VP of Operational Risk Management

A well-established financial services firm is seeking a Vice President or Assistant Vice President of Operational Risk Management to play a key leadership role in the design, execution, and enhancement of the firm’s enterprise operational risk framework. This individual will partner cross-functionally with business leaders, compliance, legal, technology, procurement, internal audit, and executive leadership to strengthen risk governance across critical operational risk domains.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced risk professional with deep expertise in operational risk, third-party/vendor risk management (VRM), business continuity management (BCM), and financial services regulatory best practices. The ideal candidate will bring a strong understanding of financial services operating environments, governance frameworks, and scalable risk infrastructure.

Position Overview

The Vice President, Operational Risk Management will be responsible for overseeing core operational risk programs with a focus on third-party risk management, vendor governance, business continuity planning, and enterprise risk controls. This role will drive the enhancement of firmwide risk processes, maintain governance standards, and ensure the organization’s operational resilience framework aligns with industry expectations and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Risk Management

• Support the ongoing development and execution of the firm’s operational risk management framework, policies, and governance processes
• Identify, assess, monitor, and report operational risks across business units and enterprise functions
• Facilitate operational risk assessments, control evaluations, incident management reviews, and issue remediation tracking
• Partner with first-line business stakeholders to strengthen risk ownership and improve control effectiveness
• Develop reporting and dashboards for senior leadership, risk committees, and executive stakeholders
• Monitor emerging operational risks, regulatory developments, and industry best practices within financial services

Third-Party Risk Management / Vendor Risk Management (VRM)

• Lead and enhance the firm’s third-party risk management program, including vendor onboarding, due diligence, ongoing monitoring, risk tiering, and governance
• Oversee the firm’s central vendor repository, ensuring accurate documentation, contract governance, ownership, and lifecycle management
• Partner with procurement, legal, compliance, information security, and business leaders to ensure consistent vendor risk oversight
• Evaluate vendor financial health, operational resilience, cybersecurity posture, compliance obligations, and concentration risk
• Establish and maintain vendor risk reporting, issue escalation procedures, and governance routines
• Drive process improvements and automation opportunities across vendor management workflows

Business Continuity Management (BCM) / Operational Resilience

• Support and enhance the firm’s business continuity management (BCM) and operational resilience programs
• Coordinate business impact analyses (BIA), continuity planning, tabletop exercises, and disaster recovery governance
• Partner with technology, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and business leaders to ensure continuity readiness
• Assist in developing incident response governance and crisis management escalation procedures
• Evaluate dependencies involving critical third parties and operational resiliency risks

Governance / Regulatory Alignment

• Ensure operational risk programs align with financial services regulatory expectations and industry frameworks
• Support internal audit reviews, regulatory exams, control testing, and remediation efforts
• Maintain risk policies, standards, procedures, and documentation supporting enterprise governance
• Contribute to risk committee materials, governance reporting, and executive presentations

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Risk Management, Accounting, Economics, or related discipline
• 5+ years of experience in operational risk management, enterprise risk, vendor risk management, third-party risk, business continuity, or operational resilience
• Prior experience within financial services, including asset management, banking, wealth management, insurance, fintech, broker-dealer, or related environments
• Demonstrated experience managing or supporting VRM / TPRM programs
• Experience overseeing a centralized vendor repository or vendor governance infrastructure
• Hands-on exposure to business continuity management (BCM), business impact analysis, and resiliency planning
• Strong understanding of financial services regulatory expectations and industry control frameworks
• Experience partnering with internal audit, compliance, legal, procurement, technology, and business leadership
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management capabilities

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with GRC, vendor management, or risk management platforms
• Familiarity with operational risk frameworks such as COSO, NIST, ISO 22301, FFIEC guidance, OCC/Federal Reserve expectations, or similar standards
• Professional certifications such as CRISC, CISA, CBCP, CERP, FRM, or related credentials
• Experience supporting regulatory exams, audit reviews, or governance committees