Operational Risk Manager - VP (APAC)

We are seeking a highly experienced and driven Operational Risk professional to take the lead of day to day ownership of Operational Risk management across the APAC region. This pivotal role involves overseeing and managing all aspects of Operational Risk, with a focus on proactive risk management, and ensuring the identification, assessment, and mitigation of risks across all business functions. The successful candidate will be responsible for continuously improving risk processes, owning risk registers, managing risk assessments, overseeing control effectiveness, and advising the business on decisions in relation to the operating environment as required for a reduction in operational risk.

As a leader in the region, you will promote a strong risk culture and drive engagement with key stakeholders across various business disciplines. This is a highly visible role that requires the development of successful, supportive relationships and the ability to work collaboratively with senior leadership and teams. The ideal candidate will be hands-on, proactive, and anticipatory, with a strong drive to deliver value and the ability to operate independently while influencing outcomes.

Duties 

• Risk representative for Operational Risk in the region, point person for all Operational Risk matters in APAC.
• Risk and Control Assessment: Facilitate risk and control assessments to identify potential risks and implement effective controls, validating remediation of operational risk exposure and related control gaps.
• Root Cause Analysis: Conduct root cause analysis of operational events and develop strategies to mitigate future risks.
• Governance: Lead risk management presence and content in governance forums, ensuring comprehensive oversight and identification of operational risk trends.
• Risk Reporting: Preparing and presenting detailed risk reports / dashboards / metrics to senior management and stakeholders, highlighting key risk areas and recommended actions.
• Trend Analysis: Identify and analyze operational risk trends to inform strategic decision-making.
• Continuous Improvement: Providing thoughtful and collaborative leadership promoting risk transparency and business unit-level ownership and accountability over operational risk and control environments, fostering continuous improvement.
• Risk Aware Culture: Promoting risk aware culture, serving as the subject matter expert on operational risk initiatives. Identifying, initiating, and fostering relationships with business and operational partners to promote a culture of continuous improvement, driving constructive communication with the ORM team.
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring compliance with relevant jurisdictional regulatory requirements, expectations and industry standards related to risk management
• Work with business areas in the region to build out Risk Registers and end-to-end process mapping, working to provide accurate reflection of information and challenge where appropriate.
• Develop and evaluate the design and effectiveness of controls and provide timely and in-depth analysis to Senior Management. This includes challenging management actions to remediate control gaps or weaknesses and track through to closure. Ensure accurate reflection of risk and control information within Risk Registers by providing rigorous challenge where appropriate.
• Monitor and report on Risk Events and Operational Losses escalating to management appropriately, and actively supporting business areas in the lessons learnt.
• Manage and contribute to the process for evaluating and rectifying operational risk incidents, ensuring swift resolution of the incident and that client interest is central to the process, capturing root causes, lessons learnt, ensuring actions for future risk mitigation are implemented and relevance to other business areas or processes is considered.
• Daily management of Broker Losses and reporting to help drive down total value, volumes and learn lessons.
• Challenge requests for Risk Acceptance and provide regular review of action status until closure.
• Responsible for creation of regional Operational Risk reporting for governance forums.
• Stakeholder at relevant regional risk governance Boards, Committees, and governance forums. Contribution to creation of Risk Committee reporting.
• Emerging risk scanning to identify disruptors in the external environment and losses which may lead to the identification of new risks.
• Ongoing development of the Operational Risk Framework and roll out of individual components.
• Practically maintaining strong relationships with second- and third-line assurance functions, actively participating in forums and promoting information sharing.
• Provides support and guidance to embed a positive risk culture.
• Lead on developing localized regional guidance and training.
  Contribute to change initiatives by reviewing new proposals, assessing their impact
• The Company may require you to carry out other duties from time to time

Skills and Experience

• 6+ years of operational risk management, enterprise risk management and/or related experience required; experience in the investment management industry preferred.
• Experience facilitating top-down and bottom-up risk assessments, focused on existing and emerging risk areas.
• Practical experience with Basel, COSO, ERM, risk and control self-assessment tools, methodologies and concepts.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills to work cross-functionally and at all levels internally.
• Proven capability in collecting and analyzing complex data, evaluating information and systems and drawing logical conclusions.
• Track record in planning and project management and in maintaining composure under pressure while meeting deadlines.
• Strong skills in resolving problems and negotiating issues.
• Highly organized and able to manage multiple projects with differing priorities to meet deadlines.
• Experience in governance, risk, assurance, compliance, or internal control roles in Financial Services.
• Strong technical risk and control knowledge.
• Good knowledge of Framework methodology and practice.
• Confident working independently and remotely from your team members.
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of assurance, controls models and corporate governance frameworks.
• Applying sound judgment in the evaluation of risks and controls;
• Challenging the assumptions and conclusions of more experienced staff members;
• Facilitating insightful conversations to ensure appropriate consideration and evaluation of risks;
• Performing effective root cause analysis to identify control gaps and weaknesses and recommending appropriate corrective course of action;
• Collaborating with business managers to promote an effective risk management culture by proactively identifying areas of operational risk;
• Strong team worker and able to take initiative to scope and lead enhancement work;
• Effective report writing and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex requirements simply and to translate them into viable business practices and procedures;
• Self-motivated and inquisitive.
• Innovative/creative and passionate about driving cultural change.
• Self-starter with a positive and proactive attitude.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, as well as ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to build constructive relationships and to influence all levels of staff to deliver cultural change.
• Proactive problem-solver who is determined at chasing down actions and resolutions to completion.
• Ability to work very collaboratively within a global team.
• Strong Excel, Word, PowerPoint skills and experiences in the use of internal IT systems.
• Use of a GRC and Power BI tools desirable.
• Able to balance commercial and regulatory requirements.
• Relevant professional designation desirable.