Risk Partner - Control Testing

Swift; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Swift is seeking a Risk Management and Control Specialist to lead the Risk Department's challenge of first line of defence control testing, providing independent opinions on testing reliability and advising control owners within the Enterprise Risk Management Framework.

You will champion the GRC Tool rollout, align testing with ERM principles, and support RCSA activities, with a focus on continuous improvement of controls and testing across the organization.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience as an internal auditor, tech risk or compliance specialist (or equivalent).
• Understanding of risk management principles and experience of implementation.
• Critical thinking skills, ability to challenge and deliver feedback.
• Relationship management skills, ability to present difficult messages well.
• Ability to see the bigger picture and support Swift overall.
• Confidence to speak-up.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Risk Department's challenge over first line of defence control testing to provide an independent opinion.
• Advise first line control owners and testers within the Enterprise Risk Management Framework.
• Champion the delivery and use of the new GRC Tool.
• Oversee control testing progress and escalate at risk of missing deadlines.
• Prepare and present ad-hoc training and regular updates to the team.

Skills

Internal auditing

Risk management

Critical thinking

Relationship management

Big picture thinking

Speak up

Education

Degree-level education

CIA/CISA/IRM

Job description

As a Risk Management and Control Specialist, you will lead the Risk Department's challenge over first line of defence control testing to give an independent opinion on the reliability of testing. You will share good practice so other areas can learn, and where you identify improvement opportunities you will advise first line control owners and testers, within the parameters of the Enterprise Risk Management Framework. You will challenge controls that first line document as part of their risk management activity to ensure alignment to the Swift Standards. Are you ready to take the next step in your career and join us in keeping the Swift control environment robust? Can you apply critical thinking to a range of dynamic scenarios to oversee and challenge first line control testing? The Control Testing team is within the Risk Performance Team, part of the wider Risk Department at Swift. We support our colleagues, across first and second lines, to continue to deliver excellence in risk management. No two days are the same, and by joining us you will be supporting delivery of Swift's strategy by providing subject matter expertise to ensure colleagues implement control frameworks and control testing. What to expect In this role you will:

• The Risk and Control Partner reports to the Head of Risk Performance
• Champion the delivery and use of the new GRC Tool
• Ensure that Control Testing Frameworks aligns to the ERM principles and other control frameworks in place (e.g. ISAE-baseline, Agile Control Framework).
• Apply expertise to challenge control owners and testers, to ensure the risk is appropriately mitigated and the mixture of controls is suitable (per risk(s)).
• Support Risk Department colleagues during RCSA activity and provide expert input and guidance on i) which controls are needed, ii) how to document controls in line with the framework and iii) how to write test steps to robustly test controls.
• Sample and then challenge control testing that the first line has completed, to provide a second line opinion on how robust the testing is (in line with the CT framework). Identify areas that require further support/ training/ etc and make arrangements to provide this.
• Identify opportunities to automate controls and/ or their testing.
• Oversee first line control testing progress, including escalation of control tests at risk of missing deadlines.
• Monitor and report RCSA progress against plan on a weekly basis, and escape any at risk of missing deadlines.
• Support the preparation of regular reporting to Executives and Board. Collate information from various sources and analyse to gain insights.
• Input and support the medium-long term view on continuous improvement of RCSAs and first line control testing.
• Prepare and present ad-hoc training/ awareness (RCSA and/ or controls testing) requested by first line as well as regular updates (usually held as 'all company' Teams calls).
• Develop specific skills and understanding related to own area of expertise. Bring new external ideas to improve processes.
• Drive simplification and a harmonised approach in documenting and testing controls.
• 8+ years of experience as an internal auditor, tech risk or compliance specialist (or equivalent)
• Understanding of risk management principles and experience of implementation
• Critical thinking skills, ability to challenge and deliver feedback
• Relationship management skills, ability to present difficult messages well
• Ability to see the bigger picture and support Swift overall
• Confidence to speak-up

Preferred qualifications:

• Degree-level education
• Relevant professional qualification (CIA, CIIA, IRM, CISA, etc)

We're the world's leading provider of secure financial messaging services, headquartered in Belgium. We are the way the world moves value - across borders, through cities and overseas. No other organisation can address the scale, precision, pace and trust that this demands, and we're proud to support the global economy.

We're unique too. We were established to find a better way for the global financial community to move value - a reliable, safe and secure approach that the community can trust, completely. We're always striving to be better and are constantly evolving in an ever-changing landscape, without undermining that trust. Five decades on, our vibrant community reflects the complexity and diversity of the financial ecosystem. We innovate diligently, test exhaustively, then implement fast. In a connected and exciting era, our mission has never been more relevant. Swift now has a presence in 200+ countries and legal territories to serve a community of more than 12,000 banks and financial institutions.