Group Operational Resilience Lead

About us:

Hiscox is a diversified international insurance group with a powerful brand, strong balance sheet, and plenty of room to grow. Listed on the London Stock Exchange and headquartered in Bermuda, Hiscox has over 3,000 staff across 14 countries and 34 offices. Structured by geography and product, Hiscox’s long-held business strategy has helped them grow from a niche Lloyd’s underwriter to an international insurance group with a powerful consumer brand.

In our Lisbon office, we have the privilege of employing approximately 500 exceptional professionals representing 29 diverse nationalities. Despite our central location within the city, we recognize the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. As part of our commitment to our employees’ well-being, we provide a 35-hour workweek along with the option for a hybrid working schedule.

The Role 

The newly created Operational Resilience Lead role is key in ensuring that Hiscox is operationally resilient, can continue to deliver critical operations through periods of disruption and meet regulatory obligations.  This role will safeguard the ability to maintain essential operations and services under any circumstances and will support the resilience of key services preventing intolerable harm to our customers.   

Reporting to the Head of Technology Governance and Resilience, this role is ideal for someone who thrives in working in a fast-paced environment, enjoys gaining a deep knowledge of how the business operates and can effectively prioritise and work autonomously.  

Key Responsibilities 

• Setting Group level standards for operational resilience, covering business continuity, disaster recovery and regulatory requirements. 

• Working with the business units and functions to plan and execute operational resilience testing.   

• Building plans to obtain a Group wide view of operational resilience testing.   

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders across departments to ensure alignment and integration of resilience measures with Group policies and standards.  

• Work with the business units to identify vulnerabilities and track progress of their resolution. 

• Support the Head of Technology Governance and Resilience with any resilience related activities, including preparation for governance meetings and driving follow up actions.  

• Monitor emerging threats and trends to proactively adjust resilience strategies. 

• Coordinate and facilitate training and awareness programs for employees to ensure they understand their roles in maintaining resilience. 

• Prepare and present reports and recommendations to senior management regarding resilience status and improvements. 

• Stay abreast of industry best practices and regulatory requirements related to operational resilience. 

Candidate Profile 

Essential: 

• A good understanding of industry best practice in relation to operational resilience and a knowledge of, or ability to quickly acquire, the regulatory requirements, such as the PRA and FCA Operational Resilience Policy and DORA.  

• Proven track record of delivering operational resilience in a regulated environment. 

• Experience of implementing operational resilience processes, policies and ways of working. 

• Able to analyse complex data and identify potential vulnerabilities and impact on business operations. 

• Capability to develop creative solutions to address resilience challenges and adapt to evolving threats. 

• Experience in assessing risks and designing resilience plans to ensure comprehensive protection of business operations. 

• Ability to plan, execute, and monitor resilience initiatives within specified timelines and budgets. 

• Familiarity with relevant tools and technologies for risk assessment, incident response, and business continuity planning. 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills to convey resilience strategies, reports, and recommendations effectively to stakeholders at all levels. 

• Aptitude for working collaboratively with cross-functional teams to implement resilience measures and coordinate response efforts. 

• Flexibility to adjust resilience plans and strategies in response to changing business environments and emerging threats. 

• Ability to multitask, meeting short-term deadlines while progressing longer-term objectives. 

• Proactive self-starter who can work independently but shows good judgement of when to involve others. 

• Attention to detail, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. 

• A flexible attitude, with a willingness to support other team members and take ownership.  

• Creative, proactive, logical, and innovative – not just accepting the status quo. 

 Our benefits package includes a bonus, contributory pension, 25 days annual leave plus 2 Hiscox days and a 4-week paid sabbatical with every 5 years’ worth of service, private medical for all the family and much more.