Within Enterprise Technology & Security (ETS), the Data, AI and Emerging Technology Risk Principal Analyst drives the strategic identification, assessment, and mitigation of technology-related risks, playing a key role in safeguarding the organization's information assets. This senior individual contributor position operates with significant autonomy, working across technology and business teams to shape risk practices, advance control effectiveness, and ensure alignment with Cybersecurity Risk Institute (CRI) Profile, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST 800-53, and other applicable frameworks. The Principal Analyst serves as a subject matter expert whose insights directly influence the bank's technology risk posture and risk management strategy. Principal Risk Analysts solve complex problems, take broad perspectives to solve problems innovatively and may lead projects with moderate resource requirements, risk and/or complexity. Cross-functional leadership and development across junior contributors are a key feature of this senior role.
Responsibilities
Lead the proactive identification, assessment, and monitoring of technology and cybersecurity risks across systems, applications, infrastructure, and services, applying industry‑recognized frameworks such as CRI, NIST CSF and NIST 800‑53.
Execute and oversee complex Risk and Control Self Assessments (RCSAs), risk assessments, targeted risk reviews, and control adequacy evaluations, providing challenge and expert recommendations on risk treatment and remediation strategies.
Serve as a subject matter expert for technology risk during internal audits, regulatory examinations, and supervisory inquiries, leading issue analysis, response development, and corrective action execution.
Analyze and synthesize risk and security data from enterprise platforms and monitoring tools to identify systemic trends, emerging risks, and control gaps, translating findings into strategic insights for leadership.
Partner closely with senior technology, engineering, cybersecurity, compliance, and business leaders to evaluate risk associated with new and existing platforms, infrastructure, and initiatives.
Oversee third‑party technology risk activities for high‑risk or complex service provider relationships within assigned domains.
Develop and deliver clear, executive‑level risk reporting and presentations, effectively communicating risk posture, trends, and remediation priorities to senior management and governance forums.
Contribute to the continuous enhancement of risk frameworks, methodologies, policies, and governance processes to strengthen overall risk maturity.
Mentor and coach analysts at varying levels, fostering strong risk judgment, analytical rigor, and a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
Stay ahead of evolving regulatory requirements, emerging threats, and industry trends, proactively advising leadership on risk impacts and control enhancements.
Champion initiatives that strengthen the organization’s risk posture and promote a proactive, risk‑aware culture across the enterprise.
Team-Specific Requirements
Preferred Domain-Specific Technical Skills
Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP
Experience with analytics platforms, storage solutions, data protection methodologies, data platforms, ETL, data transmission, data loss prevention, endpoint security practices, and cyber recovery practices, e.g. Tableau, Webfocus, APIs and Microservices based development, Talend, Informatica, Kafka, Spark, Autosys, Airflow, Java, Hadoop, Redshift, Starburst, Databricks, Tessell, MongoAtlas, Snowflake, OCI, AWS RDS, etc.)
Proficiency with data governance, security and other telemetry tools such as Collibra, Grafana, Datadog, Qualys, Wiz, CyberArk, or Splunk
Experience with continuous integration, continuous delivery, agile and devsecops pipelines, including data engineering sub-pipelines and related tools (e.g. Nexus, Jenkins, Harness, Fortify, EKS, Openshift, etc.)
Knowledge of AI/ML platform tools such as Bedrock, Sagemaker, H2O.ai, MLflow, etc.
Preferred Team-Specific Tools & Platforms
ServiceNow, Jira, Confluence, or other ITSM/collaboration platforms
GRC Archer, WDesk, or other risk and compliance platforms
Experience & Skills
Required:
7–10 years of progressive experience in IT risk management, information security, or internal audit, with demonstrated leadership in complex risk environments.
Deep expertise in control frameworks including CRI Profile, NIST 800-53, NIST CSF, COBIT, and/or ITIL, and the ability to apply them strategically.
Proven ability to lead risk assessments, control testing programs, and regulatory response activities independently.
Advanced proficiency with GRC platforms (e.g., Archer), security monitoring tools (e.g., Splunk, Qualys, Wiz), and data analysis tools (e.g., Tableau, Grafana, Excel).
Strong executive communication skills; ability to present risk findings persuasively to senior leaders and non-technical audiences.
Track record of influencing risk practices and driving meaningful improvements in control environments.
Ability to operate independently and manage complex, multi-stakeholder workstreams.
Preferred:
Experience in a regulated financial institution with familiarity with OCC, Federal Reserve, or FDIC supervisory expectations.
Background in cloud infrastructure risk, cyber resilience, or enterprise architecture risk.
Experience designing or significantly improving risk management programs or frameworks.
Education
Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Business, or a related field required; Master's degree strongly preferred.
One or more of the following certifications are preferred:
CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor)
CRISC (Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control)
CISM (Certified Information Security Manager)
CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)
PMI-RMP (Risk Management Professional)
AWS Solutions Architect or Microsoft Azure Administrator
Hours & Work Schedule
- Hours per Week: Monday-Friday
- Work Schedule: 40
- Hybrid: 4 days per week onsite, 1 day remote
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Pay Transparency
The salary range for this position is $138,000 - $200,000 per year, plus an opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus. Actual pay is based on various factors including but not limited to the budget, work location, and relevant skills and experience.
We offer competitive pay, comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, maternity/paternity leave, flexible work arrangements, education reimbursement, wellness programs and more. Note, Citizens’ paid time off policy exceeds the mandatory, paid sick or paid time-away policy of every local and state jurisdiction in the United States. For an overview of our benefits, visit https://jobs.citizensbank.com/benefits .
About UsEqual Employment Opportunity
Citizens, its parent, subsidiaries, and related companies (Citizens) provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all colleagues and applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, citizenship, physical or mental disability, perceived disability or history or record of a disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, genetic characteristic, marital or domestic partner status, victim of domestic violence, family status/parenthood, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, pregnancy/childbirth/lactation, colleague’s or a dependent’s reproductive health decision making, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state and/or local laws. At Citizens, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enables all colleagues to bring their best selves to work every day and everyone is expected to be treated with respect and professionalism. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, qualifications, performance and capability.
Equal Employment and Opportunity Employer
Job Applicant Data Privacy Policy
Background Check
Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the candidate successfully passing a background check, which may include initial credit, motor vehicle record, public record, prior employment verification, and criminal background checks. Results of the background check are individually reviewed based upon legal requirements imposed by our regulators and with consideration of the nature and gravity of the background history and the job offered. Any offer of employment will include further information.
Skills Required
- 7-10 years progressive experience in IT risk management, information security, or internal audit
- Deep expertise applying CRI Profile, NIST 800-53, NIST CSF, COBIT, and/or ITIL
- Proven ability to lead risk assessments, control testing programs, and regulatory response activities independently
- Advanced proficiency with GRC platforms (e.g., Archer), security monitoring tools (e.g., Splunk, Qualys, Wiz), and data analysis tools (e.g., Tableau, Grafana, Excel)
- Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Business, or related field
- Strong executive communication skills and ability to present risk findings to senior leaders and non-technical audiences
- Ability to operate independently and manage complex, multi-stakeholder workstreams; mentor junior analysts
- Familiarity with cloud platforms and cloud infrastructure risk (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Experience with data/platform/ETL tooling and analytics ecosystems (e.g., Kafka, Spark, Databricks, Snowflake, Redshift, Informatica, Talend) and data protection practices
- Experience with CI/CD, DevSecOps and associated tools (e.g., Nexus, Jenkins, Harness, Fortify, EKS, Openshift)
- Master's degree in a related field
- Certifications such as CISA, CRISC, CISM, CISSP, PMI-RMP, AWS Solutions Architect or Microsoft Azure Administrator
Citizens Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Citizens and has not been reviewed or approved by Citizens.
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Parental & Family Support — Parental leave is described as six weeks at 100% pay for all new parents, with up to 16 weeks for birthing parents. Family-building and caregiving supports include more than $25,000 in adoption assistance and up to 10 days of backup care.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off includes 11 paid holidays and up to 27 PTO days, with materials encouraging employees to use their time. This breadth is frequently positioned as a core strength of the total rewards package.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay practices are presented as equitable, with disclosures citing near-parity by gender and no gaps for people of color in similar roles. Transparency shows up in posted hourly ranges for retail roles, and some markets list banker pay at competitive levels.
Citizens Insights
What We Do
As one of the oldest and largest financial services firms in the United States with a history dating back to 1828, we’re committed to providing solutions and expertise that support our customers, clients, colleagues, and communities in what’s next on their own unique journey. We invest in the humans who build the logic, ideas, and innovations that bring new technologies to life. Investments in AI, cloud computing, machine learning and automation provide our engineers the tools that enable us to remain competitive and win in today’s environment. At Citizens, we recognize that the journey to accomplishment is no longer linear and that individuals are made of all they have done and all they are going to do. Whether you’re considering banking with us or looking to work with us, you’ll find a customer-centric culture and a supportive, collaborative workforce at Citizens. You’re made ready and so are we. If you're ready to advance your career in technology and security, learn more about opportunity's Citizens offers here: https://jobs.citizensbank.com/digital-transformation
Why Work With Us
We empower the colleagues that power our tech. With growth & upskilling opportunities and sought-after benefits, plus a diverse culture of people and perspectives, we help our colleagues achieve career goals. Because innovation can’t happen without the minds and hearts of our people. Technology is constantly evolving, and we believe you can too.
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