Canada Life Assurance Europe plc (‘CLE’) is a dynamic insurance company with over 700 people across our offices in Germany and Ireland. We have been operating in Germany since 2000 and have established a fast-growing presence in one of the world’s largest and most established markets. We specialise in providing innovative unit-linked pension, savings, and protection solutions and have become a trusted partner for life insurance products distributed through independent brokers. It is our priority to support our customers at every stage of life with the best products and service, tailored to their needs - and we’re doing it all in a culture that promotes equality and inclusion for all of our current and future employees.

Role Overview

As we continue to strengthen our Risk and Compliance functions, we are seeking a diligent and motivated Risk and Compliance Operations Specialist. This is an excellent opportunity for a professional looking to develop expertise in non financial risk, gain exposure to senior leadership, and contribute to the resilience and governance of a regulated life assurance business.

You will play a key role in helping the business embed best practice processes and controls in areas of increasing regulatory focus such as Third Party Risk Management and Operational Resilience. You will also support core governance and oversight processes, ensuring CLE continues to meet high standards of risk management and regulatory compliance

This position offers:
• Exposure to senior leaders across CLE and the wider Lifeco Group.
• Hands‑on involvement in high‑profile regulatory themes and cross‑functional initiatives.
• A chance to build specialist skills in operational resilience, governance, and third‑party risk.
• A platform for career development within Risk, Compliance, or Governance.

You will be working in a dynamic environment where your work contributes directly to operational resilience, business continuity, and the effectiveness of CLE’s governance framework.

Reporting to the Head of Non‑Financial Risk and Governance, the Risk and Compliance Operations Specialist will support the embedding of risk and compliance frameworks in the first line of defence and coordinate key governance and oversight processes.

What you will help us to achieve

• Support embedding and oversight of Risk and Compliance policies and standards within the first line of defence
• Maintain the CLE Policy and Standards Inventory, ensuring all policies and standards are reviewed as required and are accessible.
• Coordinate and schedule Risk and Compliance governance meetings, ensuring participants are informed and prepared.
• Coordinate CLE responses to regulatory reviews, ensuring all necessary documentation and information are prepared and submitted on time.
• Support maintenance of the CLE issues database, ensuring all issues are logged accurately and updated regularly.
• Follow up on open issues to ensure timely resolution and reporting on the status of issues to senior management.
• Contribute to the maintenance of strong relationships with the key CLE business units both in Ireland and in Germany
• Liaise as appropriate with the Group Risk and Compliance Functions (in Canada and/or Europe) in relation to Lifeco Group reporting requirements
• Support with the implementation and oversight of risk management and regulatory compliance initiates.
• Assist with other day-to-day tasks and projects as allocated by the Chief Risk Officer and / or the Head of Non-Financial Risk and Governance

What you will need to be successful in the role

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and knowledge:

Experience in a risk, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, operations, or audit role within financial services.
Strong understanding of regulatory requirements, governance frameworks, and risk management principles.
Excellent communication skills, with strong attention to detail and accuracy.
Proven ability to build strong working relationships across all levels of the organisation.
Highly organised, proactive, and capable of managing deadlines independently and collaboratively.
Comfortable preparing senior leadership and board‑level presentations.
Proficient in MS Office, with the ability to learn new tools and systems quickly.
German language skills are an advantage but not essential.

The company reserves the right to draw up a shortlist as part of the selection process. Where Agency assistance is required the Canada Life Recruitment Team will engage directly with suppliers. Unsolicited CVs / profiles supplied to Canada Life by Recruitment Agencies will not be accepted for this role.

Even if you don’t see yourself reflected in every job requirement listed on the posting above, we encourage you to reach out and apply if you feel you are a good fit for the role. We are committed to creating a more equitable, inclusive and diverse company, and we strongly encourage applicants of all genders, ages, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, sexual orientation and life experiences to apply.

Canada Life Group Services is proud to be an Equal Opportunities employer. We have created an environment of inclusion and growth to help people achieve their potential, to ensure they can bring their whole selves to work and to feel valued. We celebrate diversity of thought and perspective and want all of our employees to feel valued, respected and supported. We have built a culture that promotes equality and inclusion for all of our current and future employees and strive to ensure that our behaviours, processes and practices are aligned to this culture.

If you require any accommodations during the recruitment process please contact lifecareers@irishlife.ie and we will be delighted to ensure you are fully supported to be your best.

CLGS supports Equal Opportunity and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Risk and Compliance Operations Specialist

Job Description