Senior Manager & Operational Risk Officer

Bank of Montreal•Chicago, IL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

This Senior Manager, Operational Risk Officer role presents a unique opportunity to play a highly visible and influential oversight role within the Finance function at a time when operational and non-financial risk management is becoming increasingly important across the organization. As part of the second line of defence, the successful candidate will provide independent challenge and oversight of Finance's risk management practices, control environment, and remediation activities, while partnering with senior leaders across multiple lines of business and corporate functions. The role offers significant exposure to executive stakeholders and high-priority initiatives, including special projects that receive considerable leadership attention, creating an exceptional platform to build credibility, make a meaningful impact, and elevate one's profile across the bank. The ideal candidate is an experienced risk or finance professional with the confidence, presence, and business acumen to effectively challenge senior stakeholders and influence decision-making. A strong foundation in accounting, financial management, controllership, SOX, audit, or related finance disciplines is highly desirable, with a CPA designation viewed as a strong asset. Success in this role requires the ability to independently form and articulate risk-based opinions, navigate complex discussions with leaders who may be more senior in their subject-matter expertise, and provide thoughtful oversight of financial controls, governance, and remediation efforts. This is an excellent opportunity for a seasoned professional looking to deepen their expertise in operational risk within the Finance function while gaining broad organizational exposure and leadership visibility.

Requirements

Typically 7+ years of relevant experience and post-secondary degree in related field of study or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
In-depth / expert knowledge operational risk management practices.
In-depth / expert knowledge of the designated business / product portfolio.
In-depth / expert knowledge of regulatory requirements.
In-depth / expert knowledge of quantitative techniques and economic capital methodologies.
In-depth / expert knowledge & experience with risk policy frameworks; quality control / testing frameworks.
Seasoned professional with a combination of education, experience and industry knowledge.
Verbal & written communication skills - In-depth / Expert.
Analytical and problem solving skills - In-depth / Expert.
Influence skills - In-depth / Expert.
Collaboration & team skills; with a focus on cross-group collaboration - In-depth / Expert.
Able to manage ambiguity.
Data driven decision making - In-depth / Expert.

Nice To Haves

CPA designation viewed as a strong asset.

Responsibilities

Provides oversight, monitoring and reporting on operational risks for a designated portfolio.
Develops and monitors the operational management framework that includes the governance framework & practices leveraged across BMO to manage operational risks.
Provides policies & standards, methodologies and controls that increase transparency, accuracy and consistency across groups.
Works with stakeholders to implement the methodology, metrics and program standards for the assigned portfolio to ensure compliance as well as effective monitoring, timely reporting and identification of action plans.
Provides strategic input into business decisions as a trusted advisor.
Makes recommendations to senior leaders on strategy and new initiatives, based on an in-depth understanding of the business/group.
Acts as a subject matter expert on relevant regulations and policies.
May network with industry contacts to gain competitive insights and best practices.
Interprets new regulations and assesses impacts to the governance framework.
Develops reports on the status of the governance program or framework components to various internal & external stakeholder audiences.
Influences and negotiates to achieve business objectives.
Identifies emerging issues and trends to inform decision-making.
Recommends business priorities, advises on resource requirements and develops roadmap for strategic execution.
Manages resources and leads the execution of strategic initiatives to deliver on business and financial goals.
Measures the effectiveness of risk governance system and framework; recommends changes as required.
Conducts independent analysis and assessment to resolve strategic issues.
Leads the development and maintenance of the governance system and framework.
Acts as the prime subject matter expert for internal/external stakeholders.
Represents the model validation program / portfolio for internal/external regulatory audits and/or examinations.
Ensures alignment between stakeholders.
Designs and produces regular and ad-hoc reports, and dashboards.
Develops and manages comprehensive information management systems; designs and/or leads initiatives to improve processes, analysis and reporting.
Defines business requirements for analytics & reporting to ensure data insights inform business decision making.
Leads change management programs of varying scope and type, including readiness assessments, planning, stakeholder management, execution, evaluation and sustainment of initiatives.
Leads the development of the communication strategy focusing on positively influencing or changing behaviour.
Leads the execution of operational programs; assesses and adapts as needed to ensure quality of execution.
Manages the review and sign-off process for relevant regulatory reporting.
Leads and integrates the monitoring, measurement & reporting on the status of the operational risk governance program to internal & external stakeholders.
Leads the management of governance meetings and maintenance of governing body mandates, oversight and approval guidelines.
May provide specialized support for other internal and external regulatory requirements.
Provides input into the planning and implementation of ongoing operational programs in support of the operational risk framework.
Leads/participates in the design, implementation and management of core business/group processes.
Administers and maintains operational risk program activities in adherence to all policies, procedures and established processes.
Identifies potential risk situations/ impacts, and make recommendations or escalates to the manager, as per guidelines.
Develops and maintains in-depth knowledge of business and related risk management requirements and legislative/ regulatory directives and guidance.
Builds effective relationships with internal/external stakeholders e.g. business stakeholders and Corporate Support Areas (CSAs) in providing ‘second line of defense’ operational risk management support.
Analyzes data and information to provide insights and recommendations; includes identification of risk impacts for new processes and workflows related to initiatives.
Monitors and tracks performance; addresses any issues.
Coordinates and monitors the review and sign-off of attestations and reporting.
Maintains tools and templates for operational risk programs (e.g., Risk Control Self Assessment (RCSA), Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) or regulatory compliance), as required.
Operates at a group/enterprise-wide level and serves as a specialist resource to senior leaders and stakeholders.
Applies expertise and thinks creatively to address unique or ambiguous situations and to find solutions to problems that can be complex and non-routine.
Implements changes in response to shifting trends.
Broader work or accountabilities may be assigned as needed.