AVP, Operational Risk Incident Management, Research & Regulation Group

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation; Singapore; On-site; SGD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

SMBC Group is seeking an experienced risk management professional to independently review operational incidents across APAC, ensure RCA quality, and challenge first-line reporting. The role involves escalation, governance reporting, and stakeholder engagement to drive remediation.

Ideal candidates have 5–7 years in wholesale banking, strong English communication, and familiarity with incident management tools and regulatory frameworks.

Qualifications

• Degree in Finance, Accountancy, Business Administration or Law, or Diploma in Banking and Finance.
• Professional certifications (CA/ACCA/CPA/FRM/PRM/ICA/ACAMS) are advantageous.
• Minimum 5–7 years in wholesale/full bank or financial institution, with risk focus.

Responsibilities

• Review operational incidents reported by APAC offices; assess RCA and preventive actions.
• Challenge first-line reporters and confirm closure of related action plans.
• Monitor risk exposure and escalate to senior management as required.
• Prepare IR emails to Head Office for incidents meeting thresholds.
• Contribute to APAC and Head Office risk reporting and governance meetings.
• Engage with Branch Heads, Control Functions and Head Office to drive remediation.
• Support process enhancements, including regulatory reporting frameworks.
• Identify opportunities for process optimization across APAC offices.
• Support automation, dashboards, and workflow tools for incident analysis.
• Advise APAC offices on Head Office rules and Connected Risk usage.
• Maintain APAC ORE Framework, reporting guidelines and audit responses.
• Assist internal/external audits and regulatory inspections as needed.
• Identify AI use cases for incident analysis and reporting automation.

Skills

Stakeholder management

English communication

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Proactive

Education

Degree in Finance/Accounting/Business Admin/Law

Diploma in Banking & Finance

Professional certifications advantageous

Tools

Incident management systems (Connected Risk / GRC)

RCA methodologies

Regulatory reporting tools

Job description

Headquartered in Tokyo, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) is a leading global financial institution and a core member of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMBC Group). Built upon our rich Japanese heritage since 1876, we put our customers first and provide seamless access to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. SMBC is one of the largest Japanese banks by assets and maintain strong credit ratings across our global integrated network. We work closely as one SMBC Group to offer personal, corporate and investment banking services to meet the needs of our customers.

With sustainability embedded within our strategy and operations, we are committed to creating a society in which today’s generation can enjoy economic prosperity and well-being, and pass it on to future generations.

Responsibilities

Independent Review & Challenge of Operational Incidents

• Review operational incidents reported by APAC offices via Connected Risk; assess completeness of issue description, root cause analysis (RCA) and preventive/corrective measures.
• Provide independent challenge to first-line reporters and confirm appropriate closure of related Action Plans.

Escalation & Management Reporting

• Monitor operational risk exposure arising from incidents and elevate Key issues to Group Head, JGM/GM of GPDAP and APAC Management as required.
• Prepare Immediate Reporting (IR) emails to GPDGB / Head Office for incidents meeting GBU thresholds (e.g., information leakage, regulatory reporting incidents, regulatory inspections with material impact).
• Contribute to monthly/quarterly APAC reporting to APAC Management Meetings and Head Office and other key management meetings.

Stakeholder Engagement & Process Enhancement

• Engage with first-line PICs (Branch Heads, LCOs, Department Heads), second-line Control Functions (CPDAP, RMDAP) and Head Office stakeholders to drive timely and effective remediation.
• Support process and/or system enhancements arising from thematic incident analysis (e.g., Regulatory Reporting Framework, EMIR reporting, MAS submissions).
• Identify opportunities for process optimization across APAC offices.
• Support automation and digitalization initiatives including dashboards and workflow tools.

Advisory & Framework Maintenance

• Advise APAC offices on Head Office rules and the use of Connected Risk.
• Maintain and periodically review the APAC ORE Framework, RRR Quick Reference Guide and incident reporting standards.
• Support internal audits (IADAP), external audits (KPMG) and regulatory inspections (e.g., MAS) and respond to ACR/IICR observations.

AI and Digital Enablement

• Identify AI use cases for incident analysis, RCA and reporting automation.
• Support development and real-time monitoring tools.

Requirements

• Degree in Finance, Accountancy, Business Administration, Law or related discipline; or Diploma in Banking and Finance with relevant work experience.
• Professional certifications (CA, ACCA, CPA, FRM, PRM, ICA, ACAMS) are advantageous.
• Minimum 5-7 years of commercial experience in a wholesale/full bank or financial institution.
• Prior experience in risk and control, operational risk, regulatory reporting, internal audit, or compliance is a strong advantage.
• Hands-on familiarity with incident management systems (e.g., Connected Risk / GRC tools), RCA methodologies, and operational risk event taxonomy.
• Exposure to MAS and/or other APAC regulatory regimes (HKMA, APRA, RBI, BNM, BoT, etc.) preferred.
• Experience in process improvement or workflow optimization preferred.
• Exposure to automation tools or digital initiatives is an advantage.
• Good stakeholder management and influencing skills across cultures and seniority levels.
• Proactive, self-driven, and detail-oriented.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skill set; comfortable working with incomplete information.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication; ability to summarise complex issues concisely for senior management. Communicate concisely and effectively.