Senior Risk Manager – Digital Strategy & Enterprise Automation

As a Senior Risk Manager in the First Line of Defense, you will play a pivotal role in managing risks across digital banking platforms and emerging technologies—including AI and intelligent automation. You’ll serve as a trusted advisor to business partners, helping to ensure innovation is delivered safely, to scale, and in alignment with regulatory expectations.

You’ll lead complex risk assessments, develop control frameworks, and monitor the effectiveness of controls across AI and automation initiatives. This role also supports governance processes, change management, and pilot oversight, while driving continuous improvement through automation and AI-enabled risk solutions. 

Your key responsibilities will include: 

Lead risk identification, assessment, and mitigation for digital platforms and emerging technologies (AI, GenAI, automation). 

Develop and maintain control frameworks for AI and automation use cases. 

Partner with business and tech teams to ensure operational and technical resiliency. 

Oversee risk governance activities: change control, control testing, and RCSAs. 

Provide regulatory guidance (e.g., OCC, FRB, GLBA) across digital initiatives. 

Collaborate with Second and Third Lines of Defense to maintain transparency and alignment. 

Support pilot programs and new product launches by assessing risk exposure and recommending mitigations. 

Drive automation and AI-enabled enhancements to risk management processes. 

Serve as a subject matter expert on AI governance, ethical use, and risk mitigation. 

Key Skills and Qualifications: 

Strong Knowledge of Risk Management Principles: A solid understanding of various risk types (e.g., operational, financial, compliance, reputational) and risk management methodologies, including COSO and OCC Heightened Standards.  

AI, GenAI, and Automation Solutions: Foundational knowledge of AI, Generative AI (GenAI), and automation solutions within enterprise environments, including their application in streamlining operations, enhancing decision-making, and enabling intelligent workflows. This includes an understanding of embedded AI use cases across various business functions and how the risk landscape evolves with the adoption of AI-driven architectures and automated process flows.  

Financial Industry Experience: Experience in the banking and financial services industry, ideally within a nationally chartered institution, with a strong foundation in regulatory compliance, operational risk, and governance. Skilled in identifying and assessing emerging risks associated with AI adoption—such as model bias, data privacy, explainability, and third-party dependencies—and ensuring that appropriate controls, testing protocols, and governance frameworks are in place. Proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to embed risk management practices throughout the AI solution lifecycle, from design and deployment to post-implementation review, in alignment with regulatory expectations and organizational risk appetite. 

Risk Assessment Skills: The ability to manage and execute risk assessments on new business initiatives and implement new and or revised controls to applicable product and service risk inventories. Experience in establishing risk and control inventories and executing an annual and or ad hoc targeted risk and control self-assessment on a product and service inventory.  

Regulatory Knowledge: Familiarity with SR 11-7 and OCC 2011-12 for model risk management, FFIEC guidance on cybersecurity and third-party risk, the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, data privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA, Basel’s Principles for Operational Resilience, and applicable SEC/FINRA regulations, all within the context of responsible AI governance.  

Relationship Building Skills: The ability to develop, maintain, and enhance internal and external business relationships to facilitate risk advisory, knowledge sharing, and familiarity with ongoing industry trends and best practices. 

Problem-Solving Skills: The ability to independently identify and resolve risk-related issues. 

Third Party Risk Management: Ensure that all third-party providers involved in the development, deployment, or support of AI, GenAI, and automation solutions are identified and integrated into the Bank’s Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) program. Confirm that due diligence activities—both at onboarding and through ongoing monitoring—are conducted in accordance with policy requirements, with a specific focus on evaluating model governance, data handling practices, algorithmic transparency, and compliance with regulatory expectations such as SR 11-7, NIST AI RMF, and FFIEC guidance. 

Technology Risk Management: Focus on identifying and mitigating risks associated with the adoption and integration of AI, GenAI, and automation technologies within digital banking platforms. Collaborate with technical teams to ensure the security, stability, and operational resilience of AI-enabled systems, including core banking infrastructure and intelligent payment applications. Evaluate emergi0ng technology risks such as model drift, adversarial AI threats, and data integrity vulnerabilities. Maintain awareness of evolving cybersecurity threats and regulatory expectations, and implement proactive controls and monitoring strategies to safeguard against technology-driven disruptions and ensure compliance with frameworks such as SR 11-7, FFIEC, and NIST 

Knowledge of Tools: GRC Archer, JIRA, Confluence, Excel, Tableau.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Technology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, or related field. 

5–8 years in Risk, Audit, or Compliance roles, ideally with exposure to AI or digital transformation. 

Certifications (preferred): CISA, CIA, CRISC, IAPP AIGP. 

Hours & Work Schedule: 

Hours per Week: 40 

Work Schedule: M-F 8-5 

Hybrid - 4 days in the office, 1 working from home 

Pay Transparency:

The salary range for this position is $112,000 - $160,000 per year, plus an opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus. Actual pay is based on various factors including but not limited to the work location, and relevant skills and experience.   

We offer competitive pay, comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, maternity/paternity leave, flexible work arrangements, education reimbursement, wellness programs and more. Note, Citizens’ paid time off policy exceeds the mandatory, paid sick or paid time-away policy of very local and state jurisdiction in the United States. For an overview of our benefits, visit https://jobs.citizensbank.com/benefits. 

#LI-Citizens2