Wells Fargo - West Des Moines, IA
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 standards and other 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 a determining factor in selection. Successful candidates will be articulate, thought leaders, and possess demonstrated leadership capability; they will be impressive in their inter-personal effectiveness, regarding their accomplishments, and with 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 and be accountable for conducting end-to-end business process walkthroughs, identifying risks and primary and compensating operational and compliance controls, evaluating control design, and testing the effectiveness of manual and automated controls. You will supervise the team throughout the life cycle of testing activities to provide ongoing guidance on scope, sampling, testing approach, issues, work papers, quality reviews, etc. You will develop, maintain, and execute the Annual Plan, ensuring it includes targeted reviews based on risk and meets internal benchmarks. Anticipating changes in the internal and external environment and adapting the testing program of the team accordingly will be crucial. You will lead the implementation of strategic initiatives with moderate risk and complexity, develop and manage relationships with the business, and implement an effective engagement model for the team and business. Understanding applicable business risks and providing effective challenge to business and/or compliance partners when operational controls are missing, inadequate, or ineffective will be part of your responsibilities. 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 be essential. You will collaborate with legal, audit, compliance, and business partners to stay up to date with ongoing business process changes, regulatory expectations, customer feedback, etc. Triage critical or high-risk issues and determine next steps, while identifying repeat issues and ensuring they are documented appropriately. Your role will also involve providing thoughtful independent credible challenge to lines of business across risk programs and the enterprise, improving the bench strength of the team, and developing subject matter expertise within the team of all the major products, services, and processes in the line of business. You will elevate the team's quality of work performed, review quality assurance feedback, and take appropriate actions to address areas requiring attention. Identifying continuous improvement opportunities and implementing routines to drive effectiveness and efficiency will be key. 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. This role sustains a strong risk culture that identifies and provides oversight and escalation of existing and emerging risk issues and common themes across business groups.