Barclays - BA4 - Assistant Manager - Finance Governance & Controls

Job title : Assistant Manager

Job grade : BA4

Business area : Finance Governance and Controls, Noida

Reports to : BA4 /Assistant Vice President, Finance Governance and Controls, Noida

Number of direct reports : As applicable

Overall job purpose :

Core responsibility of an Assistant Manager is to plan and execute audit assignments in accordance with SOx Methodology/ QA / Special Review testing plans and aligned to relevant policies/ methodologies, procedures and quality standards providing assurance to Senior Management that the processes and controls of Business Units are effectively designed and operating to mitigate the identified risks. This involves testing of manual controls, automated business controls and assessment to ensure that the General Computer Controls provide the appropriate IT security and control environment. In addition the role involves liaison with internal and external auditors and compliance contacts.

The jobholder aims to establish, and continually develop, the Operational Risk Management, Financial Risk Key Reporting and Compliance Function for Business Units.

This will include :

- Supporting Executive in the identification, assessment, management and profiling of operational risk/ Financial Reporting Risk.

- Undertake all activities to ensure Business Units are compliant with Group risk management policies and framework.

- On going maintenance of operational governance and controls.

- Maintain and co-ordinate the Business Resumption Plan (non IT) for both sites and co-ordinate the over all plan (including IT). Ensure co-ordination with operations as required.

- Team leading (as applicable)

Key accountabilities and approximate time split :

Control Environment : 30% - 40%

- Participate and provide inputs for DEA Planning.

- Identification of Risks and Controls.

- Provide expertise on SOx methodology and Operational Risk Framework during the walkthrough and DEA workshop for control and process design changes.

- Drafting the changes to DEA.

- Completing documentation and taking requisite conformation.

- Updating manager and stakeholders with progress and issues

- Spreading awareness of SOx and OR issues, risk events and changes across various Business Units.

- Building relationships with Stakeholders in different Business Units.

- Ensure corrective actions and timeline as a result of assessments are agreed and that actions are completed within agreed time limits to an acceptable standard.

- Periodically provide appropriate and substantiated assurances to management that Business Units operations are under control from risk perspectives and where this is not the case, that corrective action is in progress and that suitable controls have been installed.

Testing : 40% to 50%

- Participate in Annual Planning for testing of all SOx and Key Operational Controls (as applicable).

- Conducting/ performing the tests including fieldwork for Design Effectiveness Assessment (DEA) and Operational Effectiveness Testing (OET)

- Concluding the test results and discussion of findings with process and control owners.

- Monitoring actions on recommendations on timely basis.

- Ensuring the required issues have been raised in central repository of controls and processes.

- Handling queries from respective Business Units.

Operational risk and compliance activities : 10% to 20%

- Manage the day to day relationship with Senior Stakeholders in Business Units.

- Manage reporting of processes, risks and controls in relation to CIRF, Operational Risk, including Key Risk Scenarios, Material Group Issues, Risk Event Reporting, Risk Assessment and Turnbull attestations.

- Ensure that the Operational Risk processes and procedures are and remain fully compliant with Barclays Operational Risk's policies and guidelines (including Barclays Finance Noida risk event activity, key indicator setup and monitoring), as applicable.

- Undertake risk event management.

- Deliver the annual schedule of Risk Assessments for supporting Business Units

- Monitor and follow up on action points on the Barclays Finance Noida Consolidated Actions Tracker (CAT).

- Ensure that the tools, processes and procedures used for the execution of Barclays Finance Noida Operational Risk framework are fit for purpose.

- Undertake sharing of information and drive best practice across Barclays Finance Noida and to improve performance in all aspects of Compliance management, control and governance (including portal page).

Manage supported Business Units compliance with various Group policies including:

- Documentation of controls

- Management of audit findings

- Data privacy, records management, information management (as applicable)

- Risk acceptance and dispensation

- Act as a Records Management Co-ordinator for Barclays Finance Noida.

- Manage the delivery of key Barclays Finance Noida governance initiatives and maintain an integrated communications plan for Barclays Finance Noida covering these

- Ensure timely roll-out of changes to generic controls.

- Manage the delivery of appropriate governance training across Barclays Finance Noida to ensure the embedding of the risk and controls culture within the departments.

- Ensure that any SOx related issues are recorded and issue assessment evaluations are carried out in line with Group methodologies

- Monitor and advise on detailed operational process map changes to ensure compliance and alignment with controls and Group SOx system

- Monitor procedure amendments to evaluate potential impact on SOx controls and ensure alignment with Group SOx system

- Monitor and follow up on SOx related action points and remedial work

- Undertake ad hoc and project activities to support risk, governance and control developments

- Produce necessary MI/ Planner with value add commentary

People Management (as applicable) : 10% to 15 %

- Lead and motivate staff in own team and ensure staff are effectively employed

- Provide direction and support to own direct reports, to enable them to perform their roles to the highest levels of effectiveness.

- Hold regular team meetings and one-to-one sessions with own staff, and keep them fully informed of developments within various Business Units.

- Create and maintain a culture of empowerment and professionalism within the team. Builds a team focused on delivering excellence.

- Identify individual and team development needs by regularly monitoring performance, providing coaching and arranging training.

- Establish a coaching culture, regularly having one-to-one coaching sessions with direct reports, focusing on task and behavioural issues.

- Develop and implement training and succession plans.

- Ensure effective allocation and utilisation of staff across the processes under own control

- Develop, monitor and review plans for own area and ensure that appropriate resources are in place to meet current and anticipated workloads.

Knowledge management : up to 10% :

- Improving technical knowledge through self-learning or training including mandatory CPE requirements.

- Knowledge sharing with Barclays Finance Noida colleagues and onshore Finance Governance and Controls Team in Noida and peers in the business.

- Creating awareness of SOx and Risk framework within Barclays Finance Noida and Business Units supported by Noida Finance Governance and Controls Team.

Person specification : Technical skills, competencies required

Technical Skills :

- Excellent risk and analytical skills

- Excellent interpersonal, leadership and people management skills

- Presentation and facilitation skills

- Operations Management

- Business Awareness

- Excellent organisational and time management skills

- Negotiation skills

- Computer literacy is essential, especially MS Office and Outlook

Competencies :

- Communication/ Influence

- Quality, High Standards and Controls

- Technical Skills and Knowledge

- Drive for Results

- Personal Impact

- Problem Solving/ Decision Making

- Innovation and Change

- Service Excellence

- Relationship/ Partnership Approach

Risk, Control and Audit Expertise :

- Ability to identify risks and controls and to develop an appropriate audit approach.

- Ability to analyse issues into constituent elements and identify root causes and wider implications.

- Ability to identify appropriate recommendations and deliverables and get buy in from the business.

- Ability to produce clear succinct documentation linking transparently from risk to control testing.

- Ability to apply audit and risk principles and testing in an IT environment

- Ability to adequately challenge and question the business.

- Excellent knowledge of SOX principles and processes

- An excellent understanding of risk, control and audit principles

- Broad knowledge of financial, costing and management accounting processes and procedures

- Broad knowledge of financial operations processes and methodology

- A broad understanding of Group SOx principles and practices and understanding of the methodology for interpreting and applying these principles and practices within Barclays Finance Noida.

- A comprehensive knowledge, and practical experience, of the main operational processes within the business and a good understanding of the procedures and control framework

- An overall awareness of the Barclays Group strategies and organisational structure and the key areas with which the jobholder may interface

Industry Specific :

- Ability to expresses technical information logically and concisely.

- Seeks out and learns from internal and external best practice information

Delivery to Standard :

- Able to manage time and budget effectively.

- Can produce quality outputs in accordance with agreed deadlines.

- Completes follow up of issues including status report, verification and chasing up of outstanding issues.

Stakeholder Management :

- Finalizes allocated work and identified issues promptly by liaising with respective Business Unit stakeholders.

- Builds effective relationships with Stakeholder staff.

- Manages senior and/or challenging Stakeholders.

- Keeps stakeholders (including BIA) up-to-date with the progress of the audit work.

Management and Leadership :

- Effectively and appropriately manages work load, prioritizing as appropriate.

- Works effectively in a team.

- Communicates clearly and efficiently across team, peer groups, Stakeholders and BIA.

- Builds effective relationships with peers and subordinates and superiors.

- Works collaboratively across clusters/functions.

Knowledge and expertise :

Essential :

- Understanding of the control and regulatory issues in Finance

- Specialist knowledge of Finance

- Understanding of Finance and its key drivers.

- Understanding of relevant regulatory environment

- Awareness of the specific current requirements of the UK GAAP regime and at least one financial management disciplines (or taxation matters)

- Awareness of the specific current best practice for financial operations in banking organisations and financial reporting infrastructures in complex organizations

- Awareness of issues in auditing complex financial services organizations

Preferred :

- Awareness of the specific current requirements of the US GAAP / IAS regimes

- Awareness of the specific current best practice for financial operations in banking organisations or financial reporting infrastructures in complex organizations

- Awareness of the current/ emerging best practice in compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley section 404.

- Basic awareness of modern risk management, measurement and reporting and its impact on wider external stakeholder reporting.

- Basic knowledge of banking products and the way in which they are reported to external stakeholders.

Experience and qualifications :

Essential :

- Audit experience of a minimum of 2-4 years preferable with Big4 Consulting firms and overall work experience of a minimum of 3-5 years.

- Relevant professional qualifications (Accountancy qualification)

- Experience in risk based auditing or risk/control activities

Preferred :

- Experience in audit supervision and management.

- Previous direct (hands-on) experience in auditing complex financial services organisations, including finance functions, consolidations and financial planning and budgeting processes

Other requirements specific to the role :

The compliance environment is continuing to be challenging for Barclays and will require a strong demonstration of commitment and a strong work ethic particularly with an onshore and offshore operation.