GRC Lead – Controls Modernization & Technology Risk

Cognizant; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 137,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid Time Off

401(k) plan

Disability Insurance

Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking an experienced GRC Lead to drive the assessment, rationalization, and modernization of technology operational controls within a large-scale financial services setting. You will lead control assessments, facilitate stakeholder workshops, validate effectiveness, and develop modernization and automation strategies.

Strong governance, analytical rigor, and hands-on banking experience are required.

Qualifications

• Proven background in technology risk, IT audit, and GRC within regulated environments.
• Experience mapping risks to controls and validating control effectiveness.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, workshop facilitation, and documentation skills.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks such as FFIEC, COBIT, NIST, and ITGC.
• Experience with control modernization and automation initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead assessment and rationalization of technology operational controls, validating design, ownership, risk alignment, and evidence requirements.
• Review control inventories to identify gaps, overlap, duplication, and optimization opportunities.
• Facilitate workshops with control owners, technology teams, risk, compliance, and governance groups.
• Develop recommendations to retain, consolidate, enhance, or retire controls based on risk and value.
• Update control definitions, ownership models, scope statements, frequencies, and evidence expectations.
• Ensure alignment with industry frameworks and regulatory expectations (FFIEC, COBIT, enterprise risk management).
• Identify opportunities for automation across control execution, evidence collection, testing, monitoring, and compliance.
• Develop assessment findings, rationalization matrices, refreshed control sets, and roadmaps for modernization.
• Support validation activities and ensure traceability to business objectives.

Skills

Technology Risk

IT Audit

GRC

Operational Risk

Controls Transformation

Education

CISA

CRISC

CIA

CGEIT

ISO 27001 Lead Auditor

Tools

ServiceNow GRC

Archer

MetricStream

OpenPages

Job description

Practice - CIS - Cloud, Infrastructure, and Security Services

About Cloud Infrastructure & Security Services: Cognizant’s Cloud, Infrastructure, and Security Services Practice (CIS), is all about embracing digital transformation by driving core modernization holistically across layers. We help customers transform infrastructure and workplace to meet the rapidly evolving needs of the digital era. Our holistic approach delivers key results for our customers by achieving cloud driven modernization and workplace and operational transformation to run the business in a secure environment.

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced GRC Lead to drive the assessment, rationalization, and modernization of technology operational controls within a large‑scale financial services environment. This role will be responsible for leading control assessments, facilitating stakeholder workshops, validating control effectiveness, and developing recommendations to optimize the control landscape. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in technology risk, IT audit, control design, operational risk, and control rationalization, with the ability to translate assessment findings into actionable modernization and automation strategies. This position requires strong stakeholder engagement, analytical rigor, and hands‑on experience within regulated banking environments.

Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future

In this role, you will:

• Lead the assessment and rationalization of technology operational controls, validating control design, effectiveness, ownership, risk alignment, and evidence requirements.
• Review control inventories and conduct detailed evaluations to identify control gaps, overlap, duplication, obsolete controls, and optimization opportunities.
• Facilitate workshops and working sessions with control owners, technology teams, risk functions, compliance stakeholders, and governance groups.
• Develop and document recommendations to retain, consolidate, enhance, or retire controls based on risk coverage, efficiency, and business value.
• Update and refine control definitions, ownership models, scope statements, execution frequencies, and evidence expectations.
• Ensure control recommendations align with industry frameworks and regulatory expectations, including FFIEC, COBIT, and enterprise risk management standards.
• Identify opportunities for automation across control execution, evidence collection, testing, monitoring, and compliance activities.
• Develop assessment findings, control rationalization matrices, refreshed control sets, automation recommendations, and roadmap inputs.
• Support stakeholder validation activities and ensure recommendations are traceable, evidence‑based, and aligned with business objectives.
• Perform quality reviews of control documentation, assessment outputs, and consultant deliverables to ensure consistency and accuracy.
• Contribute to executive summaries, governance presentations, and findings reports used to support future‑state control transformation initiatives.
• Partner with delivery leadership and stakeholders to drive risk reduction, audit readiness, and control modernization outcomes.

What you need to have to be considered

• 10+ years of experience in Technology Risk, IT Audit, Governance Risk & Compliance (GRC), Internal Controls, Operational Risk, or Controls Transformation.
• Strong hands‑on experience assessing and improving technology operational controls within banking or financial services organizations.
• Proven experience conducting control assessments, evidence reviews, risk‑to‑control mapping, and control effectiveness evaluations.
• Experience rationalizing control inventories and documenting control disposition decisions with supporting rationale and stakeholder validation.
• Strong understanding of control design principles, audit readiness requirements, control ownership, governance models, and risk management frameworks.
• Knowledge of industry standards and frameworks including FFIEC, COBIT, NIST, ITGC, and operational risk management practices.
• Experience facilitating workshops, conducting stakeholder interviews, and translating discussions into structured risk and control findings.
• Familiarity with automation opportunity assessments and control modernization initiatives.
• Strong analytical, documentation, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working with GRC platforms such as ServiceNow GRC, Archer, MetricStream, OpenPages, or similar tools is preferred.
• Professional certifications such as CISA, CRISC, CIA, CGEIT, CISSP, or ISO 27001 Lead Auditor are highly desirable.

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Applications will be accepted until 21 Aug 2026.

Salary and Other Compensation:

The annual salary for this position is between $[136,500 -160,000] depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

Benefits: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.