Chief Risk & Controls Officer – Control Testing

Danske Bank; Warszawa; Hybrid; PLN 167,000 - 251,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Growth opportunities

Health & well-being

Hybrid working conditions

Additional leave

Pension & insurance

Job summary

Danske Bank is seeking a Chief Risk & Controls Officer to lead the Controls Office within BCPM, driving practical control testing and continuous improvement across responses to Operational and Data Risk. You will own test design, results interpretation, and collaboration with risk partners to enhance control environments.

Location flexibility includes Warsaw or Vilnius with a hybrid work model. The role emphasizes strong English communication, stakeholder engagement, and an ability to translate

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in non-financial risk management, control testing, audit, compliance testing or risk assurance.
• Practical experience owning or overseeing controls and evidence requirements.
• Identify risk drivers, translate testing into practical improvements.
• Audit/compliance mindset to assess control design and operating effectiveness.
• Proactive use of AI/automation to improve testing and reporting.
• Experience supporting Risk Partners and stakeholders with control identification and remediation.
• Knowledge of robust control frameworks and governance.
• Advanced written and verbal English; knowledge of Nordic languages is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Oversee comprehensive control testing across Operational or Data Risk areas with robust test design and documentation.
• Analyse test results, assess control ratings, and provide actionable insights for improvements.
• Assess day-to-day feasibility of controls and support owners in sustainable improvements.
• Identify key controls from regulators and risk partners, improving documentation and framework clarity.
• Collaborate with Testing and Risk Partner teams to uplift controls and drive efficient processes, incl. AI adoption.
• Escalate test results and monitoring to Senior Management and Governing Risk Committees.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Control testing

Risk management

Audit & compliance testing

Operational risk

Data risk

AI & automation

Education

Higher education in relevant field

Job description

Job Description

Would you like to play a key role in improving 1st Line of Defence (LoD) controls management within Danske Bank? Are you motivated by applying deep testing expertise, a methodical approach, and strong stakeholder engagement to identify improvement opportunities and help the business enhance both control design and operating effectiveness?

We are looking for a Chief Risk & Controls Officer to join the Controls Office within Business Controls and Product Management (BCPM). A significant part of the role is practical control testing and reporting, combined with practical experience of control operations and ownership of selected areas to drive continuous improvement in controls, ways of working and stakeholder collaboration. This opportunity is well suited to an experienced control testing professional with a background in audit, compliance testing, risk assurance or control operations, who can assess whether controls are designed appropriately and operating effectively, understand the executing controls, challenge constructively, identify root causes, and recommend practical enhancements that reinforce the control environment and support robust, sustainable control frameworks.

About us - a central part of supporting the business

The Business Controls and Product Management (BCPM) department plays a central role in supporting the business units in delivering their strategic objectives, with reporting lines to the heads of Large Corporates & Institutions, Business Customers, and Personal Customers.

The Controls Office is home to the 1st LoD control operation and control testing activities within BCPM. As part of the Operational & Data Risk Testing & Assurance team, you will work closely with colleagues across BCPM as well as a broad set of stakeholders in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Lines of Defence. We focus on improving the control environment by ensuring consistency, transparency, and high quality in how operational risks are managed through controls.

You will join team members located across Denmark, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway and Poland. Your focus will be on operational and data risk areas, supporting effective control management within the 1st Line of Defence.

The workplace is located in Warsaw, Poland or Vilnius, Lithuania. Danske Bank supports workplace flexibility (we currently use a hybrid work model, where we work at least 3 days in the office).

This role does not include a relocation allowance for candidates who are not based in Poland or Lithuania.

You will:

• Oversee comprehensive control testing across Operational or Data Risk areas, including designing robust test scripts for key controls, determining appropriate test frequency, and applying sound testing methodology and documentation standards
• Analyse and interpret test results, assess control ratings, and provide clear, value-adding insights that highlight both effective practices and opportunities to improve control design, operating effectiveness and underlying processes
• Apply practical control operational experience to assess whether controls are workable in day-to-day execution, identify operational pain points, and support control owners and operators in implementing sustainable improvements
• Identify key controls based on input from regulators, Business Units and Risk Partners, while supporting the business in enhancing control identification, documentation quality and overall control framework clarity to help ensure control frameworks remain robust, effective and fit for purpose
• Collaborate with Testing teams, Risk Partner teams and other stakeholders to support control uplift, gap assessments, deep dives and incident resolution, while identifying opportunities for process simplification, control optimisation and efficient ways of working, including through AI and automation
• Support escalation of test results and monitoring for Senior Management and Governing Risk Committees

About You

You are experienced in building strong relationships with stakeholders and peers. Through clear communication, sound judgement, collaboration and professional credibility, you build trust quickly and are able to drive improvements across the control environment. We are looking for someone with the following experience and skills:

• 7+ years of experience in non-financial risk management, control testing, audit, compliance testing or risk assurance, with strong knowledge of operational and regulatory risk and established risk and control management practices
• Practical experience operating, owning or overseeing controls, with a practical understanding of control execution, evidence requirements, issue management and how controls can be improved in day-to-day operations
• Strong ability to identify underlying risk drivers, interpret control weaknesses, and translate testing outcomes into practical improvement opportunities for the business
• Demonstrated experience applying an audit or compliance testing mindset to assess control design and operating effectiveness, challenge constructively, and recommend pragmatic, sustainable enhancements
• A proactive mindset for identifying where AI, automation and smarter ways of working can improve efficiency—both when recommending enhancements to the business and when improving internal testing, reporting and team processes
• Experience supporting Risk Partners and business stakeholders with control identification, documentation, remediation activities, and contributions to deep dives and incident resolution
• Experience contributing to robust control frameworks, including strengthening control design, documentation and governance, would be highly beneficial
• Advanced written and verbal communication skills in English
• Higher education and knowledge of any Nordic language are considered as beneficial

We offer:

If you are hired in Lithuania, the monthly salary range: from 3440 EUR to 5160 EUR gross (based on competencies relevant to the role).

Additionally, each Danske Bank Lithuania employee receives an employee benefits package, which includes:

• Growth opportunities: a professional and supportive team, e-learning, development programmes (including professional certificates) and 100+ professions for internal mobility opportunities.
• Health & well-being: a diverse and inclusive work environment that supports work-life balance, additional health insurance, mental well-being practices, partial psychologist counselling compensation, silence and sleep zones at the office, and game rooms.
• Hybrid working conditions: work from home up to two days a week, a home office budget (after the probation period), and a modern Danske Campus workplace designed with an anthropologist to support the best employee experience.
• Additional days of leave: for rest, health, volunteering, exams at higher education institutions and other important activities, plus additional days based on your seniority at Danske Bank.
• Monetary compensation package: accident and critical illness insurance, financial support in case of unfortunate events, travel insurance, and third-pillar pension fund contributions.

See all benefits: HERE

Your title in the employment contract will be Risk & Controls.

About Us

Danske Bank is a Nordic bank with bridges to the world around us. For 150 years, we have supported people and businesses in releasing their potential. A career with us is an opportunity to join a community of 22,000 colleagues in a culture where we are committed to Teaming Up, Owning It and Being Open. Together, we are on a journey to transform Danske Bank into a better bank. For our customers, our employees and the societies around us.