VP, CTO Governance Leader

Synchrony - Chicago, IL

Full-time - Senior

Remote - Chicago, IL

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 risk management and governance, 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 a team dedicated to governance and risk management activities, 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 for the business. The VP will also serve as a liaison with the Information Security team, driving proactive actions to evaluate the control environment and identify potential risks. The responsibilities extend to managing the PCI evidence delivery within the CTO space, facilitating the creation and renewal of policies, standards, and procedures, and ensuring compliance with FFIEC guidance. The VP will also be responsible for the Audit Readiness program, which includes a calendar of tasks aimed at maintaining surveillance and readiness for audits. As the Product Owner for the CTO Governance board, the VP will participate in Agile ceremonies and drive PI Planning for governance initiatives. Strong communication and influencing skills are crucial, as the role involves facilitating challenging conversations with senior leadership and advocating for effective risk practices across the organization. This position is expected to be deeply involved in the details of exams and audits, driving the team to deliver results within expected timeframes. The VP will also create and update dashboards to communicate status and drive productivity in governance and risk management efforts. Overall, this role is integral to fostering a culture of risk awareness and continuous improvement within the CTO 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.
• Evaluate the control environment and identify risks proactively.
• Drive automation in 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 ensure compliance with requirements documents.
• 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 Line of defense.
• Facilitate challenging conversations with senior leadership.
• Create and update dashboards to communicate status and drive productivity.
• Advocate for good risk practices across the organization.

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 and influencing leaders at all levels.
• Strong presentation and communication skills with senior business executives.
• Proven experience collaborating and influencing across a large multilayered organization.
• Ability to handle multiple competing priorities and resolve conflicts effectively.
• 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

• Annual bonus based on individual and company performance.
• Salary range of $150,000.00 - $250,000.00 USD Annual, adjusted according to market in CA, NY Metro, and Seattle.