Associate Director - Risk & Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) - Financial Services

Freshminds; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Freshminds seeks an SME consultant to support a major risk transformation programme within a global credit card and payments organisation. The role focuses on Risk & Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) and regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions, reporting into programme leadership.

You will drive delivery of risk and control activities, map processes, identify gaps, and translate complex regulatory requirements into actionable initiatives for senior business, risk and compliance leaders.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in banking, credit cards, payments or other highly regulated financial services.
• Experience delivering risk transformation and regulatory change programs.
• Strong ability to work across multiple jurisdictions and senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead assessment and enhancement of RCSA frameworks, governance, methodologies and processes.
• Conduct current-state assessments including process mapping, control evaluation and gap analysis.
• Translate regulatory requirements into practical risk and control activities across jurisdictions.
• Own delivery of project workstreams and facilitate senior stakeholder workshops.

Skills

RCSA

Regulatory compliance

Operational risk

Stakeholder management

Workshop facilitation

Risk governance

Job description

A client in the consulting services industry is seeking an SME consultant, Risk & Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) to join their financial services team for approximately 12 months.

You will act as a senior subject matter expert supporting a large-scale risk transformation programme for a global credit card and payments organisation operating across multiple jurisdictions. Reporting into programme leadership, you will help assess and enhance risk and control frameworks, support regulatory compliance objectives, and drive delivery against key transformation milestones.

Responsibilities

• Lead the assessment and enhancement of Risk & Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) frameworks, governance, methodologies and processes.
• Conduct current-state assessments including process mapping, control evaluation and gap analysis to identify improvement opportunities.
• Translate complex regulatory requirements into practical risk and control activities across multiple jurisdictions.
• Own delivery of project workstreams, facilitate senior stakeholder workshops, and provide recommendations to strengthen risk management and regulatory compliance.

Requirements

• Extensive experience within banking, credit cards, payments or another highly regulated financial services environment across US, UK or EMEA.
• Deep expertise in RCSA, operational risk, controls, risk governance or regulatory compliance, gained within a major financial institution.
• Proven experience delivering risk transformation, regulatory change, or control framework enhancement programmes.
• Strong stakeholder management, workshop facilitation and communication skills, with the ability to engage senior business, risk and compliance leaders.

Details

• Start date: December or early January
• Duration: Approximately 12 months
• Location: London / Hybrid (typically three days in the office, some flexibility)