Director – Digital Assets Controls

Job Description

Purpose of the role

To assess the integrity and effectiveness of the banks internal control framework to support the mitigation of risk and protection of the banks operational, financial, and reputational risk.

Accountabilities

• Knowledge of business areas, products, processes and platforms to be able to assess risk
• Collaboration with various stakeholders across the bank and business units to improve overall control effectiveness through detailed documentation of control assessments, procedures, and findings.
• Identification and investigation of potential weaknesses and issues within internal controls to promote continuous improvement and risk mitigation aligned to the bank’s control framework, prioritised by its severity to disrupt bank operations.
• Development of reports to communicate key findings from risk assessment including control weaknesses and recommendations to control owners, senior management, and other stakeholders.
• Execution of reviews to determine the effectiveness of the bank's internal controls framework aligned to established and evolving policies, regulation, and best practice.
• Implementation of adherence to the Barclays Controls Framework and set appropriate methodology of assessing controls against the Controls Framework.

Director Expectations

• To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
• They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• 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.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and ongoing oversight of the Digital Assets control framework, ensuring controls are effective, sustainable, and aligned to Barclays’ risk appetite.
• Act as the primary first-line controls lead for Digital Assets, providing robust review and challenge of new products, services, and change activity prior to launch.
• Deliver structured risk assessments and RCSA activity, identifying key vulnerabilities, assessing control effectiveness, and driving remediation in partnership with Product, Operations and Technology.
• Support regulatory, audit and assurance activity by coordinating clear responses, evidence, and remediation plans, while ensuring timely closure of actions.
• Provide concise risk and control reporting to senior stakeholders, partnering across Product, Operations, Technology, Data, Legal, Compliance and Audit to strengthen governance and control culture.

Key Candidate Requirements

• Proven experience operating in a complex, highly regulated multinational financial services environment, with the ability to influence change at scale and deliver outcomes across multiple jurisdictions.
• Strong first line risk, controls, and operational risk expertise, including ownership of RCSA, control design, risk assessment, and alignment to Barclays policy standards.
• Deep understanding of products, operating models, and risk profiles, with the ability to assess complex processes and strengthen the control environment.
• Relevant knowledge of digital assets and blockchain, including tokenised assets, stablecoins, crypto custody, staking, digital funds, DeFi and related emerging risk considerations.
• Established leadership capability in cross-functional environments, with a track record of balancing strategic direction and disciplined execution, and communicating complex risk matters clearly to senior executives, Boards, regulators, and external stakeholders.