Director of Risk and Compliance

CORE BANK•Omaha, NE

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Core Bank is seeking a Director of Risk & Compliance to play a critical leadership role in ensuring the Bank maintains a scalable, business-focused, and forward-looking risk management framework. This position reports directly to the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) and serves as the CRO's second-in-command and day-to-day enterprise risk operating leader. The Director is accountable for the leadership, execution, integration, and continuous advancement of the Bank's enterprise risk capabilities across various domains including ERM, Compliance Management, Financial Crimes Compliance, Third-Party Risk Management, Operational Risk, Technology and Cybersecurity, Business Continuity, Data, AI, and other emerging risk areas. The role involves translating the CRO's direction into action to support safe and responsible growth within the Bank's risk appetite. The Director will represent Enterprise Risk Management as a strategic enabler and trusted partner to business lines, executive leadership, the Board, and regulators, combining independent challenge with practical judgment. The ideal candidate will possess expertise in traditional banking risk disciplines and a strong understanding of fintech ecosystems, Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS), embedded banking models, data and AI governance, and emerging risks. This role is crucial for strengthening trust in the second line, supporting innovation, and advancing the Bank's purpose, vision, and values. The Director will also lead the evolution of the Bank's risk capabilities and oversight model towards a next-generation, forward-looking framework, emphasizing leading and emerging risk indicators, scenario analysis, and data analytics to proactively identify threats. The ideal candidate is an experienced enterprise risk leader and operator who can balance strategy and execution, understands value creation in a bank, has credibility to challenge senior leaders, possesses sound judgment for decision-making, and can build scalable, modern risk capabilities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Risk Management, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
Minimum 12 years of progressive leadership experience in banking, financial services, technology, risk management, compliance, audit, or related disciplines.
Demonstrated expertise across multiple risk domains, including: Enterprise Risk Management, Operational Risk, Technology Risk, Information Security & Cybersecurity Risk, Third-Party Risk Management, Regulatory Compliance, Financial Crimes Compliance.
Experience interacting directly with regulators, auditors, executive leadership teams, and Boards of Directors.
Experience building, transforming, or maturing enterprise risk programs in regulated financial institutions, including implementing leading and emerging risk indicators, scenario analysis, decision frameworks, and executive and Board reporting that support strategic outcomes and preserve safety and soundness.
Experience supporting fintech partnerships, embedded banking programs, sponsor banking, digital banking initiatives, or technology-enabled financial services environments.
Alignment with the Bank's Purpose, Vision, and Values.
Deep understanding of Enterprise Risk Management and risk governance principles.
Strong working knowledge of banking regulations and guidance, including FFIEC standards, BSA/AML requirements, regulatory compliance regulations, and third-party risk guidance.
Understanding of AI governance, emerging technology risk, cloud services, automation, model oversight, and data governance concepts.
Knowledge of fintech ecosystems, sponsor banking, Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS), embedded banking, digital banking platforms, and partnership risk management.
Strong analytical and data interpretation skills, with the ability to leverage reporting and technology tools to support risk-based decision-making.
Exceptional written, verbal, and executive presentation skills.
Demonstrated ability to influence outcomes across organizations without direct authority.
Strategic thinker who can balance detailed risk analysis with broader organizational objectives.
Agile leader who thrives in evolving environments and can effectively adapt to changing business and regulatory expectations.
Proven ability to build collaborative relationships across business functions, regulators, auditors, fintech partners, and executive leadership teams.
Business-first mindset with the judgment, courage, and credibility to make timely risk decisions, recommend practical solutions, challenge constructively, and distinguish matters that can be resolved through delegated authority from those requiring escalation to the CRO, executive leadership, or the Board.

Responsibilities

Provide leadership, coaching, development, and performance management for Risk personnel.
Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, innovation, responsiveness, and continuous improvement.
Build the confidence and decision-making capabilities of Risk team members.
Coach Risk personnel through complex judgments and decisions.
Establish clear decision rights and escalation thresholds.
Lead the day-to-day execution of the Enterprise Risk Management strategic plan, framework, and ERM plan activities.
Translate the CRO’s strategic priorities and direction into actionable plans, accountabilities, decisions, and measurable outcomes.
Serve as the CRO's primary delegate and go-to enterprise risk leader in management committees, governance forums, and material business decisions.
Exercise delegated authority, provide timely risk-based recommendations, resolve issues at the appropriate level, and escalate matters to the CRO when they exceed established decision rights, risk tolerances, or the Board-approved risk appetite.
Evaluate strategic initiatives, new products, services, business lines, technologies, partnerships, and material changes to the Bank's operating model for alignment with strategic objectives, risk appetite, and safety and soundness.
Partner closely with business and functional leaders to understand strategic objectives, identify risks and opportunities, and develop practical pathways to achieve desired outcomes within the Board-approved risk appetite.
Build strong, trusted relationships with business leaders while maintaining independent second-line challenge.
Maintain and continuously mature enterprise-wide risk assessment methodologies, risk inventories, risk appetite measures, key risk indicators, and governance processes.
Expand the program's use of leading and emerging risk indicators, scenario analysis, external intelligence, and forward-looking trend analysis.
Prepare executive- and Board-level risk reporting that translates indicators into clear insights, plausible scenarios, and recommended actions.
Develop and adapt reporting that shows how changes in the risk profile may affect strategic objectives, the Board-approved risk appetite, shareholder value, consistent returns, and regulator trust.
Coordinate enterprise issue management, remediation tracking, and risk governance activities across all business lines and functions.
Identify opportunities to simplify, streamline, automate, or redesign risk processes.
Continually assess whether the Bank's risk framework, governance, talent, data, technology, and capabilities enable and support the Bank's evolving strategy and risk profile.
Define and maintain enterprise risk decision rights, escalation criteria, and governance protocols.
Partner with technology and business leaders to ensure innovation occurs safely and within established risk tolerances.
Serve as the Bank's independent second-line risk leader for cybersecurity, operational resiliency, business continuity, disaster recovery, data governance, and technology risk management.
Provide independent second-line oversight and credible challenge of Information Technology, Information Security, Cybersecurity, Privacy, Data, AI and related risk domains and programs.
Independently assess whether technology and cyber risk management capabilities appropriately support the Bank's strategic objectives, growth plans, operational resilience, and risk appetite.
Oversee governance, and risk and control assessments for artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, banking technologies, models, data, cloud services, third-party technologies, and other emerging technologies.
Monitor evolving regulatory guidance, supervisory expectations, industry practices, and emerging threats related to AI, fintech, cybersecurity, cloud computing, digital banking, and other technology-enabled financial services.
Identify emerging technology risks early and ensure appropriate governance is established before risks become material.
Own the Bank's Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) Program and overall governance framework.
Provide enterprise oversight of material third-party relationships including fintech partners, embedded banking arrangements, technology service providers, and other outsourced activities.
Ensure appropriate due diligence, risk assessment, onboarding, monitoring, issue management, operational resilience, and offboarding practices are maintained.
Evaluate and monitor concentration, operational, information/cybersecurity, compliance, financial, and strategic risks associated with material third parties.
Partner with business leaders to establish risk-based, scalable approaches that allow strategic partnerships to grow safely.
Identify emerging risks within the Bank's partner ecosystem and ensure appropriate action is taken before risks materially impact the bank’s strategies and plans.
Oversee the Bank's Financial Crimes and Compliance Management Programs, teams and overall governance frameworks.
Ensure effective independent second-line oversight of applicable federal and state laws and regulations.
Monitor evolving regulatory requirements and ensure timely and appropriate regulatory change implementation of policy, process, controls and governance capabilities.
Ensure Compliance and Financial Crimes programs evolve with the Bank's products, partnerships, technologies, customers, and business model.
Promote a proactive compliance culture that identifies regulatory risk early and works collaboratively with the business to develop sustainable solutions.
Own the Bank's Operational Risk Management Framework and related governance processes.
Ensure operational risk frameworks evolve with organizational growth, technology adoption, third-party dependencies, new products, and changes to the Bank's operating model.
Oversee operational risk and control assessments, loss event management, root cause analysis, control effectiveness reviews, and issue management activities.
Coordinate and oversee business continuity and disaster recovery practices and capabilities for ongoing operational resilience.
Identify systemic and cross-functional operational risks that may not be visible through individual business-line risk assessments.
Serve as the CRO's trusted thought partner on enterprise risk decisions, strategic initiatives, and emerging risks.
Equip the CRO with recommendations and decision-ready analysis.
Proactively identify matters that require CRO attention and resolve matters within delegated authority without unnecessary escalation.
Help protect the CRO's capacity for strategic planning, C-Suite and Board partnership and governance, regulatory relationships, and enterprise strategy.
Provide the CRO with early warning of material changes in the Bank's risk profile, emerging threats, significant control weaknesses, regulatory concerns, and issues that could affect strategic outcomes.
Serve as a stabilizing and integrating force across the company, ensuring consistent interpretation and application of the CRO's risk philosophy and expectations.
Step into the CRO's role in appropriate forums and situations when delegated, ensuring continuity of leadership and decision-making.
Support Audit and Assurance activities that are performed independently under direction of the CRO.
Coordinate regulatory examinations and internal and external audit activities for applicable risk areas.
Coordinate and support corrective action planning, issue remediation, and sustainable resolution of examination and audit findings.
Build and maintain trusted relationships with regulators and auditors through transparency and consistent execution.
Reinforce the Bank's reputation with regulators as an institution that understands its risks, acts proactively, makes sound decisions, and operates within its approved risk appetite.
Regular attendance is required.
Other activities, duties, or responsibilities may be assigned as needed.