Barclays Hiring for Operational Rigour – Risk and Control partner, APAC and Middle East Job at Dubai Full Time

About Corporate Bank Operational Rigour

Corporate Bank (CB) Operational Rigour is an end-to-end global risk and governance function accountable for:

• Evolving and maintaining a robust control environment that supports CB in achieving its growth strategy and an excellent client experience
• Sharing best practice and improving further the way we manage risk across our business
• Oversight across end-to-end processes in terms of risk and controls in relation to the front office business teams and the products we support

The team is responsible for governance and operational rigour across all Corporate Banking covering:

• International Corporate Banking: an international Coverage team comprising International Corporates, The Financial Institutions Group (Banks, Funds, FinTech, Insurance and Alternative Finance) and CB in all non-UK presence locations
• UK Corporate Banking: a UK Coverage team comprising Mid-Corporates, Large Corporates, Real Estate and ESHLA clients
• Transaction Banking: a Product function comprising Digital Banking, Foreign Exchange, Liquidity, Transactions (Payments) and Trade & Working Capital
• Global Lending Group: a Product comprising Debt Finance and Asset Finance
• Regulatory Relations Development: horizon scanning, impact assessments, regulatory advocacy and governance management for regulations that are relevant to Corporate Banking

The role will lead/support Operational Rigour initiatives spanning the CB Business Units noted above. Specifically:

• Partner with the APAC Middle East Business Country Heads to manage the risk & control oversight of the International Corporate Banking Europe business, covering both Product and Coverage activities
• Support CB in achieving strategic objectives by driving the risk and control agenda
• Key enabler in embedding Enterprise Risk Management Framework (ERMF) that promotes strong management control awareness and risk ownership across the business
• Create and deliver a systematic approach to framework oversight when delivering critical activities
• Simplify, standardise and automate processes and controls to ensure continuous improvement, efficiency and consistency
• Managing and addressing growing customer, stakeholder and regulatory expectations
• Own and support the governance model for the business

Key Accountabilities

• The role holder will ensure consistent application of the Barclays’ proprietary Enterprise Risk Management Framework across the APAC & Middle East region, through proactive identification, assessment and mitigation of operational risk and support development of a robust control environment, through implementation of the Internal controls and Governance framework.
• The areas of responsibility will be Product and Coverage areas for International Corporate Banking businesses operating in the APAC & Middle East region. Support may be extended to other areas from time to time based on the needs of Senior Management.
• The individual would be expected to be fully conversant with an understanding and ability to apply the banks Enterprise Risk Management Framework (ERMF) and ensure the appropriate application and compliance across all of the principal risk activities that exist across all branch entities in the region.
• The role requires a close working relationship with senior stakeholders across various businesses and functions in APAC & Middle East and ensures that all business and functional risks & controls are adequately highlighted through One RAs (formerly RCSA), Governance forums and Conformance Assurance. This will include performing control inventory refreshesOne RA , Process Risk Assessments & Reviews, Supporting Controls and Governance meetings (including creating presentations, challenging submissions, and support in conducting the meeting as per the Terms of Reference).
• The individual is expected to support in developing the Risk Profile for various business functions and conducting regular risk assessments. Further, the role holder will be expected to work closely with business team Leads and remain abreast of developments in the business, so as to be able to assist or act as a backup if required.
• The role holder will represent the Region in global forums ensuring that regional nuances are considered in wider policy and governance decisions.

Risk, Control and Governance Partnering Activities

• Coordinate and manage the monthly Risk and Control governance forums across the APAC & Middle East region, including pack collation and review.
• Perform risk assessments and partner with the business to develop RCSA’s ensuring identification and documentation of all inherent risks, mitigating controls.
• Track status of Open Key Control Issues ensuring effective action plans in place, review progress and perform control assurance to ensure the adequate embedment; quality assure the readiness for issue closure.
• Track the status of Open Audit Observations, review progress and quality assure the readiness for issue assurance
• To oversee the remediation of known control issues within the region as appropriate;
• Ensure that standard operating procedures, manuals, program checklists & templates are in place to articulate key Coverage and Product processes and that these are up to date and are adhered to in an effective way.
• Ensure adequate update and maintenance of team’s data systems (for example, ORAC)
• Preparation of data reports for MI / analysis purposes
• Engage with counterparts across other locations to ensure leveraging best practice and learning from other centres.
• Liaise with functional leadership to ensure fully engaged with functional projects that impact the region as appropriate.
• Escalate risk items and risk issues to senior management outside of the reporting cycle as appropriate based on significance/impact of the risk issue/event.
• Ensure adherence to any regulatory requirements as they relate to risk and governance function.

Conformance Reviews

• Coordinate the annual conformance testing calendar for the region in line with the group standards – in coordination with 1st, 2nd and 3rd LoD
• Perform independent targeted reviews of areas of concern / identified key controls and report findings to stakeholders
• To identify control weaknesses and gaps and to ensure these are recorded as appropriate;
• To monitor the remediation of issues raised within your partner area ensuring only robust solutions are implemented
• To raise potential control weaknesses and gaps for discussion with senior members of the team and to ensure these are recorded as appropriate once agreed;

Areas of Subject Matter Expertise

• Drive improvements of risk management standards and processes through review of systems, policies, and procedures.
• To identify and oversee remediation of areas of control weakness so that the control environment continually improves;
• Provide SME support to Coverage & Product colleagues while implementing new SOPs and procedures
• Pre-audit preparation, in order to ensure review readiness and to define the overall scope of the review to be undertaken. Management and tracking of milestones for audit observations as well as Control Issues for identified processes (monitoring, closure testing and closing statement sign offs).
• Provide audit support to stakeholders as necessary, including support throughout the audit process until identified issues by Barclays Internal Audit and regulatory bodies have been satisfactorily remediated;
• To lead on projects related to the area of subject matter expertise at the request of senior colleagues.
• To provide specialist risk and control support on projects as considered appropriate.

Education & Guidance

• Deliver value-adding risk assessments and advice to change projects and new products to ensure changes to the business risk profile are properly quantified and mitigated/managed within agreed risk appetite.
• Provide advice, support and guidance to colleagues in the identification, implementation and adherence to, processes, practices, controls of Records Management / Risk Event process;
• Develop and deliver training sessions to raise awareness and promote best practice of the ERMF/risk and controls framework
• Assist correct identification of existing controls and identification of gaps in the control environment and corrective action required to fill gaps identified;
• Deliver risk training and presentations as required;

Stakeholder Management and Leadership

The coordination and influencing of key stakeholders throughout the assessment, management and implementation of Risk, Governance and Control objectives. Key requirements include, but are not limited to:

• Build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships across Group and BBPLC in multiple jurisdictions.
• Strong coordination of stakeholder input including specialist functions (Operational Risk, CCO, Audit, Legal, Compliance) and Corporate Banking front office (Product, Coverage) .
• Lead projects or workshops, facilitate decision-making governance forums to make key decisions, leverage relationships in order to build consensus and facilitate effective decision making.
• Utilise strong verbal and written skills to present with a high degree of credibility to Senior Management

Risk and Control Objective

Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards

Person Specification

The ideal candidate will have:

• Business / Accounting / Finance related degre or equivalent professional audit or risk-related qualification
• Proficiency in Excel based data analysis
• Strong Word, Outlook and PowerPoint skills, with the ability to storyboard and produce presentations
• Proficiency in preparing effective presentations for Senior Management
• Previous experience or knowledge of Risk Management, Audit, RCSA and Controls processes is preferred
• Knowledge of Corporate Banking products with prior experience working with or within the business on risk/controls, audit/compliance or business/product teams
• Financial services experience with some knowledge and experience of the financial services regulatory environment in the APAC and Middle East region.
• Knowledge of the Barclays and Corporate Banking governance frameworks, policies and procedures.
• Good stakeholder management skills and experience of engaging with senior management teams.
• Ability to analyse data and provide insightful and actionable findings.
• Experience in process improvement and performance control.

Personal Attributes

The ideal candidate will be:

• Strongly action-orientated with a focus on continuous improvement in all areas of responsibility.
• A self-starter, innovative with the ability to deliver quality results with a challenging but positive and influential style.
• Good analysis and problem management skills.
• Ability to manage diverse stakeholder requirements and demands, and successfully negotiate a goal that achieves the best outcome.
• A strong communicator with excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate and negotiate at all levels.
• A team player with a high level of commitment, enthusiasm and energy.
• Able to deliver quality results.
• Well organised with good time management, able to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines
• Relationship builder with a reputation for integrity, evoking rapid trust and confidence in clients, colleagues and teams alike.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills: proven ability to communicate complex technical ideas and plans to a wide range of stakeholders enabling them to make strategic decisions; ability to convey (internally or externally) significant and nuanced messages with tact and diplomacy.

Purpose and Values

We deploy finance responsibly to support people and businesses, acting with empathy and integrity, championing innovation and sustainability, for the common good and the long term.

Our values underpin everything we do: Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship.

Respect

We harness the power of diversity and inclusion in our business, trust those we work with, and value everyone’s contribution.

Integrity

We operate with honesty, transparency and fairness in all we do.

Service

We act with empathy and humility, putting the people and businesses we serve at the centre of what we do.

Excellence

We champion innovation, and use our energy, expertise and resources to make a positive difference..

Stewardship

We prize sustainability, and are passionate about leaving things better than we found them.