WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

The Executive Director, First Line Risk Advisor operates within the first line of defense and is accountable to lead Business Control & Risk Management team(s) in the effective oversight and governance of line of business execution against the Enterprise Risk Management Framework.

• Responsible for liaising with senior/executive management and/or board on the overall effectiveness of the Line of Business(es) control environment.
• Ensures the Business Control & Risk Management team(s) effectively execute business line risk assessments and proactively identify emerging and material risks that may change the line of business(es) risk profile.
• Has direct oversight for the effectiveness and on-time closure of line of business action plans and ensures that as risk appetite changes applicable controls and metrics within each business remain adequate.
• Leads a team that works to continuously identify, assess, and action various risks throughout the assigned business lines following established risk program requirements.
• Will lead governance routines to report and escalate as necessary to executive management and corporate risk partners while driving a cultural awareness of risk management practices and interacting with all lines of internal risk management peers including other first-line of defense teams, corporate risk functions, and internal audit.

Job Function Description:

• Ensures transparency of business results, finance, and processes.
• Typically organizes a reporting system and tracks goals and accomplishments, collects and processes data, and provides managers with all necessary company management data and information.

Essential Functions/Responsibility Statements:

Drive Risk Culture:

• Establishes expectations, ownership, and accountability for risk management within the Business Line.
• Provide risk expertise and control function feedback, as applicable, during performance review cycles and incentive plans of employees in the Business Line.
• Ensure awareness in the Business Line of risk frameworks, policies, and standards.

Communication & Training:

• Act as the central point of contact for receipt and distribution of risk-related information between SLoD risk teams and Business Lines.
• Maintain two-way communications with SLoD.
• Facilitate training for Business Lines to provide awareness of risk frameworks, policies, programs, processes, etc.

Adherence to Risk Frameworks, Policies, and Standards:

• Partner with SLoD to provide input/review of frameworks, policies, and standards.
• Facilitate Business Line awareness of and adherence to risk frameworks, policies, and standards through internal control testing and issue validation. Report and escalate exceptions and facilitate Business Line corrective actions

Continuous Monitoring:

• Continuously monitors all sources of risk existing within the Business Line and externally.
• Engage in research, peer networking, and experience to anticipate critical risk issues impacting the Business Line.
• Understand where credit, market/liquidity, operational, strategic, reputational, compliance, and model risks exist in the Business Line and continually assess and improve controls to mitigate those risks.
• Monitor Key Risk Indicators and report on negative/adverse trends in Business Lines.
• Monitor risk profile to maintain tolerance within Risk Appetite.

Qualifications:

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
• The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
  

Education: Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience

Work Experience: 15+ years; Risk Management

Skills and Abilities:

• Comprehensive risk management and regulatory knowledge of key risks facing financial services companies.
• Extensive knowledge of consumer banking laws and regulations and proficient in interpreting complex regulatory provisions.
• Demonstrated people leadership skills to listen, understand, influence, and coach staff on the tools and methodologies used to measure and quantify risk, including but not limited to, the use of models.
• Sound understanding of the tools and methodologies used to measure and quantify risk, including but not limited to, the use of models.
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills across all levels of the Company as demonstrated by proven ability to generate recommendations that improve the business and are accepted by business line management.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with experience communicating to all levels within the Company.
• Broad understanding and knowledge of industry best practices and regulatory expectations for risk management.

Diversity & EEO Statements:

At Santander, we value and respect differences in our workforce and strive to increase the diversity of our teams. We actively encourage everyone to apply.

Santander is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Working Conditions:

• Frequent minimal physical effort such as sitting, standing, and walking.
• Occasionally moving and lifting equipment and furniture are required to support onsite and offsite meeting setup and teardown.
• Physically capable of lifting up to fifty pounds, able to bend, kneel, and climb ladders.

Employer Rights:

• This job description does not list all the job duties of the job.
• You may be asked by your supervisors or managers to perform other duties. You may be evaluated in part based on your performance of the tasks listed in this job description.
• The employer has the right to revise this job description at any time.
• This job description is not a contract for employment and either you or the employer may terminate at any time for any reason.