Director- Controls Testing and Execution - Strategy, Governance, and Automation Lead

Posted:
10/16/2024, 10:11:44 PM

Location(s):
Tamil Nadu, India ⋅ Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Experience Level(s):
Senior

Field(s):
Product

The Central Control Capabilities function is responsible for driving Monitoring & Testing (M&T) of key controls across the enterprise and for executing Call Listening controls for the US Personal Banking business. It comprises of four groups: (1) Control Assessment, (2) Call Listening, (3) Central Testing, and (4) Strategy, Governance & Automation (SG&A).

 

The Control Assessment and Central Testing functions partner with the Control Owners and the In-business Control Teams to conduct all the M&T activities for the key controls in scope of the CTU - this includes the control design assessment (CDA), the development of tools for operational effectiveness monitoring (OEM) and operational effectiveness testing (OET), the assessment of the design of the OEM & OET tools (MDA & TDA), the execution to the OEM & OET activities, and the disposition of the exceptions identified through the M&T activities.

 

The Central Testing function is primarily based out of Citi Service Centers in India. It is structured along three verticals: (1) M&T Execution, (2) M&T Automation, and (3) Strategy & Governance. The Strategy & Governance (S&G) function within the Central Testing organization is responsible for driving the strategy and defining the operating model for the Central Testing function in coordination with the SG&A Lead for the Central Control Capabilities organization. The Strategy & Governance Lead for Central Testing will report into the Head of the Central Testing function and will be accountable for the following key activities including management of people, budget and planning.

 

1.       Program Management

  • Design and manage governance structures for the Central Testing function; this includes the development of management reports for the SG&A Lead, Assessment Leads, Central Execution Lead, senior leadership, and external stakeholders..
  • Support collating relevant updates for Monthly Business Reviews, Risk & Control governance committees, and other forums.
  • Develop and track relevant KPIs / KRIs for teams within the Central Testing function and partner with them to improve adherence to the established metrics.
  • Communicate to staff & management on initiatives, timelines, statuses and challenges including through use of heat maps, program status dashboards, and Senior Management packages.  
  • Ensure Quality Control metrics are established and used to monitor the performance of individual staff members and overall function; facilitate remediation of any deficiencies identified.
  • Partner with SG&A team, Assessment Team, and leadership of the Central Testing function to facilitate the identification of opportunities for streamlining and/or automation of operational processes.
  • Oversees local controls for key risks including but not limited to Resilience, Records Management, and Third Party as required.

 

2.    2. Expense & Headcount Management

  • Ensure robust expense management discipline in the Central Testing function, coordinating the budget process and providing regular progress reports; coordinate investment requests and monitor execution against approved budgets.
  • Oversee capacity planning and management process for staff in the Central Testing function.
  • Provide support for third party relationships as required, liaising with partner teams in Central Testing.

 

3.    3. Regulatory & Internal Governance

  • Ensure robust issue management discipline for issues, CAPs and milestones owned by the Central Testing function; it includes coordinating deliverables to Internal Auditors and Regulators in the course of exams and issue validation activities.
  • Liaise with global teams ensuring regulatory commitments are on track and provide necessary issue remediation support in partnership with the other groups within the Central Testing functions.
  • Coordinate engagement with second line, third line, and local regulators

 

4.    4. Training & Talent Development

  • Lead the development of a comprehensive training curriculum for all staff across the Control Assessment and Central Testing functions with appropriate coverage of both business/function and testing knowledge.
  • Assess opportunity for external certification of all staff across the Control Assessment and Central Testing functions, within a comprehensive talent development program.

  

The Strategy & Governance Lead for the Central Testing function will have the opportunity to be part of a Citi’s transformation of its risk management program, with active engagement across multiple business lines and regions. She / he will have organizational exposure to senior management and subject matter experts across businesses and functions, including the leadership teams of the Chief Controls Officer and Citigroup COO.

 

Qualifications and Competencies

  • 20+ years of experience leading strategy, governance, transformation or relevant roles in financial services.
  • In-depth knowledge of the operational & compliance risk management framework (Manager’s Control Assessment) and experience in design and/or assessment of controls.
  • Strong analytical skills; ability to ask insightful questions, break down challenges into workable components, and draw meaningful conclusions.
  • Understanding of Citi’s businesses and products and their risk profiles across multiple geographies is a plus 
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills needed for influencing senior management decisions.
  • Capable of providing thought leadership towards optimization of control practices for the business as well as the resolution of cross business issues.

·       Ability to connect the dots across multiple processes and risks to help identify thematic concerns .

  • Well versed in developing new ideas and improving current processes and proactively engages business and functional managers to mitigate risks.
  • Requires an ability to challenge existing conventions and make recommendation for risk remediation.
  • Able to identify trends and themes from high volume information sources and synthesize reports for easy consumption of senior business managers.
  • Skilled at building partnerships across functions and regions; collaborates well with others with experience working in cross-cultural global teams.
  • Ability to lead planning, directing and coordination of day-to-day activities to deliver key project(s), with management of critical path.
  • Ability to influence seniors and stakeholders outside of your span of control.
  • Appropriately assess risk when business decisions are made, demonstrating particular consideration for the firm's reputation and safeguarding Citigroup, its clients and assets, by driving compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, adhering to Policy, applying sound ethical judgment regarding personal behavior, conduct and business practices, and escalating, managing and reporting control issues with transparency, as well as effectively supervise the activity of others and create accountability with those who fail to maintain these standards.

 

This position will require flexibility and adaptability to support risk programs in a matrix environment. Programs to support will be diverse and can span across various topics and geographies. Candidate must be comfortable switching topics and working across several working groups.

 

Education

  • Bachelor's/University degree is required; Master's degree is preferred.

 

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Job Family Group:

Risk Management

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Job Family:

Business Risk & Control

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Time Type:

Full time

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