Senior Director, Third-Party Risk

S&P Global•New York, NY

19h

About The Position

The Senior Director, Third-Party Risk is part of the second-line Technology Risk & Resilience function and leads oversight of third-party risk. The role helps operationalize the enterprise third-party risk framework through practical partnership with business leadership and key control functions. It has a significant emphasis on third-party cyber, technology, and dependency risk, strengthening governance and oversight of vendor-provided services, external platforms—including cloud, SaaS, and AI providers—and critical dependencies.

Requirements

Significant experience (12+ years) in third-party, technology, or cyber risk leadership in the second line, first-line control, audit, or equivalent.
Proven ability to advise senior stakeholders, influence outcomes, and drive consistency across teams.
Demonstrated experience assessing and communicating risk arising from vendors, external services, and dependencies, including cyber risk, operational resilience implications, and governance expectations.
Working knowledge of risk appetite, KRIs, issue management, and risk acceptance.
Familiarity with third-party and resilience regulatory expectations, such as DORA and the IOSCO outsourcing principles.
Strong track record of building partnerships across the business, key functions, and assurance teams to improve outcomes without creating friction.
Proven ability to produce clear, decision-ready risk reporting for leadership.
Working knowledge of using AI tools to enhance efficiency and productivity.
Experience with GRC platforms and continuous vendor monitoring tools.
Relevant certification, such as CISSP, CISM, CRISC, or other third-party risk credentials.
Indefinite right to work in the United States.

Responsibilities

Own and operationalize the enterprise third-party risk framework, including tiering, minimum due diligence standards, and risk tolerances, partnering with first-line leaders to drive consistent risk identification, prioritization, and mitigation.
Provide senior risk oversight, assessment, and advisory support on material third-party cyber and technology risks, including vendor security posture, InfoSec cyber review effectiveness, third-party incidents, and AI provider risk.
Facilitate risk discussions and document decision-quality outcomes.
Lead second-line oversight of risks introduced through third parties and external dependencies, including subcontractors, focusing on material vendors and services and real operational impact such as availability, continuity, security posture, and concentration or dependency.
Partner with TPRM to ensure third-party technology and cyber risk requirements are practical, risk-based, and integrated into decision-making before commitment, including onboarding, renewals, and major changes.
Provide second-line challenge and guidance on third-party risk issues, remediation, and risk acceptances, ensuring decisions are clear, time-bound, documented, and appropriately escalated when risk is elevated or outside tolerance.
Improve executive visibility into external-dependency risk exposure through better dependency mapping, concentration analysis, KRIs, and dependency-driven risk reporting.
Drive continuous improvement of the framework, including adjusting methodologies and thresholds as the risk environment evolves.