Manager, Plan Operations Risk & Controls

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Company; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in pension management seeks a Risk Manager to provide expertise in risk identification and control design. The role focuses on enhancing the risk management framework and requires collaboration across divisions, making it a crucial position in ensuring financial security for healthcare workers in Ontario.

Benefits

100% company-paid health and dental benefits

Yoga and meditation workshops

Access to LinkedIn Learning

Competitive pension plan

Parental leave top-up

Qualifications

• 8-10 years of experience in operational risk, internal controls, or compliance.
• Experience in the pension industry or financial services.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Identify operational risks, conduct risk assessments, and enhance internal controls.
• Develop relationships with stakeholders to analyze and manage risks.
• Contribute to strategic projects addressing risk challenges across the division.

Skills

Risk Management

Data Analysis

Stakeholder Engagement

Controls Optimization

Problem Solving

Communication

Education

University degree in Commerce, Math, Finance, Engineering or Accounting

CPA, CA designation

Job description

high-performance, people-focused culture

our commitment that equity, diversity, and inclusion are fundamental to our work environment and business success, which helps employees feel valued and empowered to be their authentic selves

learning and development initiatives, including workshops, Speaker Series events and access to LinkedIn Learning, that support employees’ career growth

membership in HOOPP’s world class defined benefit pensionplan, which can serve as an important part of your retirement security

competitive, 100% company-paid extended health and dental benefits for permanent employees, including coverage supporting our team's diversity and mental health (e.g., gender affirmation, fertility and drug treatment, psychological support benefits of $2,500 per year, parental leave top-up, and a health spending account).

optional post-retirement health and dental benefits subsidized at 50%

yoga classes, meditation workshops, nutritional consultations, and wellness seminars

the opportunity to make a difference and help take care of those who care for us, byproviding a financially secure retirement for Ontario healthcare workers

Job Summary :

Reporting to the Director, Plan Operations Risk Management, the Risk Manager will provide risk expertise and thought leadership to the development, enhancement, and execution of the division’s Risk Management framework. The Risk Manager is responsible for enhancing and advancing the division’s approach to risk identification, control design and proactive mitigation strategies. As part of the Plan Operations Risk Management team, the individual also supports the alignment of the division’s risk management strategy to complimentary risk functions at HOOPP and will act as a subject matter expert in enterprise risk and internal controls disciplines.

In this role, the Manager will require collaboration and partnership with stakeholders across the division the Risk Division, IT and Finance, to understand operational processes for the identification and analysis of key risks and vulnerabilities. The Manager will influence the management of risks by educating stakeholders and leveraging industry best practices to advise on control design, risk tolerance, and risk reporting strategy.

What you will do :

Proactively identify operational risks across Plan Operations through engagement with business units, data analysis, and trend reviews.

Conduct in-depth risk assessments of processes, systems, and emerging business changes to understand exposure and assess control adequacy.

Develop and enhance internal controls in collaboration with business units to address key risk exposures.

Evaluate the design and operational effectiveness of controls and recommend improvements or risk mitigation alternatives.

Maintain and refine risk and control inventories, risk ratings, and related documentation in alignment with enterprise frameworks and divisional risk categories.

Advise on control implementation and design in the context of new business initiatives, regulatory developments, and process changes.

Contribute to the development of the division’s risk appetite framework, key risk indicators and management reporting tools

Help define and refine the long term risk priorities that align with business objectives and emerging external risk factors.

Strategic Projects & Initiatives

Contribute to cross-functional projects addressing current and emerging risk challenges across the division.

Provide risk and controls expertise in strategic initiatives such as system transformations, product development, process and organizational change.

Support the design and implementation of new tools, methodologies, and templates to strengthen risk analysis, reporting, and governance.

Identify opportunities for capability building and automation within the operational risk management function.

Lead deep-dive risk reviews on business processes, functions and operational challenges in response to emerging issues or business driven needs; develop comprehensive findings and action plans, and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure remediation.

Assess risk drivers, control environments and residual risk levels with a focus on identifying root causes and solutions

Provide subject matter input on risk implications for access changes, process updates or control environment changes

Partner with the Execution & Controls Oversight team to ensure alignment and consistency in the execution of recommendations and monitoring

Deliver reporting and insights to help drive process improvements and reinforce a culture of operational discipline and control accountability.

Stakeholder Relationships

Develop and maintain relationships with stakeholders across Plan Operations and other divisions and maintain an in-depth understanding of key business processes

Provide leadership and oversight to support stakeholders in the identification of key vulnerabilities, dependencies, and risks

Provide support to stakeholders in the analysis of identified risks including determining risk drivers (causes), potential impacts and outcomes of materialized risks and defining risk tolerances and appetite

Leverage risk and controls expertise, along with business knowledge to influence the management of identified risks, provide insight, education / advice on : design of controls, documentation standards, risk monitoring approach including the development of Key Risk Indicators and other monitoring metrics and risk response protocols

Collaborate with stakeholders on divisional projects and / or system implementations or enhancements. Ensure the proper identification and analysis of risks. Influence the management of identified risks by advising on the design and documentation of controls.

Capability Building & Advisory Support

Serve as a subject matter expert and trusted advisor to business leaders on risk related topics, decision-making, and control optimization

Conduct coaching and knowledge sharing to team members and business partners to strengthen the division’s risk culture and understanding

Collaborate closely with peers in the Plan Operations Risk Management team to ensure consistency, knowledge transfer and shared accountability

Conduct research and share 'best practice' principles to maintain risk and control documentation, and ensure consistent standards are applied across the division as well as alignment to complimentary risk functions at HOOPP.

Participate in the design, implementation, and management of core business processes to ensure the accuracy of risk data used in reporting

Actively contribute to the growth and evolution of the risk function’s capabilities, maturity and impact

Lead the building of frameworks, artifacts, tools and technical training to ensure effective execution of team’s mandate.

What you will bring :

Experience leading teams or functions responsible for controls execution and audit / regulatory support

Strong knowledge of access management practices, control frameworks and regulatory expectations

Strong knowledge of risks related system, process, technology, people, data, processing and execution, governance & compliance and second / third party.

Demonstrated ability to design and implement automated controls and leverage data analytics to optimize quality assurance efforts and improve coverage and insights of the areas reviewed

Strong understanding of the latest developments in technology, data analytics and cybersecurity

Proven ability to work cross functionally and manage competing priorities in a dynamic environment

Exceptional attention to detail, documentation and follow through

Strong communication and leadership skills with the ability to guide teams through complex requests and deliverables

Demonstrated ability to influence and manage relationships with diverse internal stakeholders

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to think critically, innovate and drive change

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present issues of varying complexity to a wide variety of audiences effectively

Attention to detail while maintaining a big picture view of issues

Experience in interacting with auditors and regulators

Knowledge of the pension industry and associated processes and controls (including pension payroll and contributions)

A University degree required, with a focus in Commerce, Math, Finance, Engineering or Accounting preferred

A CPA, CA designation is preferred

At least 8-10 years of experience, as subject matter expert, in operational risk, internal controls, or compliance, preferably within pension administration or financial services

Audit and / or consulting experience in a public accounting firm is an asset