Risk & Controls Testing & Assessment, Director

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group•Jersey City, NJ

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Risk & Controls Testing Director plays a critical role in safeguarding MUFG by ensuring the effectiveness of key controls within business processes. This position is responsible for overseeing the execution of control testing activities aligned to the Risk Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) framework, a cornerstone of operations risk management. Through rigorous risk-based testing, the Control Testing Director provides assurance that controls are designed and operating effectively to mitigate potential risks. By identifying control gaps and weaknesses, the role supports timely remediation and enhances the firm’s overall risk posture. This function is essential in promoting a strong control environment, enabling business units to proactively manage operational risk and meet regulatory expectations.

Requirements

10+ years of risk and control experience, including managing teams, preferably in a financial institution or other highly regulated environment
Experience implementing, executing, building or enhancing risk and control frameworks
Experience interacting with regulators on examinations and issues remediation
Experience interacting with second line of defense (SLoD) and third line of defense (TLoD) teams on issues life cycle, examinations, and emerging trend identification
Experience presenting balanced risk perspectives and interacting with senior risk and control governance committees
Experience with managing resources (people, tools and/or budget) effectively to execute the required functions
Knowledge of the transaction cycle of several financial service products
Demonstrated strength as a problem solver in a team environment by thinking outside of the box, providing innovative solutions with and without technology
Experience with process documentation, risk and control assessments, and designing/executing risk control test scripts
Excellent skills in risk assessment analysis, governance, and reporting; solid understanding of business and financial markets
Strong knowledge of the inherent risk in the business line
Ability to analyze risk trends, identifying signs of changing risk levels
Ability to summarize technical risk management concepts into easy to understand business language
Experience with problem solving in a team environment by thinking outside of the box, providing innovative solutions with and without technology
Prior supervisory and management role with a focus on talent development
Communicates effectively with ability to convey complex risk ideas to business partners; conversely must be able to explain the business (and associated risk) to second and third line partners
Anticipates changing business needs, adjusts priorities accordingly, and allocates necessary resources and budget to achieve objectives
Equips the business to become an effective competitor in a highly dynamic landscape
Considers stakeholder needs and input as well as best practices and insights from industry trends when making strategic decisions
Is flexible, decisive, and serves as a trusted advisor to senior leaders within the organization
Demonstrates effective negotiation and influencing skills
Prioritizes and facilitates a culture of continuous improvement and systems thinking
Sets the tone for successful collaboration with other business units and corporate entities
Creates an environment that fosters communication, transparency, and collaboration
Cultivates innovation and values learning as a lifelong professional objective
Leads by example, engaging inclusively and with intent
Always acts with integrity
Iterative problem-solving
Independently solution complex problems
Navigate the organization using influencing skills
Ability to lead work streams with sometimes limited oversight/information from inception to completion
Ability to identify obstacles and work in conjunction with others to identify options/solutions
Ability to constructively work both independently and in collaborative environments involving all levels of management and employees
Excels at developing and communicating key messages to senior managers and regulators
Strong leadership, people management, and influencing skills; proven strength in relationship development and leading through influence across multiple stakeholders

Nice To Haves

Degree or equivalent work experience equally preferable
Preferred: degree from a competitive school, demonstrating a strong academic and extracurricular track record
Six Sigma or other process improvement framework experience a plus

Responsibilities

Responsible for ensuring proper design and operating effectiveness of more than 300 controls for Operations to be tested on a varying basis in accordance with policy
Manage a team of ~15 employees including both on and off shore resources, managing a budget effectively
Support Operations Executive and Senior leader Martin Palmeri
Must speak clearly and concisely at various committee meetings such as Operations Risk and Controls Forum (Palmeri), Operations Governance Committee (Palmeri), Operational Risk Committee (Wallace)
Routinely face off to L3 leaders across the bank, being able to challenge where appropriate
Facilitate interactions between required key stakeholders to drive completion or resolution of identified issues related to control testing
Direct the maintenance and development of internal documentation related to control testing governance
Partner with stakeholders, including process owners and control officers, to document controls, enhance control language and develop/maintain test scripts that validate controls are being performed in compliance with bank policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements to mitigate risk to the firm
Direct the execution and documentation of testing for in-scope processes across business units
Oversee testing of controls based on internal and industry standards and guidelines for design and effectiveness
Provide ongoing communication to internal stakeholders throughout the control testing process to keep them apprised of progress and findings, escalating when appropriate
Lead iterative review and challenge of control testing results, working with appropriate stakeholders across the lines of defense to build consensus
Collaborate with process owners, control officers, and Business Unit Risk Managers (BURMs) to develop logic for automated control tests, identifying relevant data sources and measurement criteria for respective controls
Liaise with the Lines of Defense (LoDs) to build consensus on effectiveness thresholds for automated testing
Establish protocols to enable continuous control monitoring, leveraging automated control testing parameters
Liaise with risk assessment team and other stakeholders to ensure control testing is in alignment with broader risk assessment activities
Create synergies by identifying opportunities to repurpose control testing results to satisfy assessment requirements across the bank
Work collaboratively with risk and control team to execute against risk governance procedures
Develop reporting to management on risk assessment status and results, along with business and risk appetite
Establish management routines and procedures to ensure effective organization-wide risk assessment awareness, ownership, and execution
Demonstrated ability to attract, recruit, motivate, develop, and retain key talent; creating a unified team dedicated to risk management effective at carrying out the required functions