Finance Risk and Control Specialist/Manager (6 month FTC)

Hello, we’re Starling. We built a new kind of bank because we knew technology had the power to help people save, spend and manage their money in a new and transformative way. We’re a fully licensed UK bank with the culture and spirit of a fast-moving, disruptive tech company. We’re a bank, but better: fairer, easier to use and designed to demystify money for everyone. We employ more than 3,500 people across our London, Southampton, Cardiff and Manchester offices.

The Finance Risk and Control Specialist/Manager is a pivotal first-line-of-defence role within our Finance department. You will oversee and drive the day-to-day execution of our control testing plan to ensure robust coverage across all key Finance processes. This role balances execution with leadership, requiring you to provide vital guidance to team testers, review detailed testing for operating effectiveness, and directly perform testing when necessary. If you are a detail-oriented risk professional looking to influence and elevate financial control environments, this role offers an impactful opportunity to champion a culture of high-quality compliance and accountability.

This is a 6 month Fixed Term Contract running until the end of February 2027. 

Key Responsibilities

Your core focus will be the execution and oversight of our control testing framework. Your responsibilities will include:

• Testing Execution & Oversight: Manage the day-to-day execution of the control testing plan to guarantee comprehensive coverage of critical Finance processes.
• Team Guidance & Training: Provide clear training, direction, and guidance to Finance team control testers to ensure testing is completed efficiently and to a high standard.
• Quality Review & Assessment: Review detailed testing performed by testers to evaluate the operating effectiveness of controls, ensuring sample sizes are appropriate and conclusions are evidence-based.
• Documentation Excellence: Review GRC entries to ensure documentation is clear, accurate, and consistently reflected across control registers and testing scripts.
• Feedback & Calibration: Deliver clear, constructive, and timely feedback to Finance team control testers following testing reviews.
• Hands-On Testing: Directly perform operating effectiveness testing of controls as required.

Requirements

Knowledge & Experience

• Proven experience working within a regulated environment, with a strong preference for the banking sector.
• A solid background in operational controls, risk management, internal controls, internal audit, or external audit.
• Experience gained within a Big 4 firm is highly preferable.
• Specific experience with Finance internal controls (e.g., Internal Controls over Financial Reporting) is strongly preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional communication skills with the ability to build strong relationships and constructively challenge stakeholders across the business.
• Attention to Detail: Deep analytical skills with a focus on precision, ensuring documentation and testing meet strict quality standards.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
• An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• 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 and Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships

About Us

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren’t sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway.

We’re on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we’re proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.

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.

By submitting your application, you agree that Starling Bank may collect your personal data for recruiting and related purposes. Our Privacy Notice explains what personal information we may process, where we may process your personal information, its purposes for processing your personal information, and the rights you can exercise over our use of your personal information.