Leep Utilities
Internal Audit and Governance Assurance Manager
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Department: Regulations
Reports to: Director of Regulation and Compliance
Salary: up to £80K DOE and location
Location: Manchester or Reading / Hybrid
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Director of Regulation and Compliance, this is a senior, business-wide assurance role with significant visibility and influence across the organisation. You'll play a critical role in providing the Board and Senior Leadership Team with clear, evidence-based assurance that Leep's governance, risk, compliance and control frameworks are operating effectively.
Working collaboratively across multiple functions, you'll identify, assess and test key controls, investigate risks and areas of non-compliance, and provide constructive challenge to ensure robust governance arrangements remain in place. You'll be responsible for translating findings into meaningful insights, clearly communicating risks and recommendations, and driving the successful implementation of corrective actions.
We're looking for a professional, inquisitive and resilient assurance or audit specialist who is confident reviewing evidence, challenging assumptions and uncovering opportunities for improvement. This is more than a traditional audit role; you'll be expected not only to identify control weaknesses and compliance gaps, but also to ensure that actions are owned, progressed and fully embedded, helping to keep the business safe, compliant and well governed.
Key Responsibilities
Internal Audit & Assurance
- Deliver and continually develop a risk-based internal audit and assurance programme covering regulatory, operational, governance, financial crime, commercial and corporate compliance activities.
- Design and execute proportionate audit scopes, methodologies and testing approaches, using robust evidence gathering, analysis and professional scepticism to assess compliance, controls and governance effectiveness.
- Undertake governance, commercial, operational, technical and regulatory audits, adapting the depth and focus of reviews to the level of risk and complexity.
- Identify control weaknesses, root causes, improvement opportunities and areas of non-conformance, considering regulatory requirements, contractual obligations and industry best practice.
- Produce clear, evidence-based audit reports that communicate findings, risks, impacts and practical recommendations to support effective decision making by senior leadership and the Board.
- Develop, monitor and challenge corrective action plans, ensuring actions are appropriately evidenced, embedded and escalated where progress is insufficient.
- Provide assurance reporting on audit outcomes, themes, trends and emerging risks to executive and Board stakeholders.
- Maintain independence and objectivity while working constructively with the business to strengthen controls, compliance and organisational performance.
- Support external audits, inspections and regulatory reviews as required.
Quality Management Systems
Water Sampling – ISO/IEC 17025
- Own and manage the Quality Management System for water quality sampling in line with ISO/IEC 17025 requirements working with operational and technical subject matter experts.
- Ensure policies, procedures, records and controls are maintained, current and audit ready.
- Oversee internal audits, non-conformance management, corrective actions and continuous improvement relating to the sampling QMS.
- Support external assessments or audits (e.g. UKAS or third-party) and coordinate responses to findings.
- Ensure appropriate controls are in place for sampling competence, procedures, records, equipment calibration and interfaces with accredited laboratories.
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Business-Wide Document Management
- Own and manage the organisation’s document management and control framework, ensuring high standards of governance, version control and accessibility.
- Maintain clear rules for document approval, review, retention and withdrawal across the business.
- Provide oversight and assurance that controlled documents support regulatory compliance, operational consistency and audit requirements.
- Promote good document management practice and support teams in embedding compliant ways of working.
Risk Management
- Facilitate the risk management process across the business, ensuring risks are identified, assessed and reviewed on a regular basis.
- Maintain and control the companywide risk register, ensuring consistency, clarity and appropriate escalation of material risks.
- Support risk owners in defining risk descriptions, causes, impacts, controls and mitigating actions.
- Periodically deliver risk reviews with the Senior Leadership Team and present risk overviews to the Board.
- Monitor changes in internal and external risk drivers (regulatory, operational, financial, reputational) and ensure these are reflected in risk reporting.
- Provide insight into risk trends, control effectiveness and areas requiring enhanced assurance or management attention.
Measures of Success
- A risk-based internal audit and assurance plan is agreed, delivered and reported in line with agreed timescales, with clear visibility of progress, findings and emerging risks for the Senior Leadership Team and Board.
- Audit findings are evidence-based, proportionate and clearly documented, with root causes, risk impacts, accountable owners, target dates and required evidence for closure consistently defined.
- Corrective actions are actively tracked to completion, with overdue, unsupported or ineffective actions challenged and escalated where required.
- The companywide risk register is maintained, current and regularly reviewed, with material risks, control weaknesses and mitigation progress clearly reported to senior leaders and the Board.
- Quality Management System requirements for water sampling are maintained and audit ready, with non-conformances, corrective actions, competence records and external assessment responses managed effectively.
- Controlled documents are accurate, current, approved and accessible, with effective version control, review cycles, retention rules and withdrawal processes embedded across the business.
- External audits, inspections and regulatory reviews are well prepared for, with timely coordination of evidence, responses and follow-up activity.
- Stakeholders recognise the role as independent, objective and constructive, providing credible challenge while supporting practical improvements to governance, compliance and control effectiveness.
About You
Essential
- Significant experience working in internal audit, assurance, governance, risk or compliance within a regulated, complex or control focused environment is essential.
- Significant experience delivering internal audit, governance, risk, compliance or assurance activity, including complex audits involving governance, commercial, operational or technical subject matter.
- Proven ability to exercise professional scepticism, test evidence, challenge management assertions and identify the root cause of control weaknesses.
- Experience of developing audit findings into clear risk-based reports, practical action plans and effective follow-up activity.
- Confidence and credibility to engage with senior stakeholders, provide constructive challenge and hold action owners to account.
- Tenacious, professionally curious and resilient, with the confidence to pursue evidence, challenge incomplete or unsupported responses and identify underlying control weaknesses.
- Independent and objective, while able to build constructive working relationships across the business.
- Clear and credible communicator, able to explain complex findings, risks and actions to operational teams, senior leadership and the Board.
- Pragmatic and proportionate, with sound judgement and the ability to distinguish material risk from minor process weakness.
- Experience of, or strong awareness of, business-wide compliance, governance and assurance frameworks.
- Solid organisational skills including attention to detail and multi-tasking skills.
- Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
- Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
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Desirable
- Relevant professional qualification or membership, such as IIA, CMIIA, CIA, IRM, CQI, ACA, ACCA or equivalent.
- Experience working in the water, energy, heat, utilities or another regulated infrastructure sector.
- Knowledge of applicable regulatory requirements and guidance (e.g. Ofwat, DWI, Ofgem) and the ability to interpret obligations into proportionate, practical controls.
- Working knowledge of drinking water sampling, testing specifications and/or ISO/IEC 17025 requirements.
- Professional membership or chartered status with a relevant professional body, such as the Chartered Quality Institute, or a related scientific, audit, risk or compliance discipline.
Your Development and Benefits
At Leep, we believe in stable growth and putting our people first. Our 5-year strategic growth plan gives us stability today and prepares us for the future, while nurturing a strong collaborative and supportive culture.
Our benefits include:
- Salary which aligns to your experience and skillset
- 25 days paid holiday + bank holidays
- An additional day off to celebrate your birthday
- Annual discretionary bonus
- Company pension plan
- Health Cash plan through Westfield Health
- Option to purchase additional holiday days through our Holiday Buying Scheme
- Engagement committee with events throughout the year, including Christmas Party, Summer Party and individual team socials
- Paid professional memberships relevant to your role and access to professional development opportunities
Our Values
At the forefront of everything we do:
- Safety
- Customer Promise
- Accountability
- Reliability
- Respect
- Flexibility
Equal Opportunities
Leep Utilities is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals are able to make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. If you require any appropriate accommodations during the application or interview process, please let us know.
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