Project Arthur - Conformance

Purpose of the role

To oversee that the bank operates in adherence to established framework, policies, and standards, laws, rules, regulations, and internal controls.

Accountabilities

• Analysis of processes, transactions, and activities across various business units to assess adherence to policies, regulations, and internal controls.
• Interviews, documentation review, and data analysis to gather evidence of compliance.
• Identification and reporting of deviations or non-conformities, documenting findings and recommendations for corrective action.
• Analysis of the effectiveness of existing controls and recommend enhancements to strengthen the control environment.

Director Expectations

• Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
• Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
• Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
• Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
• Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
• Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
• Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
• Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
• Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
• Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­About Conformance Review - Risk

The Risk Conformance Review Team is part of the Risk Assurance team within wider Operational Risk & Risk Oversight team providing assurance service to specific Principal Risks within Barclays UK and Barclays International.  The team’s objectives are to conduct a programme of independent reviews ensuring relevant areas of Barclays are adhering to the Enterprise Risk Management Framework (ERMF) through a series of Policies and Standards across each Principal Risk. The Business areas are identified via an annual risk profiling exercise and additional reviews can be requested by the Group Chief Risk Officer, Chief Risk Officers of the legal entities and the Head of ORRO where or if appropriate.

In addition, the Team undertake specific ad-hoc assurance requests for special projects and / or crisis response requests from senior management. Currently the following Principal Risks are under the team’s remit:

• Credit Risk (both Retail & Wholesale)
• Market Risk
• Treasury & Capital Risk (including Liquidity, Capital and Interest Risk)
• Operational Risk (aspects of, depending on Policy & Standard ownership)
• Climate Risk
• Model Risk

In addition to the above, the team is responsible to carry out assurance against Risk relevant Laws, Rules and Regulation. The role is for a senior member of the Risk Conformance Review Team, responsible for partnering with peers in the wider team and proactively driving delivery of conformance reviews in line with the agreed Assurance plan and participating, when required, in ad-hoc assurance reviews on behalf of senior management.

Overall purpose of role

Leadership of Conformance activity that provides independent assurance for various disciplines across risk in requiring the input and collaboration of a large set of senior stakeholders within Risk and across the Bank.

Key Accountabilities

• Assist the Head of Assurance in development of the Assurance plan and resource allocation and proactive execution of the plan, in particular, supporting the Head of LRR Conformance in development and execution of the LRR Conformance plan.
• Build a Conformance Centre of Excellence at offshore location and upskill the staff for the delivery of Conformance Reviews
• Lead the more complex and high-profile conformance reviews.
• Support the conformance team by directing, reviewing and challenging conformance review work where required in particular during fieldwork and reporting stages.
• Manage on-going key stakeholder relationships with appropriate risk heads, Assurance Heads
• Assist with the personal development of team members to develop a highly motivated and experienced team.
• Act as a role model and drive proactive application of Barclays Values throughout the team including establishment of common goals and objectives.
• Ensure that the Conformance team works together in support of sharing of generic issues.
• Work closely with Business Units and Risk to embed operational rigour, good practice and performance improvements.

Stakeholder Management and Leadership

• Role holder is required to partner with various Teams within Risk to make effective control recommendations to Senior Risk Officers meeting the set requirements for LRR.

Decision-making and Problem Solving

• Role holder will be responsible for making decisions on the management of Assurance agenda for Conformance Centre of Excellence including but not limited to partnering with other Conformance Directors to remain consistent in the Assurance approach and manage escalations to the Risk Senior Management
• Role holder should have a sound knowledge of Banking processes, strong knowledge of at least one Principal Risk and understanding of Assurance process.
• Role holder is preferred to have proven experience of implementing, testing against risk and controls frameworks and testing methodologies.

Person Specification

Proven Experience in Risk and Control capacity of a major banking/ financial services organisation.

A clear understanding of the elements of effective control environment and proven experience of controls testing in any of the Principal Risk discipline.

Ability to analyse, interpret and work robustly with others to identify issues and develop proposed solution.

Essential Skills/Basic Qualifications:

• Working experience in one, or more, of the Principal Risks covered under the Enterprise Risk Management Framework including Credit Risk, Market Risk, Treasury & Capital Risk, Operational Risk, Climate Risk and Model Risk
• Leadership experience of dealing with Senior executives
• Banking and Commercial Law and all other relevant legislation
• Frameworks, Policies, Standards, Procedures, Documentation and Controls
• Process Operational Design and Effectiveness including critical check and challenge (often adopting a common-sense approach), issue identification, tracking and assurance including sharing of best practice where appropriate.
• Risk, resumption and contingency planning.
• Knowledge of UK and US mandated Laws, Rules and Regulations relating to Risk Management