Risk Liaison Officer

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments

You'll find the promise we make to our clients is the same one we make to our employees: Your success is our priority.

Here, you'll find growth and career opportunities across all our businesses. We're intentionally built to help you succeed. Our reach is expansive with a global team of 2,000 people working together. Our expertise is diverse with more than 450 investment professionals sharing global perspectives across all major asset classes and markets. Our clients have access to a broad array of investment strategies and we have the capability to create bespoke solutions matched to clients' specific requirements.

Columbia Threadneedle is a people business and we recognise that our success is due to our talented people, who bring diversity of thought, complementary skills and capabilities. We are committed to providing an inclusive workplace that supports the diversity of our employees and reflects our broader communities and client-base. We welcome applications from returners to the industry.

We appreciate that work-life balance is an important factor for many when considering their next move so please discuss any flexible working requirements directly with your recruiter.

Job Purpose Statement

Where you'll fit in & what our team goals are...

In this role you will own the pro-active management of risk within the EMEA HR function, advising and consulting with functional leads to promote risk awareness and operational soundness, creating and maintaining methods which enable effective monitoring and management of risk, adherence to regulatory standards and strong governance.

You will contribute to the delivery of operational and regulatory risk management objectives and support the Senior Director, Global Risk Liaison Officer (RLO) in helping business heads discharge their first-line risk management obligations in line with policy and regulation.

Role Responsibilities

How you'll spend your time....

Operating Soundness

• Review inventories/maps/KRIs that are impacted by Risk Events, Change Programmes or other events which may cause them to be updated and reissued - propose updates to inventory/map/KRI owners.
• Contribute to the writing/reviewing of select policies and procedures in partnership with RLO Director.
• Own tracker or project management for controls remediation projects, as requested by RLO Director.
• Manage the coordination of BCP and operational resilience exercises.

Operational Risk Management i.e. Assessments (RCSA, Scenario Planning, Emerging Risk Analysis, Outsourcing Risk Analysis, Deep Dives), Trends (Risk Indicators, Risk Events, External Events), Findings (RLO testing, RCS assurance, SOx tests)- Support RLO Director in coordinating and performing risk assessment activities and RCC deep dives, prepares recommendations for presentation to Business Unit head.

• Ensure timely and accurate Risk Event (REV) recording and proposes escalation.
• Oversee REV action remediation.
• Review risk trends and recommend actions.
• Conduct risk-based testing in alignment with business need and objectives.
• Support senior RLO in facilitating responses to findings from RLO testing, RCS assurance or SOx testing).

Governance i.e. BU control meeting / RCC

• Contribute to the preparation of agenda/papers for Business control meetings.
• Contribute to the preparation of updates for RCC where required for escalation purposes.

Risk expertise

• Advise and consult with functional leads to promote risk awareness and operational soundness.
• Review internal and industry best practices, Risk/Compliance guidance, champion 2nd line Risk initiatives, and make enhancement recommendations to RLO Director.

Key Capabilities

To be successful in this role you will have....

• Risk/Control expertise: knowledge of current techniques in operational risk management, controls and operational soundness.
• Ability to assess data points (eg. inherent risk, crystallised risk, emerging risks, control effectiveness) to propose an actionable plan to bring data points into tolerance.
• Ability to test control design, effectiveness and evidencing.
• Ability to track and support RLO Senior Director in managing unit deliverables with respect to the control environment.
• Ability to create targeted and high-quality papers for governance forums, working at the direction of the RLO Senior Director.

Desired Capabilities

If you also had this, it would be great...

• Experience in operational risk, controls, business management or audit function.