VP, CTO Governance Leader

Synchrony - Saint Paul, MN

Full-time - Senior

Remote - Saint Paul, MN

Credit Intermediation and Related Activities

About the position

The VP, CTO Governance Leader will play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety and soundness of the CTO organization at Synchrony. This position is responsible for driving the priorities related to governance and risk management, ensuring that the organization is well-prepared for both internal and external examinations. The leader will oversee the execution of exams, manage risk identification and remediation efforts, and enhance the risk and control framework within the CTO organization. Collaboration across all three lines of defense is essential, as this role requires close interaction with various teams to ensure comprehensive risk management practices are in place. In this hands-on role, the VP will lead the governance and risk activities for the CTO organization, coordinating all exams and tasks with a risk-based approach. They will personally lead significant examinations such as OCC and FRB exams, internal audits, and penetration tests. A key aspect of this role is the ability to communicate complex technical challenges and solutions to non-technical leaders, ensuring that risks are accurately described and prioritized. The VP will also be responsible for liaising with the Information Security team to manage risks effectively and will oversee the PCI evidence delivery process within the CTO space. The VP will drive proactive evaluations of the control environment, identifying risks and automating assessments where possible. They will communicate overall issues remediation work and act as a liaison for the Tech and Ops Issues Management team, ensuring timely remediation of issues across the CTO. Additionally, the VP will facilitate the creation and renewal of policies, standards, and procedures, ensuring compliance with the PRC framework and FFIEC guidance. As the Product Owner for the CTO Governance board, they will participate in Agile ceremonies and drive PI Planning for governance initiatives. Strong communication and influencing skills are crucial, as the VP will need to facilitate challenging conversations with senior leadership and advocate for good risk practices across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead the risk and governance activities for the CTO organization.
• Manage and coordinate all exams/tasks using a risk-based approach.
• Drive risk management for the CTO organization.
• Lead OCC and FRB exams, Internal Audits, 2LOD exams, and Pen tests.
• Explain technical challenges and solutions to non-technical leaders.
• Challenge evaluations of true risk to the business.
• Listen and interpret the level of risk to guide appropriate next steps.
• Liaise with the Information Security team on risk management.
• Oversee the team responsible for PCI evidence delivery in the CTO space.
• Drive proactive action in evaluating the control environment and identifying risks.
• Automate the assessment of the control environment.
• Communicate overall issues remediation work in the CTO environment.
• Liaise with the Tech and Ops Issues Management team for timely issues remediation.
• Participate in continuous improvements in issues management.
• Manage the Audit Readiness program and its calendar of tasks.
• Facilitate the creation or renewal of Policies, Standards, and Procedures.
• Collaborate across technology on issues remediation and Sox compliance.
• Act as Product Owner for the CTO Governance board and participate in Agile ceremonies.
• Liaise with the Tech and Ops Governance team and both 2nd and 3rd Lines of defense.
• Create and update dashboards to communicate status and drive productivity.
• Advocate for good risk practices across the organization.
• Perform other duties and/or special projects as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 8+ years of experience in Technology, Risk Management, or 12+ years of Technology and Agile Portfolio Management experience in lieu of a degree.
• Demonstrated experience in governance and/or risk management.
• Strong people leadership skills.
• Experience working in a matrixed environment with proven influencing skills at all levels.
• Strong presentation and communication skills with a business presence when interacting with senior executives.
• Proven experience in partnering, collaborating, and influencing across a large multilayered organization.
• Experience handling multiple, competing priorities and resolving them with minimal disruption.
• Minimum 7 years of Technology or Risk Management experience.

Nice-to-haves

• Demonstrate a strong risk management mindset and behavior.
• Experience working in the Cloud.
• Action and detail-oriented with excellent organization and prioritization skills.
• Independent worker with awareness of when to escalate and engage others.
• Proven experience executing with accuracy and on time while dealing with ambiguity.
• Commitment to continuous improvement.

Benefits

• Salary range of $150,000.00 - $250,000.00 USD Annual with eligibility for an annual bonus based on individual and company performance.