Principal, Enterprise Risk Management

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

Ares is seeking a Principal to join its Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) team in Hong Kong. The ERM function plays a critical role in supporting the firm’s strategic objectives by driving robust risk management practices across the platform. In this role, you will collaborate closely with stakeholders across the organization to identify, assess, and mitigate both current and emerging risks. The breadth of engagement and variety of initiatives offer a dynamic, fast-paced environment within a growing, globally integrated firm, providing exposure to complex challenges and meaningful impact.

This role will help us administer, oversee and continue to expand our ERM program to support local jurisdictions covering Asia. We are seeking an individual who will have visibility across the organization, including collaboration with departments and team members as well as senior leaders in the region to develop and implement the enterprise risk framework, and who will help us continue to build and scale the risk identification & controls assessment component. We are looking for an individual whose experience, insights and innovative thinking will elevate our program, who is a strategic communicator, excited to partner with others on and around the team, work cross-functionally with business units and execute on aligned priorities.

Primary Functions and Essential Responsibilities

• Coordinate with global teams and execute local updates to the Enterprise Risk Management framework

• Coordinate and execute on the full lifecycle of the risk identification and assessment process with business functions and non-investment teams

• Establish protocols focused on identifying emerging risks to feed the risk and control self-assessments on an ongoing basis

• Review existing risk taxonomy, risk rankings and reporting, to challenge assumptions and highlight risks that may have been missed for inclusion in the risk inventory

• Participate in the ongoing risk monitoring such as development of KRIs, metrics, dashboards, and other capabilities to analyze enterprise risks

• Develop an integrated risk reporting model that will facilitate prioritization and transparency

• Evolve risk aggregation, reporting and emerging risk identification to an ongoing dynamic, forward-looking capability

• Coordinate cross-collaboration scenario planning exercises and lead various business resiliency initiatives

• Liaise with cross department as needed to ensure robust participation in the risk assessment process

• Centrally aggregate identified business risks, oversee mitigation plans and track closure of action items

• Maintain and review the risk inventory of relevant risk events

• Facilitate and convene relevant local governance committees to foster alignment and consistency in risk awareness. Also, report findings and reporting to senior leadership and relevant governing structures

• Monitor and ensure compliance with local and international regulatory requirements relevant to risk management in Asia (e.g., SFC, MAS) and liaise with auditors where relevant

• Stay informed on industry trends and developments to advance the enterprise risk program

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Risk Management, or a related field from an accredited university

• Risk Management certifications a plus but not required

Experience and Skills Required

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience

• General industry knowledge and experience from a financial services or investment/wealth management organization

• Prior experience in enterprise or operational risk management

• Experience working with or supporting investment funds (e.g., asset management, private funds, or fund-related structures) is preferred

• Familiarity with regulatory requirements relevant to risk in Asia (e.g., SFC, MAS) and global standards

• Strong communication and leadership skills

• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word

• Proficiency with risk assessment tools and reporting capabilities (e.g., Power BI) is a plus but not required

General Requirements

• Strong organizational, documentation, analytical, presentation, and communication skills (written and verbal)

• Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, often requiring fast solutions to complex problems

• Ability to successfully manage multiple priorities and competing demands, strong time management and prioritization skills

• A self-directed individual with a can-do attitude, willing to work in an energetic and collaborative setting, proactive in nature, and a proven ability to learn quickly, display flexibility and adaptability while resolving issues with minimal supervision

• An analytical mind and a passion/interest in bringing new ideas to increase efficiency of existing processes

• Good judgment in terms of escalating issues vs. solving problems independently

• Outstanding interpersonal skills and strong client focus

• Dependable, highly motivated and a team player

• Strong work ethic and high level of integrity

• Willingness to take on new projects and learn new skills

Reporting Relationships

Head of Enterprise Risk

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.