Senior Risk Partner - Corporate Functions

ABOUT US

We’re the world’s leading provider of secure financial messaging services, headquartered in Belgium. We are the way the world moves value - across borders, through cities and overseas. No other organisation can address the scale, precision, pace and trust that this demands, and we’re proud to support the global economy.

We’re unique too. We were established to find a better way for the global financial community to move value - a reliable, safe and secure approach that the community can trust, completely. We’re always striving to be better and are constantly evolving in an ever-changing landscape, without undermining that trust. Five decades on, our vibrant community reflects the complexity and diversity of the financial ecosystem. We innovate diligently, test exhaustively, then implement fast. In a connected and exciting era, our mission has never been more relevant. Swift now has a presence in 200+ countries and legal territories to serve a community of more than 12,000 banks and financial institutions.

Join a team of risk experts and seasoned professionals, we are offering a unique opportunity to further your business experience and knowledge, to influence and help steer the evolution of our risk function.

The Risk Team is Swift's second line of defence and covers the full spectrum of Enterprise Risk Management across six broad domains:

1. Risk strategy: Risk appetite statements defining preferences for risk taking enable business sustainability and growth.

2. Risk taking: Risk considerations in business decision-making processes to achieve objectives.

3. Risk management cycle: Identification, assessment, measurement, response and monitoring of risks.

4. Risk reporting & insights: Risk reports, heat maps, key risk indicators.

5. Risk governance & culture: Risk governance structures, employees' role in managing risks, responsibilities and authorities for taking and managing risks, risk management maturity model, coordination and communication with first line of defence risk practitioners and Internal Audit.

6. Risk oversight management: Risk oversight relationships, risk management adequacy assessment, current and future assessment of capacity to meet Board and Overseers' expectations.

Overview

With our external environment becoming more demanding and our organisation’s strategic objectives accelerating, we are expanding our footprint and broadening the scope of our deliverables. This is a truly exciting time to be joining our team.

We are now seeking a Senior Business Risk Partner for Core Functions with a strong background in enterprise and operational risk management and extensive experience providing independent risk oversight, advice and challenge to senior stakeholders across corporate and control functions. The role requires experience from a first or second line perspective in at least one of the following areas, Human Resources, Legal, Internal Audit or Finance, together with sufficient breadth to engage credibly and identify cross-functional and enterprise-wide risk implications across all four areas.

Responsibilities

The Business Risk Partner for Core Functions will:

• Partner with our core business functions, joining an established team of Business Core Function Risk Partners, and acting as a trusted advisor and second-line challenger.

• Build and foster meaningful relationships with a wide range of internal stakeholders, including Senior Management, Business Owners, and risk practitioners across our community.

• Embed the Risk Team further into Swift and contribute to the development of a stronger organisation-wide risk and control mindset.

• Provide clear and robust second-line challenge on complex operational risk and control assessments, including self-assessments across the business.

• Support continuous improvement of Swift’s ERM framework, policies, processes and tools, ensuring they reflect evolving technology practices and risk profiles.

• Promote risk culture by providing training, advice, and challenge in line with Swift’s ERM framework.

• Translate risk assessment results into actionable insights and language appropriate for Executive and Senior Management, governance bodies (including Board Directors), and external stakeholders.

• Track and support major business and technology projects, assessing how proposed changes impact risk, controls and service resilience.

Are you:

• Self-motivated and highly organised, able to manage competing priorities and work comfortably in ambiguity.

• Proactive, curious and creative with a growth mindset and the persistence to tackle complex challenges.

• Confident providing strong independent challenge, even in senior or high-pressure settings.

• A relationship-builder who collaborates well with multidisciplinary teams and subject matter experts.

• Able to follow policies for the “what” while applying creativity and judgement to the “how”.

Do you have:

• A university degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.

• At least 6 years of relevant professional experience, including experience in enterprise risk management, operational risk, internal control, assurance, governance, compliance or a related discipline.

• Demonstrated experience partnering with, advising or providing independent oversight and challenge to corporate and control functions, including Human Resources, Legal, Internal Audit and Finance.

• Experience in at least one of these functional areas and breadth across the others to identify material risks, assess control environments and engage credibly with senior functional leaders.

• Experience in financial services, financial market infrastructure, fintech or another complex, regulated and operationally critical environment.

• Advanced hands-on expertise in enterprise and operational risk management, including complex risk assessments, risk appetite, risk acceptance, RCSAs, control design and effectiveness, risk aggregation, monitoring, reporting and governance.

• The ability to identify cross-functional dependencies and assess their potential impact on business objectives, operational resilience and Swift’s overall risk profile.

• Experience providing clear, independent and proportionate second-line challenge, including in matters involving senior stakeholders, uncertainty or competing business priorities.

• Experience contributing to major organisational, functional or business transformation initiatives and assessing the resulting changes to risks and controls.

• Strong analytical capability, including the ability to interpret qualitative and quantitative information and translate it into decision-useful risk insights.

• Strong stakeholder engagement, facilitation and advisory skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships while retaining independence of judgement.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including active listening, concise synthesis and the ability to tailor complex risk messages for functional leaders, Executive Management, governance bodies, Board Directors and external stakeholders.

• Fluent English.

What we offer

We give you the freedom to be yourself. We are creating an environment of unique individuals - like you - with different perspectives on the financial industry and the world. A diverse and inclusive environment in which everyone’s voice counts and where you can reach your full potential.

We are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation related to accessibility during your application or interview, please contact [email protected] or indicate this in your application.

Please note that this mailbox is not monitored for general recruitment enquiries and should only be used for accessibility or accommodation-related requests (for example related to vision, hearing or neurodiversity).

All requests are confidential and will not affect your candidacy.

Don’t meet every single requirement? At Swift, we are dedicated to building a workplace where people can bring their full selves and ideas to the team, so if you are excited about this role, we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet every single qualification.