Head of GIA: Credit Risk

Nordea; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Nordea, a leading Nordic financial services group, seeks a dynamic Head of Audit for Credit Risk to shape independent assurance and risk-based advice. You will lead a multi-country team, delivering impactful coverage while partnering with senior stakeholders and regulators to strengthen risk governance.

The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on risk insight, data-driven decision making and a commitment to audit excellence within a complex regulatory landscape.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of credit risks, regulatory expectations and governance frameworks.
• Experience in audit, risk management, compliance or a similar control function in an international financial institution.
• Proven track record of working with rating systems and CRR compliance relevant to credit risk management processes, data or systems.
• Experience with people leadership, coaching, performance management and capability development.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to leverage data, technology and AI-enabled tools to strengthen risk assessment and assurance activities.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey complex matters clearly to international audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and inspire a team of audit professionals, fostering a culture of continuous learning, innovation and high performance.
• Develop and execute risk-based audit plans covering credit risk management activities across Nordea.
• Deliver high-quality audit assurance and insights that support informed decision making by senior management and the Board.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders while maintaining independence and professional scepticism.
• Engage with relevant committees, regulators and external auditors.
• Challenge established thinking, identify emerging risks and evaluate the effectiveness of controls in a rapidly changing environment.
• Leverage data, technology and analytical techniques to enhance audit effectiveness and efficiency.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of audit methodologies, capabilities and smarter ways of working across Group Internal Audit.
• Coach and develop colleagues and strengthen both technical expertise and broader business understanding.

Skills

Credit risk

Audit leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Data analytics

Regulatory knowledge

Strategic thinking

Communication

Education

Finance, economics or risk management degree

CIA / CISA or equivalent (ideal)

Job description

Job ID: 6595 We are looking for an impactful and inspirational Head of Audit to lead our Credit risk team. In this role, you will help shape how Group Internal Audit delivers independent, risk-based assurance and advice across the Nordea's most material risk area.

Job ID: 6595 We are looking for an impactful and inspirational Head of Audit to lead our Credit risk team. In this role, you will help shape how Group Internal Audit delivers independent, risk-based assurance and advice across the Nordea's most material risk area. To keep pace with an evolving risk landscape, GIA is strengthening its capabilities to provide assurance in an increasingly complex and technology-driven environment. This includes expanding coverage of data, models and technology-enabled controls. Success requires adaptable teams that embrace change, challenge assumptions, collaborate across disciplines, continuously develop their capabilities and take ownership of their growth. Collaboration. Ownership. Passion. Courage. These are the values that guide us in how we work and how we make decisions and that we imagine you share with us.

About Our Team

Group Internal Audit helps the Board, CEO and the Group Leadership Team to strengthen Nordea's ability to create, protect and sustain value by evaluating the effectiveness of governance, risk management and controls.

The GIA Credit Risk audit team is responsible for providing audit assurance over credit risk management and plays important role in supporting Nordea's continued development of the credit risk management framework. The team works across all relevant business areas, group functions and geographies working in close cooperation and coordination with other relevant audit teams in GIA.

As the Head of Audit for Credit Risk, you will lead a team of highly skilled auditors located across several countries. You will be responsible for delivering impactful audit coverage that provides timely insights, supports sound risk management, and helps the organisation navigate an increasingly complex regulatory and business environment. Success in this role requires more than strong audit expertise. We are looking for a leader who can combine deep risk and control knowledge with strategic thinking, data-informed decision making and the ability to engage effectively with senior stakeholders and regulators.

What you will be doing:

• Lead, develop and inspire a team of audit professionals, fostering a culture of continuous learning, innovation and high performance.
• Develop and execute, in cooperation with other GIA teams the risk-based audit plans covering credit risk management activities across Nordea.
• Deliver high-quality audit assurance and insights that support informed decision making by senior management and the Board.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders while maintaining independence and professional scepticism.
• Engage with relevant committees, regulators and external auditors.
• Challenge established thinking, identify emerging risks and evaluate the effectiveness of controls in a rapidly changing environment.
• Leverage data, technology and analytical techniques to enhance audit effectiveness and efficiency.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of audit methodologies, capabilities and smarter ways of working across Group Internal Audit.
• Coach and develop colleagues and through strengthening both technical expertise and broader business understanding build the future-ready capabilities.

Who You Are

You are a trusted and confident leader with strong professional judgement, curiosity and a clear sense of purpose. You understand how business processes, systems, data, models and controls interact and can translate this understanding into impactful, forward-looking assurance. You are motivated by helping both your team and stakeholders navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing risk landscape.

You bring credibility in senior stakeholder discussions while remaining approachable, supportive and committed. You have a genuine commitment to developing people and teams. You act as a role model for Nordea's values and demonstrate inclusive leadership, sound judgement and high integrity.

Your background and skills include:

• Strong understanding of credit risks, regulatory expectations and governance frameworks.
• Experience from audit, risk management, compliance or a comparable control function in an international financial institution.
• Proven track record of working with rating systems and CRR compliance relevant to credit risk management processes, data or systems.
• Experience with people leadership, coaching, performance management and capability development.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to leverage data, technology and AI-enable tools to strengthen risk assessment and assurance activities.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey complex matters clearly and concisely to a wide range of audiences in international environment.
• Degree within a relevant discipline such as finance, law, economics, risk management or similar.

It would be ideal if you also have:

• An audit certification such as CIA, CISA or an equivalent professional qualification, or willingness to obtain one.

What We Offer

People come here when they want to get somewhere. At Nordea, you will join an organisation with a clear purpose and strong values. In GIA, you will be part of a professional and highly engaged audit function with broad stakeholder exposure and an important role in supporting Nordea's governance, risk management and control environment. Working in GIA provides a unique enterprise-wide perspective of Nordea, offering insights into how strategy, governance, risks and business operations interact across the Group.

You will have the opportunity to lead assurance activities in one of the Group’s most important risk areas, contribute to GIA’s future direction and help shape how internal audit continues to evolve in a rapidly changing environment.

We believe in a culture that fosters performance and growth and a diverse and inclusive workplace where different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives make us stronger.

Location

The role can be based in one of Nordea's main locations in the Nordics, subject to agreement and business needs. You will work in a cross-country environment with colleagues and stakeholders across Nordea.

We enable dreams and aspirations for a greater good.

We build relationships. We add a personal touch to everything we do – when advising our customers, collaborating with colleagues, and meeting our potential candidates.

We learn and develop.

We take pride in being experts and thinking ahead. We use our expertise to meet our customers’ needs, from the simplest to the most complex. We bring a growth mindset to our work that enables us to focus on a broader perspective in our daily challenges.

We lead change.

We are responsible and aware of the impact of our decisions, both for our customers and for our local and global communities. Mindful of our responsibility towards current and future generations, we have made sustainability an integrated part of our business strategy.

We are Nordea.

We have a 200-year history of supporting and growing the Nordic economies and our values are deeply rooted in these open, progressive and collaborative societies. As one of the biggest employers in the Nordics, Poland and Estonia, you have excellent opportunities to evolve, develop and move forward with us.

Only for candidates in Finland:

A security clearance will be performed for the person selected for this position.

Only for candidates in Sweden:

For union information, please contact Finansförbundet at [e-mail] or SACO at [e-mail].