Standard Chartered—Audit Director - Payments and Core Banking Technology

Job description

Description: Job Summary • The Payments and Core Banking Technology Audit Director is a senior leadership role requiring an experienced technology professional with deep expertise in payments and core banking technologies, and the associated technology risks. The role provides independent, forward-looking assurance over the Bank’s critical technology services and strategic leadership on technology risks, with a particular focus on payments architecture, payment processing, real-time payment systems, financial messaging, core banking platforms, and digital workflow systems supporting core banking and payment services. The role holder leads a team of technology audit professionals, manages senior stakeholder relationships across Technology, Operations, Payments, Core Banking, Business and Risk functions, and contributes to the development of the technology assurance strategy and multi-year audit coverage plan. • The position ensures that the Board Audit Committee and senior management receive independent assurance on the effectiveness of technology controls supporting core banking and payment services. The role holder also serves as a trusted advisor to senior technology executives, including the Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and payments and core banking leaders, and contributes directly to Board and Audit Committee reporting. • As defined in the Audit Charter, all staff in GIAI must exhibit the highest level of professional objectivity in gathering, evaluating, and communicating information about the activity or process being examined. They must make a balanced assessment of all the relevant circumstances and not be unduly influenced by their own interests or by others in forming judgments. GIAI will adhere to the Definition of Internal Auditing, the Core Principles for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing, Code of Ethics, and the Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing that are published by the IIA. It is expected that all members of GIAI strive to operate as role models for the Group’s valued behaviours. GIAI methodology has defined “Habits of a Human Auditor” which are aligned to the Group’s valued behaviours and communicated across the function. Key Responsibilities Strategy • Define, implement and execute the assurance strategy for payments and core banking technology, covering key technology risks associated with payments architecture, payment processing, real-time payment systems, financial messaging, core banking platforms, and digital workflow systems supporting core banking and payment services. • Lead the risk assessment and development of a forward-looking, risk-based assurance plan for payments and core banking technology, ensuring coverage remains aligned to the evolving risk profile of the portfolio. • Identify emerging technology risks associated with payments modernisation, instant payments, financial messaging, core banking platform transformation, open banking, digital workflow systems supporting core banking and payment services, third-party dependencies, and cloud adoption. • Bring external technology, industry and regulatory insights into assurance planning to anticipate emerging technology risk themes and evolving control expectations. • Ensure assigned reviews address key technology, payments and core banking risks identified through detailed risk assessments and meet relevant regulatory expectations. • Ensure alignment with relevant technology, payments and cyber security regulatory expectations, including MAS, PRA and FCA requirements, and Group Audit methodology. • Ensure that audit team operates in line with the Audit Charter during engagements, remains independent from management and free from interference. Processes(Audit Delivery) • Lead end-to-end delivery of complex, high-risk reviews across payments and core banking technology, ensuring outputs are risk-focused, high-quality and timely. • Provide technical direction and challenge on technology control findings, ensuring clear articulation of risk, root cause, impact and practical management actions. • Oversee planning, execution, issue agreement and report delivery in line with GIAI methodology, while bringing strong payments and core banking technology subject matter expertise. • Guide, review and supervise technology risk and audit teams to ensure deliverables meet quality standards, timelines and methodology requirements. • Lead Board and Audit Committee reporting, including clear conclusions on payments and core banking, technology controls and broader technology risk themes. • Represent GIAI at the payments and core banking risk governance forums, providing independent challenge and data-driven control insights. • Drive adoption of advanced assurance techniques, including data analytics and AI-enabled testing of payments and, core banking technology controls. • Ensure robust tracking, validation and closure of audit issues, escalating overdue or high-risk matters as required. • Identify systemic themes and control weaknesses impacting the Group and escalate appropriately. • Communicate risks clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Risk Management (Risk Assessment) • Ensure the completeness of the audit universe to capture key technology, payments and resilience control risks across the portfolio. • Oversee continuous risk assessment to identify changes in risk profiles and update the audit plan where required. • Drive early identification and escalation of emerging risks, issues, and trends, including outside the formal audit cycle. • Engage in relevant governance forums to provide challenge, ensure risks are appropriately surfaced, and remediation actions are timely and effective. • Adopt an anticipatory, forward-looking approach to risk assessment through stakeholder engagement and external environment monitoring. • Review management information (MI) and reporting to maintain awareness of key risk trends impacting the business and audit delivery. Stakeholder Management • Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior technology, payments, core banking, operations, business and risk stakeholders across the Group. • Represent GIAI at payments and core banking technology risk committees, providing independent, data-driven challenge and insights. • Engage effectively with external stakeholders, including regulators, payments industry participants and independent reviewers. • Maintain strong working relationships with management across payments and core banking technology to support effective control oversight and audit delivery. • Function as a subject matter expert for the portfolio, proactively sharing insights and knowledge across stakeholders and audit teams. People & Talent • Lead and manage Senior Audit Managers and Audit Managers to build and sustain a high-performing team. • Set direction for skills development in payments architecture, payments processing and core banking platforms, technology controls, and risk management, and drive talent pipeline and succession planning. • Foster a culture of collaboration, constructive challenge, continuous improvement, technical excellence, and innovation in audit delivery. • Provide strong leadership, coaching, mentoring, and performance feedback to motivate and develop team leaders and members. • Function as a role model for valued behaviours, reinforcing positive culture and addressing poor behaviours proactively. • Drive continuous improvement by identifying growth areas, influencing change, and implementing enhancements within the function. • Support ongoing self-development and capability building through internal training and external perspectives. • Proactively identify and develop talent across GIAI. Governance • Uphold the highest standards of independence, objectivity, and ethics in line with the Audit Charter and IIA standards. • Embed strong risk culture, conduct standards, and compliance with Group policies, regulatory requirements, and internal audit standards across engagements. • Lead by example in audit communications, clearly articulating risks, root causes, and issues in a manner accessible to non-experts. • Resolve conflicts between auditors and auditees constructively, leveraging strong stakeholder relationships to drive outcomes. • Escalate delays in audit delivery to stakeholders and GIAI management, role-modelling accountability across teams. • Maintain effective relationships with product, payments technology and country stakeholders to support control environment improvements and track changes in risk profiles. Regulatory & Business Conduct • Demonstrate exemplary conduct and live by the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct. • Take personal responsibility for embedding high standards of ethics, regulatory compliance, and business conduct across the Bank. • Ensure understanding and adherence (in letter and spirit) to all applicable laws, regulations, and guidelines. • Support GIAI in achieving the Bank’s Conduct Principles outcomes. • Ensure regulatory expectations (e.g. MAS, PRA, FCA) are adequately reflected in audit coverage. • Proactively identify, escalate, mitigate, and resolve risk, conduct, and compliance matters in a collaborative manner. Business(Budget) • Manage audit delivery within allocated budgets, ensuring efficient use of resources. • Drive cost optimisation and productivity improvements across audit engagements. • Leverage automation to reduce manual effort and focus on higher-value activities. Key stakeholders • Payment and Core Banking Technology leadership, including CIO and CTO. • Technology Risk, leadership • GIAI leadership (AET, Audit Directors, Portfolio Leads) • Regulators and external reviewers Skills and Experience Banking technology and payments services, including • Payments Processing and Orchestration Services • Core Banking Systems • Digital workflow systems supporting core banking and payment services • API and Integration Services • Middleware and Messaging Infrastructure • Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) • SWIFT Infrastructure • Real-Time Payment Systems • Open Banking and API Ecosystems • Cloud-based Payment Services Data Analytics • Python • SQL • Technology Controls, Risk Management and Audit Methodology practices • Strong communicator, both written and verbal, with ability to clearly explain controls to be tested and risks identified to audit and business management • Confident and courageous to raise and escalate ideas or concerns in a professional and timely manner • Proactive, self-directed, and able to work with minimum supervision • Ability to work within a global team Qualifications • 18+ years’ senior professional with deep expertise in payments and core banking technology controls and risk management, preferably in large financial institutions. • Proven experience engaging with regulators, senior technology leaders and Audit Committees on topics related to payments and core banking technology, and risk management. • Strong leadership experience managing payments technology and core banking technology and risk management. Strong knowledge of • Payments and core banking technology, including payments architecture, payment processing, real-time payment systems, financial messaging and core banking platforms. • Technology risk management, payments and core banking control frameworks and control design / effectiveness assessment. Education & Certifications • Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Computer Engineering or related field Professional certifications • Industry certifications such as Accredited Payments Risk Professional or demonstrated expertise in SWIFT, ISO 20022, real-time payments, card payment processing, or payments risk management • CISA, CISM, CISSP, CRISC, CCSP (desirable) About Standard Chartered We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us. Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion. Together we: - Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do - Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well - Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term What we offer In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing. - Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations. - Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum. - Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns. - Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits - A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning. - Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.