Director of Assurance

Director of Assurance  

Salary and benefits to be discussed with shortlisted candidates 

Didsbury, Manchester 

Permanent, Full Time  

Be part of a purposeful organisation 

At Great Places Housing Group, our vision is clear: great homes, great communities, great people. As a modern, forward-looking, profit-for-purpose organisation, we’re driven by a strong social mission, balanced with commercial discipline to ensure long-term sustainability. 

As Director of Assurance, you’ll play a key role in supporting that mission by ensuring our governance, risk and compliance frameworks are robust, effective and future-focused. 

Beyond the specifics of the post, you’ll play a leading  role in identifying and delivering improvements. The successful applicant will demonstrate an ability to lead and manage at pace, modelling a flexible and dynamic approach to change. 

Why this role matters 

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, you will provide strategic leadership across a wide-ranging remit including regulatory compliance, internal audit and risk, health and safety, data protection, governance, and business continuity. 

As part of the director team, you will bring your insight and leadership to cross-cutting projects, while ensuring the statutory and regulatory requirements are met. 

You will be the lead contact with the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), the FCA, and the Information Commissioner’s Office. You’ll also act as our Data Protection Officer, lead our Health and Safety Strategy, and manage assurance across our governance, audit, and risk frameworks. 

Your work will underpin our ability to deliver safe, secure, and accountable services for our customers, and provide assurance to our Board, Audit & Assurance Committee and Executive Team. 

What you’ll lead on 

• Assurance & Risk: Oversee our integrated assurance framework, including internal audit, risk management, and Board assurance. Maintain readiness for regulatory inspections and lead the internal audit plan. 

• Governance: Ensure our Code of Governance, Board support systems and statutory documentation are best in class. Provide high-quality governance services to our Board, subsidiaries and committees. 

• Health & Safety: Shape and deliver a culture of health and safety excellence across the organisation, ensuring compliance with all legal obligations and internal procedures. 

• Data Protection: As our designated DPO, you’ll lead the organisation’s approach to GDPR, data privacy, and information security. 

• Business Continuity: Ensure the organisation is resilient, with robust frameworks in place to manage incidents, fraud, whistleblowing, and safeguarding. 

• Customer Voice & Tenant Scrutiny: Lead the governance of our Insight Panel and support the wider Customer Voice Strategy. 

About you 

We’re looking for someone who combines strong technical knowledge with strategic thinking, people leadership, and a values-driven approach. You will be confident operating at Executive and Board level, able to distil complex information clearly, and comfortable navigating both scrutiny and change. 

You’ll bring: 

• Proven senior-level leadership experience in a complex, regulated environment 

• Deep understanding of governance, compliance, risk, and regulatory frameworks 

• A track record of identifying and delivering change 

• Strong knowledge of health and safety, data protection, and assurance models 

• Ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams with credibility and inspiration 

• Outstanding interpersonal, communication and influencing skills 

• A relevant degree or professional qualifications in health and safety, governance, data protection or similar 

*Please have a read through our full job description and person specification attached at the bottom of this page. 

Why join us? 

At Great Places, we take pride in being a values-led organisation with a strong social purpose at the heart of everything we do. We provide quality homes, support thriving communities, and work in a way that is commercially responsible and socially aware. 

This is a senior leadership role with real influence. You’ll be joining at a time when assurance, governance and accountability are more important than ever in the housing sector. As Director of Assurance, you’ll play a key role in shaping how we operate and make decisions—ensuring we are resilient, compliant and well-prepared for the future. 

This is a role for someone who wants to make a lasting impact in a dynamic organisation that balances strong governance, a clear social mission and an appetite for improvement.