Associate - Compliance and Operations Risk Test Lead

Job summary:
As a Compliance and Operations Risk Test Lead, your deep understanding of risk management and control evaluation will be instrumental in identifying and mitigating risks, thereby enhancing compliance and operational risk management. Your expertise in test execution will be crucial in managing and conducting precise and accountable tests, ensuring alignment with the firm's highest risks. Your analytical thinking and problem-solving skills will be crucial in breaking down complex business objectives into manageable tasks and activities. You will also be responsible for planning and organizing your own work, and potentially that of a team, while liaising and coordinating activities across various departments. Your role will be integral in ensuring a cohesive and efficient testing framework, contributing to the seamless delivery of quality outcomes.

Job Responsibilities: 

• Understand and evaluate the assigned function's control environment with proven experience in assessing the adequacy, effectiveness and design of controls to ensure alignment with SOX, other regulatory frameworks & with the firm's risk priorities.

• Conduct comprehensive testing processes with precision and accountability to assess the control environment, identify gaps and prepare robust documentation including process documents, process flows, and overview documents that support testing conclusions.

• Collaborate with Process/Control Owner, cross functional teams on testing schedule, obtain walkthrough of the process, document process changes, evidence gathering, analysis of potential issues and facilitate timely reporting.

• Drive issue validation, action plan quality and closure discipline by partnering with control owners to ensure remediation aligns with risk acceptance and compliance expectations.

• Lead stakeholder engagement by facilitating meetings with business owners and stakeholders at various management levels, fostering collaboration across engagements with minimal oversight, and effectively influencing stakeholders during challenging discussions.

• Read and interpret policies/standards/procedures to ensure accurate implementation of compliance requirements while continuously improving control evaluation methodologies and interpreting control ratings & metrics to strengthen the firm's compliance and operational risk management framework.

• Serves as the primary point of contact for testers, providing guidance, resolving issues, and facilitating smooth communication within the team to ensure successful completion of testing engagements.

Required Qualifications, Capabilities and Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, or related field; or equivalent work experience. Minimum of 8 years of work experience in controls testing, audit, operational risk management and managing testing processes within a risk & control environment.

• Domain Knowledge: Strong understanding of Risk Managemnet and Compliance 

• Demonstrated proficiency in advanced analytical thinking and problem solving skills with a track record of systematically organizing, comparing, and evaluating various aspects of a situation to identify key information.

• Proven ability to build strong partnerships with key stakeholders and collaborate with business & functional experts to provide guidance and to recognize risks and gaps.

• Excellent organizational and time management skills - ability to remain flexible and productive through shifting priorities and deadlines.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an ability to influence business leaders in a meaningful and actionable manner.

• Demonstrated expertise in MS Office applications, with advanced skills in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint highly recommended.

Preferred Qualifications, Capabilities and Skills:

• Professional qualifications like CA, CPA, MBA Finance, CIA is preferred.

• Audit & control testing background / experience.

• Comfortable using Intelligent solutions like Alteryx, Tableau to support testing activities or metrics reporting.

• Ability to innovate, challenge the status quo and identify automation opportunities.