First Line Risk & Control Manager

About Us

We’re the world’s leading provider of secure financial messaging services, headquartered in Belgium. We are the way the world moves value – across borders, through cities and overseas. No other organisation can address the scale, precision, pace and trust that this demands, and we’re proud to support the global economy. We’re unique too. We were established to find a better way for the global financial community to move value – a reliable, safe and secure approach that the community can trust, completely. We’re always striving to be better and are constantly evolving in an ever‑changing landscape, without undermining that trust. Five decades on, our vibrant community reflects the complexity and diversity of the financial ecosystem. We innovate diligently, test exhaustively, then implement fast. In a connected and exciting era, our mission has never been more relevant. Swift now has a presence in 200+ countries and legal territories to serve a community of more than 12,000 banks and financial institutions.

Role Overview

Are you a technical risk and compliance management professional who finds inspiration in helping organisations harden their control environment? Are you a self‑motivated, highly organised leader who can manage competing priorities and deal flexibly with ambiguity? As the First Line Risk & Control Manager, you will lead a team of professionals dedicated to strengthening risk and control practices across the organisation. This role is responsible for overseeing first‑line control testing, supporting audits, and ensuring adherence to internal control frameworks and regulation, technology risk management, and process governance. You will play a key role in maintaining compliance and driving operational excellence. In a dynamic environment shaped by evolving risks, regulatory expectations, and strategic priorities, this position offers an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Recruit, coach, and develop a high‑performing team of risk and control professionals.
• Set clear goals, provide feedback, and foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Translate organisational strategy into actionable plans for the team.
• Build strong relationships with senior leaders and cross‑functional teams across Swift.
• Drive adoption of new processes, tools, and frameworks.
• Monitor team performance against KPIs and deliverables.
• Provide transparency and ensure accurate reporting of control testing and audit activities and results to Executive and Senior Leadership.
• Build and foster meaningful and professional relationships with a wide range of internal stakeholders across all 3 lines.
• Collaborate with 2nd line Risk Department and 3rd line Internal Audit on a frequent basis to stay aligned on first line testing, risk and audit activities and outcomes.
• Perform first line control testing and assurance reviews to evaluate design and operating effectiveness of the controls.
• Identify and report control gaps, risks, and compliance issues.
• Ensure issues detected by first line are documented as Issues Known to Management.
• Support remediation plans and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Maintain documentation for audits and regulatory reporting.
• Collaborate with business units to ensure adherence to internal control standards.
• Drive improvements to increase control and control testing maturity.
• Provide internal and external audit oversight, including coordination, monitoring, and guidance in preparing timely and quality responses to third line audit findings.
• Provide training and guidance on control and auditing requirements.
• Serve as primary liaison for internal and external audits.
• Provide transparency and ensure accurate reporting of risks and risk‑related activities to Executive and Senior Leadership.
• Monitor and report on risk management activities and outcomes.
• Assist 1st line in identifying, analysing, evaluating and mitigating risks in alignment with Swift’s Enterprise Risk Management Framework.
• Leverage a technology‑driven risk lens to assist with the preparation and review of Executive and Board material.
• Manage and maintain the organisation’s central technology policies and process repository to ensure they remain accurate and relevant.

What Will Make You Successful

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 10+ years of experience in control compliance, risk management, audit or similar roles, and at least 3 years in a people leadership capacity.
• Strong technical understanding of compliance frameworks, risks, policies and controls.
• Proficiency in using governance, risk management and compliance tools and methodologies.
• Self‑starter with a structured, process‑oriented mindset and the ability to work independently in a dynamic, international environment.
• Excellent communication (written and oral), interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Strategic thinker and problem‑solver, including ability to analyse complex technical data and provide actionable insights and recommendations.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with experience interacting at senior, executive and Board levels.
• Collaborative mindset with a proactive and solution‑oriented approach.
• Proven ability to influence, drive change and deliver with an operational excellence mindset.
• Resilience and adaptability in managing multiple priorities and delivering results in a fast‑paced and evolving environment.
• Relevant professional certifications (e.g., CISA, CRISC, CGRC, GRCP, ISO 31000).
• Strong knowledge of industry standards and frameworks (e.g., ISO 27001, ITIL, NIST, CIS, COBIT) and technology risk principles.
• Professional English language skills (written and verbal).

What We Offer

We give you the freedom to be yourself. We are creating an environment of unique individuals – like you – with different perspectives on the financial industry and the world. A diverse and inclusive environment in which everyone’s voice counts and where you can reach your full potential. We are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation related to accessibility during your application or interview, please contact accessibility‑Sysgroup@swift.com or indicate this in your application. This mailbox is not monitored for general recruitment enquiries and should only be used for accessibility or accommodation‑related requests (for example related to vision, hearing or neurodiversity). All requests are confidential and will not affect your candidacy. Don’t meet every single requirement? At Swift, we are dedicated to building a workplace where people can bring their full selves and ideas to the team, so if you are excited about this role, we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet every single qualification.