Wells Fargo - Minneapolis, MN
posted 3 months ago
Wells Fargo is seeking a Lead Independent Testing Officer in Independent Testing & Validation (IT&V) as part of Corporate Risk. The Independent Testing & Validation team is responsible for developing and designing methodologies and standards for review activities across the Enterprise in alignment with the Risk Management Framework. This role ensures effective and appropriate testing, validation, and documentation of review activities for risk programs, risks, and controls according to established standards and applicable policies. The Lead Independent Testing Officer will be accountable for developing and executing independent operational and compliance risk control testing, focusing on emerging issues and targeted testing. Strong business acumen and experience will be critical in the selection process. Successful candidates will be articulate thought leaders with demonstrated leadership capabilities, impressive interpersonal effectiveness, and a proven ability to engage and influence senior management and business and risk partners. In this role, you will lead teams that plan and execute compliance and operational risk control testing. You will be accountable for conducting end-to-end business process walkthroughs, identifying risks, and evaluating control design while testing the effectiveness of both manual and automated controls. You will supervise the team throughout the lifecycle of testing activities, providing ongoing guidance on scope, sampling, testing approach, issues, work papers, and quality reviews. Additionally, you will develop, maintain, and execute the Annual Plan, ensuring it includes targeted reviews based on risk and meets internal benchmarks. You will need to anticipate changes in the internal and external environment and adapt the testing program accordingly. Your responsibilities will also include leading the implementation of strategic initiatives with moderate risk and complexity, developing and managing relationships with the business, and implementing an effective engagement model for the team and business. You will need to understand applicable business risks and provide effective challenges to business and compliance partners when operational controls are missing, inadequate, or ineffective. Furthermore, you will influence line of business and control executive teams to resolve issues, develop sound corrective actions, and strengthen internal controls. Staying informed of business management's plans to address corrective actions and working with the validation team to understand and assess residual risks will also be part of your duties. You will collaborate with legal, audit, compliance, and business partners to stay updated with ongoing business process changes, regulatory expectations, and customer feedback. You will triage critical or high-risk issues, identify repeat issues, and ensure they are documented appropriately. Providing thoughtful independent credible challenges to lines of business across risk programs and the enterprise will be essential. You will also be responsible for improving the bench strength of the team, developing subject matter expertise within the team regarding all major products, services, and processes in the line of business, and understanding the laws and regulations, regulatory guidance, and policies and procedures of the functions reviewed. Elevating the team's quality of work performed, reviewing quality assurance feedback, and identifying continuous improvement opportunities will be key aspects of your role. You will write reports that clearly articulate work performed and summarize testing results to business leadership, executive management, and the board, providing status updates to key stakeholders on programs and specific reviews where warranted. Lastly, you will sustain a strong risk culture that identifies and provides oversight and escalation of existing and emerging risk issues and common themes across business groups.