Richard is a career civil servant. He joined the NI Civil Service in 1987 after graduating from the New University of Ulster with a BSc in Social Anthropology. His early career was within the Department of Health working with consultative committees. He then moved into auditing, where he was lead auditor for a number of large government departments before moving to a post within the NI Environment Service where he was chief finance officer responsible for state care monuments and country parks.

He was promoted to head of corporate governance for further education later moving to head of finance and funding of the NI further education colleges.

He took up his current post as Director of Insolvency in 2014.