VP, Technology Governance & Control Specialist

The Japan Research Institute, Limited (Singapore Branch); Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

The Japan Research Institute, Limited (Singapore Branch) invites a seasoned executive to lead the Technology Governance & Control function in Singapore, overseeing policy, risk, and regulatory compliance for APAC entities. This VP role requires deep experience across SDLC, IT operations, cyber security, audits, and remediation, with strong stakeholder management and governance reporting.

Join us to strengthen controls, drive improvements, and partner with regional teams to meet MAS TRM and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in IT, risk, or security.
• 10–15 years of governance, risk, controls, or information security governance experience.
• Experience in banking/financial services and regulatory engagements preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Technology Governance and Controls function across Singapore and in-scope entities.
• Develop, maintain and enhance governance frameworks, policies, standards, and control requirements for key technology domains.
• Oversee control design, operating effectiveness, and remediation across SDLC, IT service management, and IT operations.
• Coordinate internal and external audits, regulatory inspections, and remediation governance.
• Prepare management reports on governance posture, risk exposure, and remediation progress.
• Collaborate with regional teams, risk, compliance, and IT stakeholders to harmonize governance across APAC.

Skills

Technology governance

IT risk management

Regulatory compliance

Audit coordination

Stakeholder management

Governance reporting

Cybersecurity awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology or related field

Tools

ServiceNow

JIRA

Job description

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VP, Technology Governance & Control Specialist

Date: Sep 3, 2026

Location: Singapore

The Technology Governance & Control Team at SMBC Singapore is responsible for overseeing the governance and control of IT system development, IT service management, IT operations and support functions. The team plays a crucial role in ensuring that technology is developed, deployed, and managed responsibly, in line with global technology governance standards and best practices.

The Vice President, Technology Governance and Controls is responsible for leading the development, implementation, and oversight of the Bank’s technology governance and control framework across Singapore and relevant APAC franchises / subsidiaries. The role ensures that technology-related processes, risks, and controls are governed in a consistent, effective, and sustainable manner, in line with internal standards, regional expectations, and applicable regulatory requirements.

This position plays a key role in strengthening governance maturity across technology domains, supporting audit and regulatory engagements, challenging control weaknesses, and driving timely remediation of identified gaps. The role requires close collaboration with Technology, Information Security, Risk, Compliance, Audit, and regional stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Governance Framework and Policy Oversight

• Lead the Technology Governance and Controls function across Singapore and in-scope entities.
• Develop, maintain, and enhance governance frameworks, policies, standards, procedures, and control requirements for key technology domains.
• Ensure governance requirements are embedded into technology processes and supported by clear accountability, documented evidence, and traceable control execution.
• Drive consistency and standardization of governance practices with regional and Head Office expectations where applicable.

Risk and Control Assurance

• Oversee control assurance activities, quality reviews, and governance assessments across key technology areas, including:
• System Development / SDLC,
• IT service management,
• IT operations,
• IT asset management,
• Identity and Access Governance,
• Privileged Access Governance,
• Cybersecurity operations,
• External systems / third-party technology governance.
• Assess the adequacy of control design and operating effectiveness, and identify gaps, weaknesses, and improvement opportunities.
• Maintain assessment methodologies, review criteria, and evidence standards aligned with internal and regulatory expectations.

Audit, Regulatory, and Remediation Management

• Lead coordination for internal audit, external audit, and regulatory inspections relating to technology governance and controls.
• Review observations, prepare responses, challenge issues where appropriate, and ensure factual accuracy and proportionality in issue assessment.
• Oversee remediation governance, including action planning, milestone tracking, dependency management, evidence review, escalation, and closure validation.
• Ensure identified issues are remediated in a timely, sustainable, and well-governed manner.

Management Reporting and Escalation

• Prepare and present management reporting on governance posture, risk exposure, audit themes, remediation progress, and structural delivery challenges.
• Highlight key execution risks, cross-team dependencies, ownership gaps, and slippage concerns requiring management intervention.
• Support governance committees and senior management forums with actionable, well-structured insights.

Stakeholder and Regional Coordination

• Work closely with local and regional stakeholders to strengthen governance alignment across entities.
• Act as a liaison between business, technology, risk, compliance, audit, and regional teams on governance and control matters.
• Support regional uplift initiatives and governance harmonization efforts across APAC where required.

Continuous Improvement and Capability Building

• Drive continuous improvement in governance processes, controls, reporting, and evidence quality.
• Promote stronger process discipline, accountability, and awareness of governance requirements across teams.
• Develop and deliver training, guidance, and awareness initiatives to improve understanding and adoption of governance standards and control expectations.

Job Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Security, Risk Management, or a related discipline.
• At least 10–15 years of relevant experience in Technology Governance, IT Risk, IT Controls, Technology Assurance, or Information Security Governance.
• Experience in the banking or financial services sector is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in audit and regulatory engagement, control reviews, governance assessments, and remediation oversight.
• Experience working across regional, multi-entity, or franchise environments is advantageous.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong knowledge of technology governance, risk, and controls across:
• IT operations,
• ITSM,
• SDLC,
• IAM / IGA,
• Privileged access controls,
• Cybersecurity operations,
• Third-party / external systems governance.
• Good understanding of relevant regulations and guidelines, including MAS TRM, BNM RMiT, and broader APAC technology risk expectations.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify control weaknesses, root causes, and systemic delivery constraints.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare management papers and engage senior stakeholders.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing capability in a complex, matrixed environment.
• High level of professionalism, judgment, and attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant professional certifications such as CISA, CRISC, CISSP, CGEIT, or ITIL.
• Familiarity with ServiceNow, JIRA, or similar governance / workflow / ITSM tools.