risk is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

Also named as a next step, with no page in the catalogue yet:

  • VP of Operations (with Risk Focus)

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Risk management, worked against Director, Operational Risk.

Risk management Level 5

Applied to your work in Director, Operational Risk

This unit aims to equip learners with a thorough understanding of the principles and importance of risk management within an organisation. Learners will be able to identify, assess, control, and mitigate different types of risks, and understand the importance of monitoring and reviewing risk management strategies to achieve organisational objectives.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Director, Operational Risk
  • Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Framework Design
  • Risk & Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) Leadership
  • KRI/KPI Framework Development & Strategic Use
  • Business Continuity & Resilience Planning (BCM/DRP) at Scale
  • Three Lines of Defence Model Implementation
  • Root Cause Analysis (RCA) & Incident Learning
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Director, Operational Risk is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. VP of Operations (with Risk Focus)

    3-5 years

    From L6 to L7

    • End-to-end operational strategy for the entire enterprise (not just risk)
    • Optimising global supply chains for efficiency and resilience
    • Driving large-scale digital transformation across all operational functions
    • Developing and executing long-term workforce planning strategies

  2. Chief Risk Officer (CRO)

    4-6 years

    From L6 to L7

    • Integrating all risk types (financial, operational, strategic, reputational) into a single framework
    • Developing advanced risk analytics and stress testing capabilities across the enterprise
    • Navigating complex global regulatory landscapes for all risk categories
    • Building a comprehensive risk culture that permeates every level of the organisation
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

As a Director, your time is precious and best spent on strategic thinking, influencing, and leading your team. Imagine if you could offload some of the heavy lifting, the deep dives into documentation, or the initial stages of analysis. Good news: AI can help. These tools aren't here to replace your strategic judgment; they're here to give you back hours, letting you focus on the big picture.

We're not talking about science fiction here. We're talking about practical, immediately usable AI applications that can significantly boost your team's output and your own strategic bandwidth. Think of it as having a highly efficient, tireless assistant for some of the more time-consuming aspects of operational risk management.

Automated Evidence Collection & Validation

Use AI agents to automatically query various systems (e.g., ERP, CRM, HRIS) to pull evidence required for control testing or audit responses. This means less manual 'screenshot gathering' for your team and more time validating the quality of the evidence, not just collecting it. Imagine instantly verifying user access changes across 10 systems.

Predictive Incident & KRI Analysis

Apply machine learning models to vast historical incident and 'near miss' data, combined with KRI trends, to identify subtle patterns and predict where the next major operational failure is likely to occur. This helps you move from reactive post-mortems to truly proactive risk mitigation strategies, focusing resources where they'll have the biggest impact.

Regulatory Change Impact Assessment

Point an LLM at new, dense regulatory documents (e.g., from the FCA, PRA, or new ISO standards) and ask it to summarise the key changes, identify impacted policies and processes within your business unit, and even suggest required actions or control updates. This drastically cuts down the time your team spends sifting through hundreds of pages of legalese.

Strategic Report & Policy Drafting

Use generative AI to create solid first drafts of complex policy documents, board reports, or internal memos. For example, 'Draft a comprehensive Third-Party Operational Resilience Policy based on the latest regulatory guidance.' This gives your team a structured, high-quality starting point, letting them focus on refinement, nuance, and strategic messaging, not blank page syndrome.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Director, Operational Risk?

Common routes in include Senior Manager, Operational Risk (Large Division) (3-5 years) and Head of Risk for a Smaller Business Unit (4-6 years). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Director, Operational Risk progress to?

This role can lead on to VP of Operations (with Risk Focus) (3-5 years) and Chief Risk Officer (CRO) (4-6 years), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Director, Operational Risk?

Increasingly, AI-Powered Risk Intelligence & Decision Support and Geopolitical & Macro-Economic Risk Integration. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

Read the Zavmo manifesto to understand how you will be taught Meet your tutors

Or try another one

17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 7

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in operations

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

Skills in operational resilience, risk frameworks and crisis management transfer well to other regulated industries such as energy, utilities or pharmaceuticals, and to the public sector. The core work of safeguarding operations stays much the same, even where the setting changes.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my free Automation Fluency module What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.