Product Risk & Governance Lead

Handelsbanken is a relationship bank built on trust, long-term thinking and local decision-making. We provide bespoke banking and wealth management services to personal and corporate customers. Our decentralised model means decisions are made close to the customer, in our branches. Our central Functions teams play a vital role in supporting the branch network, providing the expertise, governance and infrastructure that enable branches to serve customers effectively and sustainably. This approach has underpinned our success for decades. Handelsbanken is independently recognised as one of Europe’s safest commercial banks, holds the strongest credit rating among its peers and is consistently ranked highly for customer satisfaction and relationship banking.

Our culture is values-led, shaped by trust, respect, and long-term thinking. We empower our people to use their expertise, make confident decisions and build long-term careers. We look for people who share our long-term vision, want to grow and want to make a meaningful impact in their local community and with the Bank. We also recognise that flexibility can support people to perform at their best, and that it looks different for everyone. While arrangements will depend on the requirements of the role and the needs of the business, we are open to having a conversation around what flexibility could look like for you.

The opportunity: The Product Risk, Governance and Reporting Lead will report directly to the Head of COO Risk, Governance and Reporting and is responsible for leading the Product, Digital and Customer Risk, Governance and Reporting officers in COO Risk, Governance, and Reporting. The role will involve ensuring that all risk areas are managed in accordance with the relevant regulation associated with the functions within the COO. The Product Risk and Governance Lead will also be responsible for supporting the Head of COO Risk, Governance and Reporting, with reports to various Committees within the Bank, including Executive Committee and the Board, in addition to responding to ad-hoc responses to the Financial Conduct Authority and other external regulators.

Key Responsibilities:

• Line management responsibility
• Develop robust succession plan to ensure career progression and contingency cover
• Develop a high performing Department culture through regular communication and team building
• Support and promote a robust control environment ensuring that all internal policies and external regulations are adopted through effective and sustainable processes
• Refine current processes to ensure continual improvement and stakeholder experience
• Support analysis of data and preparation of escalations to Senior Management to ensure timely escalation of key risks
• Production of high quality reports to senior management and various internal/external stakeholders
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with key internal stakeholders both in the UK (e.g. Product, Digital and Customer, Product Compliance and Internal Audit) to ensure risks across the business are identified, recorded and managed effectively in line with the risk management framework and governance structure
• Maintain detailed knowledge of appropriate legislation, regulations and guidance published by the UK, EU and other regulatory bodies
• Work with the whole COO function (including Product, Digital and Customer departments) to identify and manage effective risk control against associated regulation and swiftly seek action to address and mitigate risk management in line with the Bank's risk management frameworks
• Actively promote and ensure adherence to the Bank's Risk Management framework (including sub-frameworks) and relevant risk and compliance policies and procedures, ensuring timely and appropriate escalation of concerns to relevant senior stakeholders
• Ensure data held in aCCelerate is complete, accurate and regularly reviewed
• Manage 1LOD assurance activities including control testing internal controls for the Product, Digital and Customer areas to mitigate risks, ensure compliance, and maintain data integrity, including conducting walkthroughs, examining evidence, performing assessments, and documenting findings to stakeholders
• Ensure that the Product governance process operates effectively
• Identify enhancements to the Product governance framework and process to ensure it continually evolves to support good outcomes that are consistent with Consumer Duty. This includes tools, templates and other supporting documents under the Product governance framework
• Support the Head of COO Risk, Governance and Reporting in their responsibility for making product governance decisions
• Support the coordination of Product & Customer Committee governance, including agendas and reviewing minutes

What We’re Looking For:

• Strong understanding and belief in Handelsbanken’s culture, its customer-oriented business model and a commitment to creating customer value
• Be a strategic thinker considering short, medium and long-term customer impacts
• Be a self-starter and able to work on an individual basis as well as part of a team
• Work to tight deadlines and often under pressure whilst maintaining a high level of quality and competency
• Ability to build strong professional relationships at all levels and represent Handelsbanken effectively
• Experience working in a risk management discipline with operational risk frameworks, policies and 1LOD working practices
• Experience and knowledge of working in a retail bank environment
• Sound knowledge of the UK regulatory environment
• Interpersonal skills, the ability to work well with others and confidence in challenging the business

Why join Handelsbanken:

We want everyone at Handelsbanken to feel supported, motivated, and able to do great work. That’s why, alongside brilliant colleagues, meaningful work and training and development opportunities, we provide a variety of benefits designed with your wellbeing in mind. In addition, there is a flexible benefits package with the key highlights detailed below. The Bank is deeply committed to embedding good equality and diversity practice into all of our activities. This is so that we are an inclusive, welcoming and inspiring place to work that encourages everyone to apply, regardless of socio-economic background, age, disability, pregnancy and/or parental status, race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), veteran status, marital and civil partnership status, religion or belief, sex, gender reassignment or sexual orientation.