Head of Technology Controls Assurance

Why we're hiring:

This role provides strategic leadership, oversight, and direction for second line assurance across WPP’s technology applications, ensuring operational controls are designed and operating effectively, supported by complete and accurate evidence.

You will lead and develop a team of Senior Analysts and Analysts who deliver structured assurance over a diverse application landscape, detecting noncompliance early, driving remediation, and strengthening first line ownership of controls.

The role ensures alignment with the wider Technology Risk & Controls strategy, provides risk based insights to leadership, and supports readiness for broader third line reviews, even where applications sit outside SOX scope.

What you'll be doing:

• Own the second line assurance strategy for Technology applications and Infrastructure, setting clear expectations for testing, evidence standards, and issue escalation.
• Build and maintain a consistent, scalable assurance methodology across a heterogeneous application estate.
• Prioritise assurance activity based on risk, impact, and known areas of weakness.

• Lead, coach, and develop 2nd line assurance teams to deliver control testing and evidence evaluation.
• Build capability in judgement led assurance, risk assessment, evidence review, and issue analysis.
• Promote a high-performance culture anchored in clarity, consistency, and early risk detection.

• Oversee assurance across key technology controls, including user access, configuration management, data integrity, change management, interface controls, and operational procedures.
• Ensure completeness, accuracy, and traceability of control evidence across application environments.
• Identify systemic issues and drive improvements in control design and execution.

• Ensure non-compliance, gaps, and emerging risks are detected early and escalated proportionately.
• Partner with Firstline teams to support root cause analysis and ensure timely, sustainable remediation.
• Maintain transparent oversight of risk trends, open issues, and remediation progress.

• Reinforce the expectation that first line teams own control operation, documentation, and narrative.
• Provide clarity on what good looks like for control evidence, rationale, and execution.
• Maintain a strong second line independence boundary—assessing controls, not operating them.

• Deliver succinct, insight driven reporting to Technology Leadership and senior stakeholders.
• Provide thematic insights on recurring weaknesses, capability gaps, and systemic control issues.
• Support risk governance forums, providing an accurate view of application control health.

• Align with Internal Audit on known risk areas, recurring themes, and documentation expectations.
• Support coordination where application controls may form part of broader audit scopes.
•  Present a consistent assurance narrative aligned with WPP’s overall risk and controls strategy.

What you'll need:

• Experience in audit coordination, IT audit, technology risk, or program management.
• Understanding of SOX IT controls, audit processes, or technology governance.
• Certifications such as CISA, CRISC, ITIL, or equivalent are beneficial.

• Ability to lead multilevel assurance teams and ensure consistent high-quality execution.
• Strong judgement and scepticism in assessing evidence, control strength, and rationale quality.
• Excellent communication skills—able to translate technology risks into clear business impact.
•  Experience managing assurance across diverse application environments.
• Ability to influence, challenge constructively, and collaborate across global technology teams.

Who you are: