Sr. Director, GRC Technology

001 The Northern Trust Company; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 206,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Northern Trust is seeking an experienced engineering and delivery leader to guide complex risk, governance, and regulatory programs across multiple squads. The role emphasizes collaboration with senior stakeholders, platform services, and enterprise architecture to ensure successful delivery.

Responsibilities include coordinating cross-squad delivery, ensuring CI/CD and DevSecOps practices, and mentoring engineering teams to improve velocity and quality.

Qualifications

• Experience leading complex risk and compliance programs.
• Partner with senior leadership, product owners, risk, compliance, and sponsors to define delivery approaches.
• Expertise in governance, risk, and compliance transformations.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering and delivery leaders across squads to ensure aligned priorities.
• Coordinate end-to-end program delivery including platform services, integrations, and data workflows.
• Align technical decisions with enterprise architecture and platform strategy.

Skills

Delivery leadership

Program management

GRC transformation

Stakeholder management

Regulatory knowledge

Cross-team collaboration

Tools

ServiceNow IRM

Job description

About Northern Trust

As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions. Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide. With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Leadership Scope and Responsibilities

Delivery and execution: Partner with senior leadership, Product Owners, 1LOD/2LOD Risk, Compliance, and Program Sponsors to define delivery approaches, drive execution, manage risks, and ensure appropriate resourcing and prioritization across Risk initiatives.

Matrixed program leadership: Work across matrixed teams supporting interconnected, complex programs that are enterprise and regulatory priorities.

Portfolio oversight: Oversee program management across deliverables for the ServiceNow IRM platform and delivery organization, aligning program outcomes with regulatory commitments, enterprise risk objectives, and strategic business goals.

Complex problem resolution: Direct the resolution of highly complex business, process, data, and technology challenges through advanced critical thinking and disciplined execution.

GRC transformation expertise: Apply industry knowledge, regulatory awareness, and enterprise delivery experience to successfully deliver Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) transformation programs.

Stakeholder influence: Influence and negotiate with senior leaders across Technology, Risk, Compliance, and Business functions to drive delivery outcomes and remove obstacles.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Delivery Leadership

• Coordinate execution across all delivery squads.
• Manage cross-team technical dependencies and sequencing.
• Ensure sprint commitments align with integrated release objectives.
• Establish engineering delivery predictability and quality metrics.

Cross‑Squad Solution Engineering

• Lead delivery of capabilities spanning multiple squads.
• Coordinate end‑to‑end implementations involving platform services, integrations, reporting, data products, and business workflows.
• Ensure consistent implementation patterns across squads.

Platform & Architecture Alignment

• Partner with Solution Architects and Platform Architects to enforce architectural standards.
• Govern technical design decisions and technical debt remediation.
• Ensure engineering solutions align to enterprise architecture and ServiceNow platform strategy.

Integration & Data Leadership

• Oversee delivery of shared integrations, APIs, data pipelines, data migrations, and risk reporting platforms.
• Coordinate engineering work between various capability squads.

Engineering Excellence

• Drive automation, CI/CD, quality engineering, and DevSecOps practices.
• Establish coding standards, peer review practices, and reusable engineering patterns.
• Improve engineering productivity and delivery velocity.

Release & Environment Management

• Coordinate integrated release planning across squads.
• Manage environmental readiness, deployment sequencing, and production readiness.
• Own engineering readiness for major business releases.

Talent & Capacity Leadership

• Mentor Engineers teams across squads.
• Develop engineering capability roadmaps.
• Optimize engineering resource allocation against changing delivery priorities.

Engineering Excellence

• Drive automation, CI/CD, quality engineering, and DevSecOps practices.
• Establish coding standards, peer review practices, and reusable engineering patterns.
• Improve engineering productivity and delivery velocity.

Release & Environment Management

• Coordinate integrated release planning across squads.
• Manage environmental readiness, deployment sequencing, and production readiness.
• Own engineering readiness for major business releases.

Talent & Capacity Leadership

• Mentor Engineers teams across squads.
• Develop engineering capability roadmaps.
• Optimize engineering resource allocation against changing delivery priorities.

Salary Range

Salary Range: $205,700 - 360,100 USD Salary range is a good faith estimate of base pay.

Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well-being benefits. Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment‑based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment‑based visa).

Working with Us

As a Northern Trust partner, you will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture, which has a strong history of financial strength and stability. Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to an inclusive workplace and assisting the communities we serve. Philanthropy is deeply rooted in Northern Trust’s history and is an essential element of our culture. Employees around the world give their time and talent to work for the greater good of their communities.

Reasonable Accommodation

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing adjustments to individuals with health conditions and disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at [e-mail], or alternatively you can discuss your individual requirements with the recruiter you are working with.

Terms and Conditions

Candidate Privacy Notice California Applicant Privacy Notice Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision (U.S) Transparency in Coverage Disclosure – North America Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center or call 1-800-807-0302 (North America), [phone] (Asia Pacific), 1800-425-0333 (India), [phone] (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

APAC/INDIA EEO STATEMENT It is the policy and practice of Northern Trust to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. Northern Trust does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion or belief, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or age. All employment decisions will be made in a non-discriminatory manner in accordance with our obligations under the law and codes of practice. This includes human resources’ decisions relating to recruitment, terms and conditions of employment, transfers, promotions and access to learning and development.

Canada EEO STATEMENT Northern Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Hiring and other employment decisions at Northern Trust are made without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, ancestry, national origin, ethnic origin, age, disability, citizenship, veteran status, sexual orientation, record of offences, marital status, family status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, or local law, regulation, or ordinance.

EMEA EEO STATEMENT It is the policy and practice of Northern Trust to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. Northern Trust does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion or belief, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or age. All employment decisions will be made in a non-discriminatory manner in accordance with our obligations under the law and codes of practice. This includes human resources’ decisions relating to recruitment, terms and conditions of employment, transfers, promotions and access to learning and development.

USA EEO STATEMENT It is the policy of The Northern Trust Company to afford equal opportunity in all phases of employment without regard to an individual's age, race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic tests and information, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status or any other legally protected status. EEO Know Your Rights (U.S.)