*** Work Arrangement/Location: This is a hybrid position requiring in-office work four days a week and will be based at Metro NYC, Wilmington, DE or Boston, MA.
Overview:
The Head of Wealth Management Risk & Compliance is responsible for designing, leading, and continuously strengthening a comprehensive, business‑integrated risk and compliance program across Wilmington Trust’s comprehensive Wealth Management activities, including investment advisory, financial planning, private banking (deposits & lending), insurance and trust/fiduciary services. This role serves as a senior leader and trusted advisor to executive management and the business, balancing regulatory expectations across multiple regimes while enabling responsible growth and strong client outcomes.
The role establishes enterprise‑aligned governance, provides independent challenge to front‑line risk‑taking, and promotes a strong culture of ethics, integrity, and client‑first conduct.
Primary Responsibilities:
Strategy, Governance, and Culture
- Define and execute the Wealth Management risk and compliance strategy, aligned with enterprise risk appetite and regulatory expectations.
- Foster a strong tone‑from‑the‑top and culture of compliance, ethical behavior, and prudent risk‑taking across Wilmington Trust’s Wealth Management businesses.
- Serve as a senior advisor to business leadership, providing credible challenge and practical guidance on regulatory and risk matters.
- Actively participate in governance forums (e.g., Product Approval, Fiduciary, and other risk committees), ensuring timely, well‑documented, and risk‑based decision‑making.
Regulatory Compliance Oversight
- Oversee compliance with applicable regulatory regimes, including OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC, relevant state regulators, and the SEC across advisory, planning, fiduciary, and banking activities.
- Maintain comprehensive oversight of requirements under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Investment Company Act of 1940, Securities Acts of 1933 and 1934, Reg BI, OCC Regulation 9, AML/BSA & OFAC, privacy (GLBA), marketing/advertising, recordkeeping, and books and records.
Risk Assessment, Monitoring, and Independent Challenge
- Lead execution of periodic risk assessments to identify gaps, emerging risks, and areas of heightened exposure.
- Oversee monitoring, testing, and surveillance programs, ensuring sound methodology, appropriate coverage, and effective issue identification.
- Provide independent challenge to front‑line activities in alignment with Heightened Standards and enhanced prudential expectations, as applicable.
- Prioritize compliance and risk activities based on risk severity, regulatory focus, and business impact.
Issues Management and Regulatory Engagement
- Oversee the end‑to‑end issues management lifecycle, including identification, root cause analysis, risk rating, corrective action plans, validation, and sustainability testing.
- Lead and assist in coordinating regulatory exams, supervisory interactions, and internal and external audits; ensure high‑quality responses, timely remediation, and transparent escalation of material issues.
- Provide concise, decision‑ready reporting to senior management, Boards, and Board Committees on compliance and risk matters.
Fiduciary and Investment Governance
- Provide subject‑matter leadership on fiduciary risk, including duty of care and loyalty, conflicts management, suitability, best interest obligations, and fee and expense oversight.
- Ensure client disclosures and communications are accurate, clear, and aligned with regulatory expectations.
Training, Data, and Enablement
- Establish and deliver role‑based and topic‑specific compliance training for advisors, relationship managers, product teams, and operations.
- Partner with First Line Risk Management, Technology and Data teams to enhance surveillance tools, control automation, dashboards, and management information (KRIs/KPIs).
- Leverage data and insights to drive proactive risk identification, remediation, and continuous improvement.
Leadership and Talent Development
- Build, lead, and retain a high‑performing, multidisciplinary risk and compliance organization.
- Set clear goals, performance expectations, and development paths; establish succession planning for key roles.
- Promote collaboration across Compliance, First Line Risk, Legal, Audit, and business partners to achieve common objectives.
Supervisory/ Managerial Responsibilities:
Exercise usual authority of a manager concerning staffing, performance appraisals, promotions, salary recommendations, performance management and terminations
Core Competencies
- Strategic judgment: Translates regulatory requirements and risk appetite into practical, scalable programs.
- Credible challenge: Provides independent, balanced oversight while enabling business objectives.
- Leadership and integrity: Models ethical behavior and sound judgment; escalates issues appropriately.
- Operational excellence: Builds durable controls and drives continuous improvement.
- Collaboration: Operates effectively across business, risk, compliance, legal, audit, and technology.
- Client focus: Anchors decisions in client fairness, transparency, and long‑term trust.
Experience and Education Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Law, or a related field; advanced degree and/or professional certifications (e.g., CRCM, CAMS, CFA, FRM) preferred.
- 15+ years of progressive experience in wealth management risk and/or compliance, ideally including investment advisory, broker‑dealer, and fiduciary/trust activities.
- Demonstrated experience leading multi‑disciplinary teams and complex regulatory programs within a financial institution.
- Deep regulatory knowledge and proven experience interacting with regulators and managing examinations.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence senior executives and front‑line leadership.
M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $141,800.00 - $236,400.00 Annual (USD). The successful candidate’s particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.
Location
Wilmington, Delaware, United States of America