Operational Risk Manager

Company:

Mercer

Description:

Mercer’s Investment Solutions Business Operational Risk Team is seeking an additional member to this relatively new and expanding team. The Operational Risk team is a group of risk specialists embedded in the business and is tasked with supporting and ensuring that individual business teams mitigate their risks and implement appropriate controls to meet regulatory expectations.

What can you expect:

An exciting opportunity to join one of Mercer’s largest and most rapidly growing business areas – Investment Solutions. As part of our Operational Risk team, the successful candidate will play a key role in supporting the safe and sustainable development of Mercer’s Investment Solutions business and client base. Mercer is one of the fastest growing investment solutions entities globally, and our client base has grown over recent years.

As part of Mercer Investment Solutions’ first line of defence, the successful candidate will work closely with business teams and senior management in Ireland and internationally, and with second line colleagues in risk and compliance teams. The role will facilitate exciting career opportunities within a dynamic and rapidly growing area of Mercer’s business driven by strong demand across new markets.

We will rely on you to:

The primary responsibility of the successful candidate as an operational risk manager will be to support the safe and sustainable development of Mercer’s Investment Solutions business by encouraging and ensuring that risk awareness, mitigation, and management are thoroughly embedded across all business teams.

As part of the team, you will:

• Proactively work with business leaders and colleagues to ensure that the company’s Incidents reporting requirements and other policies and processes are embedded within all lines of business, and that strong adherence to these requirements and processes is evident.
• Act as the immediate point of escalation for managing incidents. In addition, track thereafter to ensure effective reporting and remediation of the matter reported, including the identification and implementation of any required control improvements.
• Monitor adherence to Mercer IS’s operational resilience frameworks and business resiliency management plans.
• Support the ongoing management of the Third Party Management Framework and policy.
• Work closely with the Risk Function in the identification and quantification of risks and controls, and seek to ensure risk registers are up to date and reflect current business risks.
• Actively engage in risk workshops and training to ensure business colleagues are familiar with the expectations in terms of the identification, management, mitigation, and reporting of risks and incidents.
• Support the business response to second and third line audits/reviews (i.e., internal audits undertaken by the Internal Audit Function or compliance monitoring reviews undertaken by the Compliance Function).
• Document and monitor progress of remedial actions for issues identified through risk and control testing and by others, including Internal Audit, Compliance, regulators, and Management Self-Identified Issues.
• Assist in internal control reviews of high-risk processes including procedure testing, establishing test plans and test scripts, providing recommendations, feedback, and reporting.
• Assist in the preparation of reporting on the risk environment to be presented at internal committees.

What you need to have: 

• Self-starter with ability to work effectively on own initiative and to effectively manage conflicting deadlines.
• Proven organisational skills, highly detail-oriented, with an ability to manage multiple tasks and projects often with conflicting deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, ensuring cooperative engagement with stakeholders across functional and geographic boundaries.
• Champions collaboration within an organisation to achieve shared vision, effective in building support for ideas and gaining buy-in from key stakeholders. Seeks out cross business collaboration opportunities.
• Direct experience with internal control program development and testing (design as well as operating effectiveness) an advantage.
• Excellent technology skills – at a minimum proficiency required in Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• 5+ years Asset Management and/or Fund Industry experience.
• UCITS, AIFMD & Irish fund structure and regulatory knowledge essential.
• Educated to degree standard or holder of a relevant professional qualification.
• Demonstrated track record in change management & process improvement.

What makes you stand out:

• Proven success in the oversight of outsourcing requirements.
• Experience in implementing operational risk management frameworks.
• Experience in supporting the DORA, Operational Resiliency and Outsourcing regulatory expectations.
• Experience in GRC applications.
• Attention to detail with the ability to navigate multiple teams and deliverables.
• Strong collaborative track record and stakeholder management.
• Focused, goal-oriented with a drive to learn and develop in a unique and exciting role.

Why join our team:

• We help you be your best through professional development opportunities, interesting work, and supportive leaders.
• We foster a vibrant and inclusive culture where you can work with talented colleagues to create new solutions and have an impact for colleagues, clients, and communities.
• Our scale enables us to provide a range of career opportunities, as well as benefits and rewards to enhance your well-being.

#MercerIS

Mercer is a business of Marsh (NYSE: MRSH), a global leader in risk, reinsurance and capital, people and investments, and management consulting, advising clients in 130 countries. With annual revenue of over $27 billion and more than 95,000 colleagues, Marsh helps build the confidence to thrive through the power of perspective. For more information about Mercer, visit mercer.com, or follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Marsh is committed to embracing a diverse, inclusive and flexible work environment. We aim to attract and retain the best people and embrace diversity of age, background, disability, ethnic origin, family duties, gender orientation or expression, marital status, nationality, parental status, personal or social status, political affiliation, race, religion and beliefs, sex/gender, sexual orientation or expression, skin color, Traveller community, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to providing reasonable support to any candidate with a disability/health condition to allow them to fully participate in the recruitment process. We welcome candidates to contact us at reasonableaccommodations@mmc.com to discuss any specific needs.

Marsh is committed to hybrid work, which includes the flexibility of working remotely and the collaboration, connections and professional development benefits of working together in the office. All Marsh colleagues are expected to be in their local office or working onsite with clients at least three days per week. Office-based teams will identify at least one “anchor day” per week on which their full team will be together in person.