Strategic Remediation Validation Specialist (Risk, Controls and Audit)

About the position

This is a newly created individual contributor within the recently established Global Strategic Remediation Oversight and Governance (SROG) team as part of the Global Regulatory Affairs Office. The successful candidate will report to the Remediation Validation Testing Manager and will bring proven expertise in financial services assurance and validation testing activities. Among other activities, this individual will assist in designing and establishing the methodology and processes supporting validation of significant remediation quality control validation activities. Significant remediation activities include those of regulators and internal audit. The candidate will interact and build relationships with senior management across Northern Trust. Additionally, the candidate will use their technical ability in the execution of the remediation quality control/validation testing plan. This individual will play a key role in managing and executing Northern Trust's remediation quality control/validation testing program, ensuring alignment with regulatory expectations and translating multiple requirements into a balanced validation program. The seasoned professional supplies deep subject matter expertise and execution rigor to enable management and coordination of issue validation and related testing activities.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate excellent communication and leadership to influence a wide range of stakeholders
• Demonstrate strong initiative, project management, people skills, sound decision-making, intuitive thinking, and sensitivity to cultural diversity
• Establish and develop strong working relationships with key stakeholders
• Display strong presentation and influence skills
• Contribute to the design and build of the strategic remediation quality control validation methodology and processes, including creation of process documentation, roll out to stakeholders and team
• Accurately design and execute the quality control/validation approach for complex regulatory and significant internal audit issues, and ensure that quality control/validation documentation is clear, concise, supports the reviews performed, and explains decisions made
• Identify and analyze risks, plan and prioritize validation tasks for on-time delivery, conduct interviews, observe operations, document and analyze processes and controls
• Provide effective review and challenge of significant remediation deliverables to ensure quality of design, implementation and sustainability
• Exercise responsibility over the execution of assigned regulatory validation projects and/or deliverables to ensure that work is performed prompt and accurately
• Develop and show an understanding of the business risks, controls, and processes, along with an understanding of relevant laws, regulatory rules and knowledge of the impact of systems within areas reviewed
• Escalate and/or communicate with relevant senior stakeholders to discuss the issues raised during the quality control/validation activities and agree path forward for resolution
• Identify critical gaps in completed remediation activities, present feedback to senior leaders across business, risk, and compliance, in advance of the formal submission to the regulators/internal audit
• Responsible for staying current on regulatory rules and changes within the industry
• Maintains familiarization and technical expertise with the assigned business unit(s) including organizational structure, personnel, activities and products, new product development, financial performance and risk and problem area
• Demonstrate excellent communication and leadership to influence a wide range of senior stakeholders

Requirements

• A college or university degree
• 13+ yrs. experience in financial services, with several years of direct experience or knowledge of auditing in the financial services industry, with strong experience related to risk culture, risk management, and compliance, or similar consultancy experience in the financial services industry
• Superior analytical and organizational skills
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to multitask and prove flexibility to change plans at short notice
• Ability to communicate effectively in both oral and written forms, with all levels of staff and management

Nice-to-haves

• Professional certifications (e.g., CPA, CISA, CIA, ACA, ACCA) and/or an MBA or JD along with proven technical abilities in select areas (e.g., regulatory compliance, risk management, auditing)
• Experience in designing and delivering high quality, high value internal testing programs for large businesses or regulated environments

Benefits

• 401k and pension
• medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability
• paid time off
• parental and caregiver leave
• life & accident insurance
• other voluntary and well-being benefits
• discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component