Central Policy and Committee Office Director

About Northern Trust:

Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889.

Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world’s most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

The Central Policy and Committee Office Director is a key leadership position within Northern Trust’s enterprise risk management function, charged with the responsibility of maintaining and enforcing the governing document and committee governance policies across the lines of defense.  As a key figure in the 2nd line of defense, this Director reports to the Head of Enterprise Risk Management and collaborates extensively with both the 1st and 2nd line teams to drive consistent application and quality of governing documents and committee charters. The core responsibilities encompass maintaining and monitoring adherence with the governing document and committee governance policies. This role involves sustaining an inventory of governing documents and committee mission statements/charters, distributing templates and regular update schedules, and supporting the coordination of review and approval of Governing Documents through Central Policy Approval Committee. The Central Policy and Committee Office Director oversees the adherence to the aforementioned standards and is instrumental in fostering a culture of risk awareness through training and monitoring adherence across the lines of defense.  

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in policy governance and committee operations within the financial services industry, demonstrating an ability to manage these essential functions and effectively liaise with senior stakeholders and committees in a global financial institution. 

Major Duties 

• Maintain inventory of governing documents and committee mission statements/charters 

• Sustain and embed the governing document and committee governance policies across lines of defense through training, adherence monitoring, and chairing of the Central Policy Approval Committee 

• Support the coordination of review and approval of governing documents through the Central Policy Approval Committee 

• Drive consistency and quality of governing documents and committee charters across risk domains, business units, and legal entities 

• Keep abreast of industry trends, regulatory changes, and emerging risks to proactively identify potential threats and opportunities and evolve the risk management framework to align with changing business and regulatory practices 

Experience, Knowledge, Abilities 

• 12+ years of direct risk management framework experience at a large-scale financial services organization preferred, including enterprise risk management experience 

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in designing, training, and monitoring governing documents and committees, supporting effective implementation an