Director of Technology Risk Assurance

Job Summary: 

The Director of Technology Risk Assurance is responsible for designing, executing, and continuously enhancing a comprehensive IT risk assurance and controls testing program. This role ensures the effectiveness, reliability, and compliance of IT controls across financial reporting systems, SOX requirements, and regulatory mandates, integrating risk management seamlessly into technology, business operations, and digital transformation initiatives. 

This leader oversees the end-to-end testing and validation of IT controls, ensuring they are well-designed, operating effectively, and aligned with industry best practices. They develop structured risk assurance methodologies, leveraging data-driven analytics and automation where possible to enhance testing efficiency, improve risk detection, and provide proactive insights into control weaknesses before they materialize. By analyzing risk trends and audit findings, they drive continuous improvements in control frameworks, ensuring adaptability to emerging risks and regulatory changes. 

Partnering with IT, internal audit, and compliance teams, the Director ensures audit readiness and risk transparency across the organization. They lead control rationalization efforts, balancing automation and manual controls to optimize efficiency while maintaining a strong compliance posture. Through strategic reporting, dashboards, and key risk indicators (KRIs), they provide senior leadership with clear, actionable insights to support risk-informed decision-making. 

 

Key Responsibilities: 

1. IT Risk Oversight & Internal Controls Strategy 

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of IT risk assurance, ensuring IT control frameworks align with regulatory, financial reporting, and industry standards. 

• Establish and maintain a comprehensive IT risk assurance program, overseeing risk assessments, control design evaluations, and effectiveness testing across IT General Controls (ITGCs), application controls, and automated processes. 

• Direct IT compliance efforts by aligning risk assurance priorities with business objectives and evolving regulatory expectations. 

• Oversee coordination of IT SOX activities, ensuring seamless collaboration with internal audit, external auditors, IT leadership, and risk management teams. 

• Provide senior-level insights and strategic direction on IT risk mitigation, helping IT leaders proactively address control weaknesses, security gaps, and operational risks. 

• Ensure IT risk management practices are embedded into system changes, new implementations, cloud migrations, and technology upgrades, minimizing risk exposure while maintaining compliance. 

2. Risk Assurance & Compliance Reporting 

• Lead the design and implementation of comprehensive risk assurance reports and dashboards, ensuring they provide actionable insights into the organization's IT risk posture, control effectiveness, and compliance status. 

• Establish and maintain a risk reporting framework that enables timely identification, analysis, and escalation of IT compliance risks to senior leadership and key stakeholders. 

• Develop, track, and refine key risk indicators (KRIs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure IT control effectiveness, risk exposure, and compliance health across critical systems. 

3. Leadership, Training & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Act as a trusted advisor to IT and business leadership, ensuring risk assurance and compliance strategies are integrated into decision-making. 

• Develop and lead risk awareness programs, ensuring IT and business leaders understand SOX compliance requirements, ITGCs, and control expectations as needed. 

• Influence stakeholders, driving a collaborative risk governance model that promotes transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement. 

4. Technology-Enabled Compliance & Continuous Improvement 

• Drive the evolution of IT SOX compliance through automation and real-time monitoring, reducing manual efforts and increasing efficiency. 

• Champion process automation initiatives to optimize control testing, risk assessments, and compliance tracking, ensuring risk assurance efforts scale with business growth and technology advancements. 

 

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