Head of Financial Assistance Compliance & Governance (Collections)

About Starling Bank

At Starling, we are on a mission to provide people with a fairer, smarter, and more human alternative to traditional banks. We are building a leading digital bank, driven by fast technology, fair service, and honest values. Our vision is to create a banking industry that serves everyone, which we accomplish by developing best-in-class proprietary technology, offering an exceptional customer experience, and establishing a strong, sustainable business.

Our five core values – Listen, Keep It Simple, Do The Right Thing, Own It, and Aim for Greatness – are at the heart of everything we do, guiding our strategy and shaping our culture. We're a branchless, largely paperless bank, committed to responsible banking, sustainability, and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Hybrid working: All Starling Bank colleagues spend a minimum of 10 days per month in the office with flexibility to work the rest from home.

Location: Cardiff or Manchester

Reporting to: Director of Financial Assistance

Closing date: Thursday 11th, September at 5:30pm

The Opportunity

This senior leadership role drives regulatory compliance, ensuring risks are well understood and managed, and mitigated in line with bank appetite and regulatory requirements (including PRA, Consumer Duty, CONC, FCA standards and guidance). The role ensures adherence to regulatory requirements, internal policies, and ethical standards in all collections activities, while prioritising customer-centricity and positive outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

Compliance Monitoring and Oversight:

• Conduct regular reviews of collections activities to ensure compliance with UK laws, regulations, and internal policies.
• Monitor the implementation of compliance and conduct risk management frameworks.
• Identify compliance gaps or breaches and collaborate on corrective actions
• Partner with 2LoD Compliance, Credit Risk, Legal and Audit to ensure a consistent understanding and approach to compliance within FA

Governance & Risk Management:

• Chair FA governance forums including Change Forum, Control Forum
• Maintain a local level risk register and ensure effective risk reporting, escalation, and management.
• Lead responses to emerging risks or regulatory change, co-ordinating across teams and functions

Policies and Standards:

• 1LoD compliance assurance against relevant Bank-wide policies
• Ownership of Financial Assistance Standards aligned to CiFD policy.
• Communicate and implement new policies, ensuring understanding and adherence.

Colleague Awareness:

• Support the design of training on compliance, conduct risk, data protection (GDPR), and customer conduct topics.

• Promote a culture of ethics, compliance, and risk awareness.

Conduct & Customer Outcomes:

• Lead 1LoD oversight of vulnerable customer treatments and processes
• Act as an SME for regulatory matters, translating requirements into actionable strategies and processes 

Reporting:

• Prepare regular reports on compliance and conduct risk management activities for senior management and regulatory bodies.
• Oversee all BAU reporting for consistency and accuracy.

Requirements

Behaviours & Competencies:

• Effective communication & stakeholder management
• High attention to detail
• Ability to work in a fast paced, highly regulated industry with competing priorities 
• Demonstrates the Starling Values
• Ability to lead in a changing environment

Skills & Experience:

• Deep working knowledge of applicable UK regulation, and regulators
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management

Benefits

• Make an Impact: Work on projects that directly shape the future of banking and improve the financial lives of our customers. Starling is technology-led, and you'll have the freedom to accomplish your goals in innovative ways.
• Culture of Excellence: Be part of a collaborative, empowered, and forward-thinking team. We encourage experimentation, ownership, and a relentless focus on "doing the right thing.”
• Growth and Development: We are committed to your professional growth, offering opportunities to learn new technologies, take on new challenges, and own interesting things from day one.
• A Bank That Cares: We're a Living Wage employer, committed to flexible working, and dedicated to creating a fair, open, and safe working environment with compassion and inclusion at its core.

Comprehensive Benefits: We offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Company-enhanced salary sacrifice pension scheme (7% employer contribution) 
• Private Medical Insurance with Vitality  including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton.
• 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
• An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
• Life Insurance at 4x your salary.
• 16 hours of paid volunteering time a year.
• Ability to buy or sell annual leave.
• Generous family-friendly policies.
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• Incentivised refer a friend scheme
• Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work, Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships and Electric Vehicle (EV) leasing

Our Commitment to Equality:

Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Starling Bank are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. When you provide us with this information, you are doing so at your own consent, with full knowledge that we will process this personal data in accordance with our Privacy Notice. By submitting your application, you agree that Starling Bank will collect your personal data for recruiting and related purposes. Our Privacy Notice explains what personal information we will process, where we will process your personal information, its purposes for processing your personal information, and the rights you can exercise over our use of your personal information.