Vice President, Compliance 2nd Level Control, Asia Pacific

Summary of the key purposes of the role:

• Definition of an annual risk-based Compliance control plan for APAC
• Supervise and deliver Compliance reviews as required by the annual control plan
• Ensure Compliance risks are identified and managed in a timely manner
• Ensure timely tracking, resolution and closure validation of CTL recommendations
• Governance and reporting management.

Summary of responsibilities: 

Definition of an annual risk-based Compliance control plan for APAC:

• Adopt a strong risk-based approach.
• Analyze the results of the risk assessment campaign, key incidents, external enforcements, results of previous reviews, regulatory agenda and detect weak areas or process at risk. Narrow down the selection of priorities with the contribution of key compliance and business stakeholders across the region.
• Ensure alignment with Group’s instruction on the construction of annual control plan for APAC.
• Collaborate with other regions on planning and priorities alignment for similar risks and/or activities when relevant.
• Consult all key stakeholders including local Compliance officers of each legal entities covered, Business and Support functions in the region and LOD3.

Supervise and/or deliver Compliance reviews as required by the annual control plan

• Manage end to end thematic/cyclical/desk review activities by:

           o Performing and supervising review activities, including scoping, testing, issue clearance, reporting.

           o Ensuring appropriate scoping of review activities to detect non-compliance and control deficiencies.

           o Delivering work on schedule and in accordance with CTL standards and methodology.

           o Escalating any risk/issue to the Regional Head of CTL on a timely basis, including where there is a risk of delayed implementation or work resistance from the relevant stakeholders.

           o Reviewing draft reports to, and obtaining clearance from, the Regional Head of CTL prior to issuance and communication to the relevant business and Compliance stakeholders.

           o Managing distribution of the review report to the relevant stakeholders and the recording of the issues/actions/recommendations in the database.

• Provide periodic updates of the review status in weekly team meetings and update the team’s activity report on a monthly basis. Comment on key risks/issues identified and highlight any potential slippage, and/or provide justification for slippage, if the anticipated delivery schedule is not going to be met.
• Ensure timely tracking of CTL issues/action plans/recommendations and provide updated status in the recording database on a regular basis and escalate before overdue.
• Maintain adequate and accurate working papers to evidence the review execution and support issues/actions/recommendations.

Governance and reporting management

• Contribute to SG Internal control committees (Global or regional) to debrief key issues identified from APAC CTL reviews.
• Manage regular reporting process to communicate results of CTL reviews to local Compliance officers of each APAC legal entities covered and Global CPLE/CTL teams.
• Contribute to the oversight of compliance by attending regular meetings with experts at Regional, Wholesale and Global level.
• Attend regular meetings related to internal control framework to stay on top of the Bank’s evolution in permanent control system.
• Contribute to Global change management projects/ initiatives (new tools, methodology, offshoring, data analytics) and its implementation in the region.
• Forster continuous improvement and simplification of regional CTL tasks, templates and processes.
• Respond to requests from LOD3 and regulatory bodies.

Teamwork

• Collaborate and work with all staff involved in the execution of the reviews, providing support throughout the review life cycle (including the validation of the scoping document, the testing results, the validation/clearance of issues/actions/recommendations, and the issuance of the report).
• Support and share expertise on compliance and/or business specific knowledge/matters.
• Contribute to heighten awareness of major regulatory developments and its impact to the bank’s activities from a risk management perspective.
• Develop and maintain effective partnership and working relationships with relevant stakeholders at all levels of organization based on an understanding of their concerns, needs and motivations.

Engagement with business line and Compliance stakeholders

• Provide regular updates to key businesses and Compliance stakeholders on the progress of the review and the risks/issues identified during the review period (including proactively participating in business meetings and/or risk committees, if required).
• Maintain updated knowledge of the business line organization as well as its strategic developments and key projects.

Other responsibilities

• Maintain a detailed and updated working knowledge of the SFC, HKMA, MAS rules and regulations.
• Develop and maintain own training plan to stay abreast of new regulatory requirements and Internal Controls/Policies.

Level of Autonomy and Authority

The Vice President of 2nd Level Control will have to manage autonomously the responsibilities set out in this job description. The Vice President shall not make decisions which would have an impact on the delivery of the mission without referring to the Regional Head of the 2nd Level Control and the Regional Head of APAC Compliance and getting their approvals. The Vice President shall escalate any high risk/issue or work resistance in the execution of the review without delay to the Regional Head of the 2nd Level Control. This role reports to the Regional Head of CPLE/CTL of APAC.

The CTL team is positioned as a second line of defense in the bank’s internal control framework and has a specific mandate within Compliance, with the objective to measure, test, detect and report the risk of non-compliance. The responsibilities of the Asia regional team include:

• Collect and Analyse compliance risk indicators.
• Build a risk based yearly Control plan for APAC.
• Coordinate the annual Compliance Risk Assessment with Regional and Country Advisory Compliance for Asia.
• Execute Compliance reviews covering wholesale bank activities within Asia.
• Ability to understand local regulatory requirements within Asia
• Monitor the control assessment of the Permanent Supervision in Asia; and
• Deliver recommendations and action plan to enhance the global control framework.

Work Experience:

• Extensive relevant work experience in the financial services industry, internal audit/control testing, compliance background
• Experience in execution of projects/reviews with minimum supervision
• Broad business experience and a proven ability to influence
• Demonstrated ability in strong communication, organizational, analytical and people skills
• Proven track record in delivering results, self-starter and ability to manage complex projects a must
• Experience in analyzing large datasets, draw valid inferences and present them clearly to key stakeholders
• Have ability to work effectively with both local, regional and global stakeholders

Education:

• University Graduate in Law, Bank & Finance or Economics
• Professional diploma or qualifications in Compliance (e.g., ACAMS, AAMLP) and/or Audit (e.g., CPA) preferred

Language:

• Fluent English: strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to articulate concisely technical matters.

Technical knowledge:

• Strong knowledge of regulations relating to financial services (SFC, HKMA, and MAS, etc.)
• Good knowledge of Capital Markets and Investment Banking environment and associated products
• Ability to Analyse trends, identify critical threats and opportunities, diagnose problems and issues and then recommend appropriate actions dealing with the underlying root causes

General Competencies:

• Work independently with the ability to make difficult decisions
• Strong report writing skills
• Analytical & problem-solving skills
• Presentation skills
• Time management skills
• Team player

Our Culture: 

At Societe Generale, we live by our 4 core values of commitment, responsibility, team spirit and innovation. We are engaged and demonstrate consideration for others. We act ethically and with courage. We focus our talent and energy on collective success. We experiment and propose new ideas. This way, we maximize our ability to serve client needs and anticipate market changes. Societe Generale is committed to strengthening bonds with colleagues, communities, and the world in which we live, because relationships are at the heart of how we operate. Please visit our APAC career website: https://www.societegenerale.asia/en/careers/building-your-career-with/ for more information.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I):

Our mission: Recruit, develop, advance, and retain a diverse workforce that is united in our efforts to enhance our competitive position and deliver innovative solutions to our clients.

Our vision:

• Engaged workforce that is demographically diverse in a way that reflects the communities in which we operate
• Inclusive culture and workplace that recognizes employees' unique needs and utilizes their diverse talents
• Engage our community and marketplace, and position the organization to meet the needs of all its clients

Check out our DE&I initiatives: https://www.societegenerale.asia/en/careers/diversity-equity-inclusion-dei/

Department Description:

CPLE/CTL’s mandate is to operate, within the 3 Lines of Defense model, a 2nd Level Controls and Testing framework, from both a regulatory and financial crime perspective, based around a robust compliance risk assessment, which drives the prioritization of the control plan.

The objective of 2nd Level Controls and Testing is to assess and test independently the adequacy of the 1st and 2nd Lines of Defense (LOD1 & LOD2) compliance framework that Business Units (BU) and Support Units (SU) have put in place to mitigate the risks of non-compliance that SG Group is exposed to across its business activities and operations regionally.