Full job description What if your next role wasn’t about working within an established assurance environment, but helping to build and strengthen one?
Sizewell C is one of the UK’s most significant infrastructure projects. As our organisation develops, so too must the governance, controls and assurance surrounding how we operate.
We’re looking for an experienced People Governance & Assurance Manager
to work across our People function, helping us ensure that the frameworks and controls we have in place don’t simply exist on paper, but are understood, evidenced and operating effectively in practice.
This isn’t a conventional HR role. And it isn’t a conventional Project Manager position.
We’re particularly interested in people who have operated within highly regulated, controlled or scrutinised environments and who understand what good governance, compliance, control and assurance really look like.
People Governance & Assurance Manager
Location: London/ Ipswich/ Suffolk
Contract: Permanent, full-time.?
Closing date: Tuesday 24th November 2026
What’s in It for You
*Salary: Circa £75,000 depending on experience
*Bonus: 5% annual incentive
*Pension: Up to 7.5% employee / 15% employer contribution
*Leave: 28 days holiday plus bank holidays
The opportunity
Working closely with colleagues across Governance, Compliance and the wider People function, you’ll provide evidence-based assurance that our key controls and processes are robust and working as intended.
You’ll conduct structured self-assessments ahead of more formal audit activity, examining processes against established frameworks, identifying what evidence should exist, testing that evidence and assessing whether controls are appropriately designed and operating effectively.
Where gaps exist, you won’t simply report them. You’ll help translate findings into practical improvements, establish remediation plans, monitor progress and work constructively with colleagues to ensure actions are delivered.
Alongside our ongoing assurance programme, you’ll also take ownership of selected governance and control-related projects across the People function, such as business continuity and crisis management arrangements, and support the implementation of new processes where regulatory or compliance requirements demand them.
What you’ll be doing
You’ll have a broad remit, including:
*Designing and delivering a structured programme of self-assessment and assurance activity across key People processes.
*Assessing processes against established governance, compliance and control frameworks.
*Determining appropriate evidence requirements and testing whether controls are operating effectively in practice.
*Sampling evidence, identifying control gaps and documenting clear, defensible conclusions.
*Translating assurance findings into practical recommendations and remediation actions.
*Tracking agreed actions through to completion and escalating material or unresolved issues appropriately.
*Working closely with Governance, Compliance, Risk, Audit and Assurance colleagues to ensure that People processes stand up to internal and external scrutiny.
*Supporting assurance and audit readiness across areas that may include employment compliance, right-to-work controls, risk management and wider People governance.
*Owning specific governance and control-related projects, including the implementation and ongoing review of business continuity arrangements.
*Producing concise, high-quality papers, briefings and presentations for senior stakeholders and wider audiences.
*Helping colleagues understand their responsibilities through clear guidance, communication and, where appropriate, training.
*Building assurance into the way we work, so that controls are sustainable and subject to continuous review and improvement.
What we’re looking for
This is not a traditional HR position.
Your experience might have been gained in financial services, pharmaceuticals, energy, nuclear, defence, major infrastructure or another highly regulated environment where control, evidence and regulatory scrutiny are part of everyday business.
What matters is that you can demonstrate where you have personally operated within governance, compliance, controls or assurance.
You’ll need to demonstrate:
*Strong practical experience within assurance, controls, governance and/or compliance in a regulated or highly controlled environment.
*Clear examples of where you have personally established, assessed or improved governance and control arrangements.
*The ability to assess whether controls are appropriately designed and operating effectively, using credible evidence rather than assumption.
*Experience identifying weaknesses and translating findings into proportionate remediation and improvement.
*Strong attention to detail and a disciplined approach to evidence, documentation and follow-through.
*The ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and ensure actions are delivered.
*Confidence working with senior stakeholders and the judgement to know when an issue requires recommendation, remediation or escalation.
*The ability to turn complex findings into concise, accessible papers, briefings and presentations for different audiences.
*A collaborative approach. You’ll apply scrutiny and rigour, but do so in a way that helps busy colleagues improve rather than simply adding another layer of process.
You do not need to be an HR specialist. What is more important is strong assurance capability, professional judgement and the ability to apply that expertise within the People environment.
It would be particularly useful if you have
*Experience of formal control testing, self-assessment or audit-readiness programmes.
*Experience working alongside Internal Audit, Risk or independent Assurance teams.
*Exposure to shareholder, regulatory or industry requirements and the evidence needed to demonstrate effective compliance.
*Experience in nuclear, infrastructure, energy or another heavily regulated industry.Expe