Assurance Specialist

Genomics England Limited; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading genomic healthcare organization is seeking an Assurance Specialist to oversee compliance and governance across crucial services. This role emphasizes a broad understanding of cyber security and data protection, requiring strong analytical and communication skills. The Assurance Specialist will be responsible for risk assessments, audits, and ensuring adherence to regulations. This opportunity allows for significant impact in a complex and vital sector of healthcare, offering a salary from £51,000 and generous benefits including flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

30 days holiday plus bank holidays

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Defined contribution pension with company match

Individual learning budgets

Subsidised gym membership

Qualifications

• Experience in an assurance, risk, governance, or compliance role.
• Ability to assess risk across technical and non-technical domains.
• Strong analytical skills with clear communication and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Support assurance activities across cyber security and data protection.
• Review and maintain governance materials ensuring compliance.
• Assist in audits and track compliance findings.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Ability to assess risk

Understanding of data protection

Education

Certifications in audit or compliance

Tools

ISO 22301

ISO 27001

Job description

Company Description

Genomics England is a global leader in enabling genomic medicine and research, focused on creating a world where everyone benefits from genomic healthcare. Building on the 100,000 Genomes Project, we support the NHS’s world-first national whole genome sequencing service and run the growing National Genomic Research Library, alongside delivering numerous major genomics initiatives. By connecting research and clinical care at national scale, we enable immediate healthcare benefits and advances for the future.

Our mission is to provide the evidence and digital systems so that by 2035 genomics could play a role in up to half of all healthcare interactions, whilst securing the UK’s position as the best place to discover, prove and benefit from genomic innovations.

We are accelerating our impact and working with patients, doctors, scientists, government and industry to improve genomic testing, and help researchers access the health data and technology they need to make new medical discoveries and create more effective, targeted medicines for everybody. Behind the Healthcare and Research outcomes, Genomics England delivers through designing, developing and operating complex healthcare software systems.

We\'re on the cusp of big changes with the real prospect of genomics becoming the fabric of everyday healthcare through the lifetime - from birth to old age.

Job Description

We are hiring an Assurance Specialist to join us here at Genomics England.

This is a broad assurance role spanning cyber security, data protection, and operational resilience, focused on assurance, governance, and compliance rather than hands-on technical delivery. The role supports the organisation in meeting relevant standards, regulations, and internal policies, helping ensure risks across services are understood, monitored, and addressed.

You will work closely with assurance leads across the three pillars, supporting risk assessments, assurance activities, reporting, and awareness initiatives. You will help review and maintain policies, track compliance evidence, support audits and reviews, and contribute to the continuous improvement of assurance frameworks.

This role suits an Assurance Specialist already working in an assurance, risk, governance, or compliance environment, who enjoys variety, autonomy with clear guardrails, and operating across a complex, regulated organisation. Trust, resilience, and compliance are central to the role, supporting services that deliver nationally important healthcare and research outcomes.

This is an excellent opportunity to further broaden and advance your assurance career, on meaningful work and across multiple disciplines and regulated environments.

This is a chance to step into a truly broad and impactful assurance role, helping shape how Genomics England manages risk, compliance, and resilience across nationally important services.

Key Responsibilities

• Support assurance activities across cyber security, data protection, and operational resilience, identifying risks and recommending mitigation actions.
• Review and contribute to policies, procedures, and governance materials to ensure compliance with relevant standards and regulations.
• Support audits, assurance reviews, penetration tests, supplier assessments, and incident-related activities, tracking findings and ensuring timely follow-up.
• Prepare and analyse management information and assurance reporting, turning evidence into clear, actionable recommendations for stakeholders.
• Assist with business impact analyses, business continuity, and disaster recovery planning, observing exercises, documenting lessons learned, and tracking remediation.
• Contribute to staff awareness initiatives, embedding assurance, compliance, and risk awareness across the organisation.
• Experience working in an assurance, risk, governance, or compliance role.
• Ability to assess and articulate risk across technical and non-technical domains.
• Experience supporting audits, assurance reviews, or compliance activities.
• Strong analytical skills, able to interpret evidence, identify gaps, and make proportionate recommendations.
• Clear and confident communicator, able to engage a wide range of stakeholders.
• Proven organisational skills, able to manage multiple assurance activities across complex environments.
• Familiarity with standards such as ISO 22301, ISO 27001, or similar frameworks.
• Knowledge of data protection principles, including GDPR and UK DPA 2018.
• Experience in business continuity, disaster recovery, or operational resilience assurance.
• Experience working within the NHS, healthcare, life sciences, public sector, or other heavily regulated environments.
• Experience contributing to assurance reporting, management information, or staff awareness initiatives.
• Experience with supplier audits, third-party risk management, or accreditation support.

This is a broad and impactful assurance role, helping shape how Genomics England manages risk, compliance, and resilience across nationally important services.

Qualifications

Formal qualifications are not essential. However, certifications or training related to audit, assurance, risk, data protection, information security, or operational resilience are welcome and considered beneficial.

Additional Information

Salary From: £51,000

Closing Date: Tuesday 3rd February at 23:00 (UK time)

We offer a benefits package including:

• Generous Leave: 30 days’ holiday plus bank holidays, additional leave for long service, and the option to apply for up to 30 days of remote working abroad annually (approval required).
• Family-Friendly: Blended working arrangements, flexible working, enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave benefits.
• Pension & Financial: Defined contribution pension (Genomics England double-matches up to 10%), Life Assurance (3x salary), and a Give As You Earn scheme.
• Learning & Development: Individual learning budgets, support for training and certifications, and reimbursement for one annual professional subscription (approval required).
• Recognition & Rewards: Employee recognition programme and referral scheme.
• Health & Wellbeing: Subsidised gym membership, a free Headspace account, and access to an Employee Assistance Programme, eye tests, flu jabs.

Equal opportunities Genomics England is committed to an inclusive workplace that promotes equity, diversity and inclusion. We are proud of our diverse community where everyone can come to work and feel welcomed and treated with respect regardless of disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, or social background.

Genomics England’s policies of non-discrimination and equity will be applied fairly to all people, regardless of age, disability, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy, race, religion or beliefs, sex or sexual orientation, length of service, or contract type.

We are committed to removing barriers in our recruitment processes and offering adjustments to support candidate participation in the recruitment process.

Culture and Working Model

Culture We have four key behaviours that represent what we would like Genomics England to feel like and the culture we want to encourage. Details are available here: Culture | Genomics England.

Blended working model Genomics England operates a blended working model. Most people are expected to come into the office a minimum of 2 times each month, with variations by role and team. Some roles may require on-site attendance (e.g., lab teams, reception).

Office locations: Canary Wharf, Cambridge and Leeds.

Onboarding and Background Checks

As part of our recruitment process, all successful candidates are subject to a Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Applicants must disclose any previous offences at point of application, as some unspent convictions may prevent progression due to the healthcare context.

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