Information Security Risk Officer - Standard Chartered Bank

We are a leading international bank focused on helping people and companies prosper across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

To us, good performance is about much more than turning a profit.  It’s about showing how you embody our valued behaviours – do the right thing, better together, and never settle – as well as our brand promise, Here for good.

We’re committed to promoting equality in the workplace and creating an inclusive and flexible culture – one where everyone can realize their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organization. This in turn helps us to provide better support to our broad client base.

The Role Responsibilities

The Group Chief Information Security Risk Officer (CISRO) organization is instrumental in protecting and ensuring the resilience of Standard Chartered Bank’s data and IT systems by managing Information and Cyber Security (ICS) risk across the enterprise. As a critical function reporting to the Group Chief Risk Officer (CRO), the Office of the CISRO serves as the second line of defense for assuring ICS controls are implemented effectively and by the ICS Risk Framework and for instilling a culture of cybersecurity within the Bank.

The Group CISRO is responsible for ICS governance, strategy, policy, awareness, training, risk assessments, red teaming, third-party security risk, industry partnerships, and regulatory engagement. In addition, a team of Information Security Risk Officers (ISRO) reports to the CISRO and performs a pivotal role as an extension of the CISRO in supporting the ICS risk management strategy, governance, advisory, and assurance roles that face-off to the Client Services, Regions, and Functions.

The Office of the CISRO is central to ensuring the Bank’s ability to meet its ICS commitments to internal and external stakeholders, including regulators, as well as maintaining an acceptable ICS risk profile that is regularly reported to the Board.

This role has oversight over Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Cameroon, Gambia, and Sierra Leone or any other countries that may be assigned. The successful candidate may be based in Ghana, Nigeria, or Kenya

Strategy

The ISRO position is a permanent role that requires strong business acumen and deep knowledge and experience in the ICS field. The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of operating in a second line capacity within an ICS or risk management organization and can respond flexibly and collaboratively to evolving business, regulatory and threat requirements.

The role reports directly to the Head ISRO Africa. The ISRO will work closely with the CISRO and others to address ICS as a principal risk type for the Bank and support its integration into the Bank’s overall Enterprise Risk Management strategy. The role will provide oversight and challenge of ICS risk management and control effectiveness as a risk partner to country leadership as defined in the Bank’s ICS Risk Type Framework and under delegation from the Group CISRO.

Business

The primary purpose of this position is to ensure that the management of ICS risk is operating effectively and efficiently and to provide assurance that ICS risk is appropriately managed. The role will support the CISRO in their role as the Bank’s executive accountable for ICS risk.

The successful candidate will work closely with the ISRO Head, Africa, the Security Technology Services team, and Country CRO, CIO, and Compliance Officers, as well as other key stakeholders to drive requirements and help set priorities for ICS strategy and investment based on acceptable risk tolerance and taking into account the evolving threat and regulatory landscape, policies and standards, and technology infrastructure.

In addition, given the rapidly evolving ICS regulatory environment, the successful candidate will have a strong acumen for working with regulators and understanding ICS policy with an ability to articulate new requirements into ICS risk management assessments and processes.

Processes

The major functional activities that the role will lead and manage are:

• Delegation of Authority from the CISRO for ICS risk management engagement;
• Overseeing and challenging 1st line ICS risk proposals and risk-taking activities;

• Intervening in 1st line activities if they are not in line with existing or adjusted Risk Appetite;
• Monitoring of ICS risks and associated remediation plans using the CISRO Governance Risk Type Framework;
• Assuring the 1st line implements controls to comply with applicable laws and regulations as defined by the CISRO Policy team and escalate significant regulatory non-compliance matters and developments to the Group CISRO; and
• Promoting a healthy ICS risk culture and good conduct.

People and Talent

• Lead through example and operate with the appropriate culture and values.
• Uphold and reinforce the independence of the second line ICS Risk function.

Risk Management

• Deliver the defined aspects of the ISRO role to support the Group’s ICS risk management approach and objectives.
• Ensure that the role is managed by the defined CISRO Governance Risk Type Framework and associated Policy and Standards; and that issues are identified, escalated, and addressed as appropriate.

Governance

• Establish strong ties into the relevant country leadership, governance, risk, and control committees to ensure adequate monitoring, tracking, and governance of ICS risk.
• Drive integration of ICS Risk Type Framework and utilize for the ongoing governance of country risk.

Regulatory & Business Conduct

• Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct.
• Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines, and the Group Code of Conduct.
• Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct, and compliance matters.

• Exercise authorities delegated by the Board of Directors and act by Articles of Association

Key Stakeholders

• Country CRO

• Country CIO
• Country COO
• Country Compliance Officer
• Country CEO
• Banking Regulators
• Global Head, Security Technology Services
• Head of ICS Governance
• Head of ICS Policy
• Group Internal Audit
• Head of ICS Assurance and Testing
• Head of ICS Training, Awareness & Exercises

Other Responsibilities

• Establish strong relationships with identified stakeholders and understand their strategic goals, to ensure ICS alignment.
• Articulate the value of ICS controls and their bottom-line impact on security and resiliency.
• Prepare, present and challenge in a 2nd line capacity at relevant risk committees, steering groups, and cross-business opportunities.
• Perform Delegation of Authority (DoA) responsibilities for CISRO as defined for the countries.
• Measure efficient and effective management of ICS risk for the countries.
• Validate the accuracy of KRI’s and KCI’s and other risk ratings, as well as process designs, to meet policy requirements.
• Ensure that Process Owners are escalating risk, control, and process deficiencies appropriately by the relevant risk frameworks.
• Build trusted working relationships with other security functional heads, risk and compliance counterparts, and country stakeholders.
• Utilize appropriate risk management tool(s) to manage, track and monitor ICS risks across the countries.
• Maintain sufficient and appropriate evidence of work performed for review by Group Internal Audit and others.
• Monitor, assess, and advise countries on acceptable risk tolerances based on policy and control environment and the evolving regulatory and threat landscape.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Proven experience in an information security office, governance, and policy, ICS or Operational Risk or Audit role
• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Business Management, or another related discipline.
• Professional certifications are desirable (e.g., CRISC, CISA, CISSP, CISM, GIAC, etc).
• Thorough understanding of IT security business processes, risks, threats, and internal controls.
• Ability to collect and analyze data, establish facts, and make recommendations based on sound risk management principles.
• Technical knowledge across a broad range of ICS capabilities including Cyber Defence, Security Monitoring, Analytics, DLP, Access management, Cloud, etc., etc.
• A passion for keeping technical knowledge and skills up to date and horizon scanning new and emerging thematic risks from new technology or technology.
• Strong knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks, information security principles, architecture.
• Ability to articulate gross and residual risk with specific ability to clearly, concisely, and accurately communicate complex technology and process risk to non-technical stakeholders in a lucid way.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills with experience across various levels in the organization including senior MD leadership teams, in influencing key decisions taken in the business and support teams.
• Proven experience of demonstrating resilience and having a strength of character.
• Excellent English communication skills – oral and written.
• Must be a self-starter who can initiate and successfully drive initiatives to completion with little or no management supervision.
• Strong analytical skills and an ability to prioritize, make decisions, and work to tight timeframes.
• Proven ability to lead highly complex, global activities through influence and credibility rather than command and control.