Head of Risk

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

The opportunity

Are you a strategic risk leader who sees risk management not as a barrier, but as an enabler of innovation, growth, and impact? We are seeking an experienced Head of Risk to lead and continue to evolve our global approach to enterprise risk management, ensuring risk and opportunity informed decision-making is embedded across the organisation and supports the delivery of our ambitious strategic priorities.

In this influential leadership role, you will champion a forward-looking, opportunity-focused approach to risk, helping leaders make confident, balanced decisions in an increasingly complex global environment. Working closely with senior leadership, governance bodies, and management teams, you will provide expert insight on emerging risks, organisational exposures, and opportunities where an increased appetite for risk could unlock greater impact, innovation, and value.

This is a unique opportunity for a visionary risk professional to shape organisational thinking at the highest level, influence strategic decisions, and drive meaningful and lasting change.

What you’ll do

As Plan International’s Head of Risk, you will shape and strengthen a culture where risks and opportunities, and their interaction with each other, are actively identified, understood, and managed. You will support strategic decision-making by evaluating risk and opportunity in line with organisational priorities and risk appetite, ensuring leaders are equipped to understand the trade-offs associated with action, inaction, and investment decisions.

You will lead the ongoing continuous improvement and implementation of the organisation's global enterprise risk management framework, positioning risk management as a strategic partner to the business rather than solely a control function. Through expert advice, influence, and collaboration, you will help drive better organisational outcomes, strengthen resilience, and enable innovation across a diverse global operating environment.

You will also be responsible for the organisation's global insurance and risk transfer strategy. You will oversee the procurement and management of a comprehensive global insurance programme, ensuring it delivers value for money, supports operational and strategic objectives, and meets legal, governance, and compliance requirements. In addition, you will lead and manage a small specialist team and build strong relationships with external insurers, brokers, and other key partners to ensure the organisation remains protected while maintaining the agility needed to maximise impact.

About you

You will bring:

• Significant senior experience in enterprise risk management and insurance within an international organisation
• Proven ability to support complex, strategic decision-making
• Ability to identify, assess and advise on risk, and translate risk insights into strategic opportunities and organisational value
• Experience enabling leaders to take informed risks, not just mitigate them
• Excellent influencing, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills
• Strong analytical capability and ability to effectively communicate complex risk analysis to stakeholders
• Ability to manage complexity with clarity and focus
• Effective leadership and team management skills
• Relevant qualification in Risk Management

Location: Flexible where Plan International has an office* that can employ on behalf of the Global Hub and you have the pre-existing right to work and live.

Type of Role: Permanent - Full time

Reports to: General Counsel

Closing Date: 7th August 2026

*Applicable locations include: Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, China, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.