Head of Governance and Controls

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and communicate the bank’s control strategy aligned with enterprise risk and governance frameworks.
• Influence senior leadership on control priorities, risk appetite, and compliance culture.
• Lead transformation initiatives to enhance control maturity across business units.
• Represent the control function in executive committees and board-level forums.
• Benchmark control practices against industry standards and regulatory expectations.

Governance and Control Framework Oversight

• Design and maintain a comprehensive control framework.
• Ensure controls are embedded in all key processes, systems, and change initiatives.
• Conduct periodic control reviews and challenge business units on control adequacy.
• Drive standardization and automation of control processes across the bank.

Controls Oversight (30%)

• Drive the implementation and management of the control framework, promoting a strong self-assessment culture.
• Embed risk management and control culture within business units.
• Deliver and manage Country Control Framework activities, including Critical Process Assessment and Risk and Controls Self-Assessment (RCSA).
• Identify new and emerging risks through proactive process reviews.
• Support the resolution of audit and control issues.

Governance & Reporting (30%)

• Provide strategic oversight in tracking and closing control issues and audit findings from Combined Assurance Reviews.
• Lead root cause analysis initiatives and ensure lessons learned are embedded into business processes.
• Drive the Management Control Approach (MCA) and Control Environment (CE) review and reporting processes.
• Execute Specialist Risk Type “Road to Satisfactory” plans.

Leadership & People Management (30%)

• Manage, develop, and coach a high-performing team of Control partners.
• Build a team culture of sound conduct and service excellence.
• Manage performance, succession planning, and recruitment for the department.
• Agree on departmental headcount requirements with the Chief Operating and Digital Officer.

Business Networking & Stakeholder Management (10%)

• Maintain high standards of business relationships to ensure value realization.
• Represent Controls in key business forums and work with Group on policy improvements.
• Responsible for cost management and driving cost-saving initiatives for the team.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a Business-related field and a Master’s Degree.
• Professional Qualifications: Full qualification from a professional body such as CPA, ACCA, CISA, CRISC, FRM, or similar.
• Experience:
  • Minimum of 10 years’ experience in governance, controls, risk, audit, or assurance roles within banking or complex financial services.
  • Proven senior leadership experience within a risk-intensive operating environment.
  • Experience engaging with executive leadership, boards, regulators, and auditors.
  • Exposure to technology-enabled banking operations, digital transformation, and change governance.
  • Experience in matrix and multi-stakeholder environments, ideally within regional or multinational organizations.