Principal Associate, Risk Specialist

Capital One; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 121,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Capital One seeks a Principal Associate, Risk Specialist to join the Global Payment Network Data Governance team in McLean, VA. You will help ensure data is well‑managed, high quality, and compliant with enterprise data policies, enabling data‑driven decisions and robust risk oversight.

You will collaborate with Accountable Executives, Performing Data Stewards, and tech teams to align initiatives with risk priorities, build governance programs, and deliver actionable insights through reporting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or military experience required.
• At least 3 years of risk management, data management, or financial services experience.
• At least 3 years of experience partnering with internal business clients.
• Masters degree preferred.
• At least 4 years leading cross-functional risk or data initiatives.
• Professional certification such as CISA, CDMP, or PMP is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Data Governance & Policy Adherence: Enable the implementation and oversight of data management practices to ensure compliance with policies, procedures, and best practices
• Data Quality Management: Implement and execute programs to ensure the quality, accuracy, and reliability of Card’s most important data
• Tooling & Ecosystem Mastery: Proactively learn and master the nuances of the various tools used to support the data management ecosystem to drive automation, efficiency, and better risk oversight
• Problem Solving & Innovation: Apply intellectual curiosity and strong analytical skills to solve complex data management challenges and identify opportunities for process transformation and automation initiatives
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner with Accountable Executives (AEs), Performing Data Stewards (PDSs), and tech teams to ensure data-driven initiatives align with the broader risk and well-managed agenda
• Risk Insights & Reporting: Proactively synthesize data and reporting to provide actionable business insights to senior leadership regarding the health and compliance of the data ecosystem

Education

Bachelor's degree or military experience

Masters degree (preferred)

Tools

Data Governance

Data Quality Management

Tooling & Ecosystem Mastery

Problem Solving & Innovation

Stakeholder Collaboration

Risk Insights & Reporting

Job description

Principal Associate, Risk Specialist

Do you like working in the spotlight? Are you ready to work on the front line of a top 10 Bank? Can you build relationships as well as develop and implement innovative solutions? As a Principal Risk Associate on the Global Payment Network Data Governance team, you will work with a team of professionals dedicated to ensuring that the Network’s most critical data is well-managed, high quality, and adheres to enterprise data management policies. You will play a pivotal role in maintaining the integrity of our data ecosystem, enabling the organization to make data-driven decisions with confidence while mitigating risks across the data lifecycle.

Responsibilities:

• Data Governance & Policy Adherence: Enable the implementation and oversight of data management practices to ensure compliance with policies, procedures, and best practices
• Data Quality Management: Implement and execute programs to ensure the quality, accuracy, and reliability of Card’s most important data
• Tooling & Ecosystem Mastery: Proactively learn and master the nuances of the various tools used to support the data management ecosystem to drive automation, efficiency, and better risk oversight
• Problem Solving & Innovation: Apply intellectual curiosity and strong analytical skills to solve complex data management challenges and identify opportunities for process transformation and automation initiatives
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner with Accountable Executives (AEs), Performing Data Stewards (PDSs), and tech teams to ensure data-driven initiatives align with the broader risk and well-managed agenda
• Risk Insights & Reporting: Proactively synthesize data and reporting to provide actionable business insights to senior leadership regarding the health and compliance of the data ecosystem

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree or Military experience
• At least 3 years of Risk Management, Data Management, or Financial Services experience
• At least 3 years of experience supporting, partnering and interacting with internal business clients

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters Degree
• At least 4 years of experience leading cross functional Risk or Data
• Professional certification such as CISA, CDMP, or PMP

At this time, Capital One will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position.

The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.

McLean, VA: $120,800 - $137,900 for Principal Risk Specialist

Richmond, VA: $109,900 - $125,400 for Principal Risk Specialist

Riverwoods, IL: $109,900 - $125,400 for Principal Risk Specialist

Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate’s offer letter.

This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.

Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at the Capital One Careers website (https://www.capitalonecareers.com/benefits) . Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.

This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.

Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City’s Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.