Standard Chartered—WRB Product Accounting Director

Job description

Description: Job Summary The Director – WRB Capital Markets Products Controllership is accountable for setting the strategic direction, governance agenda and control standards for Capital Markets Products across WRB, covering derivatives, structured products, FX, equities and fixed income. The role provides enterprise-level leadership over product accounting, revenue recognition, fair value accounting, P&L integrity, balance sheet substantiation, external reporting support and front-to-back financial controls for complex and market-sensitive products. Acting as a senior finance control leader and trusted adviser to Business Finance, Product, Markets, Risk, Operations, Technology, Change and Group Finance stakeholders, the role provides independent judgement, commercially informed challenge and authoritative governance to support sustainable growth, accurate financial reporting and effective risk management across WRB Capital Markets Products. Strategy • Define and lead the WRB Capital Markets Products Controllership strategy across derivatives, structured products, FX, equities and fixed income, ensuring alignment with WRB Finance, Group Finance and business priorities. • Set enterprise-level standards for product accounting, revenue recognition, fair value accounting, P&L reporting, balance sheet integrity and control governance across Capital Markets Products. • Act as the senior finance control authority for complex product accounting, booking model, reserve, reporting and control matters, providing decisive independent challenge and escalation where required. • Influence senior Business Finance, Product, Markets, Risk and Group Finance stakeholders to support commercially sound growth while preserving strong financial control, governance and reporting discipline. • Sponsor simplification, standardisation, automation and sustainable control uplift across Capital Markets Products reporting and controllership processes. Key Responsibilities Business • Provide senior leadership over the financial control agenda for derivatives, structured products, FX, equities and fixed income, including payoff profiles, lifecycle events, hedging relationships, booking models and market risk sensitivities. • Apply authoritative commercial and accounting judgement to ensure product financials reflect underlying economics, risk profile, governance expectations and external reporting requirements. • Shape business decision-making by providing independent, forward-looking challenge on product performance, growth initiatives, change priorities and control implications. Processes • Provide strategic front-to-back oversight of Capital Markets Products accounting and reporting processes, from trade origination, product setup and booking models through sub-ledgers, general ledger, management information, disclosures and senior governance reporting. • Oversee key controllership activities across derivatives, structured products, FX, equities and fixed income, including: • P&L recognition, fair value movements, day-one P&L, amortisation, hedge-related impacts and product close-out accounting • Balance sheet substantiation, reconciliations, exception management, manual journals, reserves, attestations and control evidence • Booking model governance, product accounting treatments, sub-ledger to general ledger controls, reporting controls and senior issue escalation • Period-end close governance, disclosures, audit and regulatory responses, transformation impacts and product change readiness across Capital Markets Products • Ensure compliance with Group accounting policies, IFRS requirements, financial control standards, substantiation requirements and relevant governance expectations. • Approve and challenge the adequacy of financial control design when new products, booking approaches, system changes or process changes are introduced, ensuring senior-level readiness before go-live. Risk Management • Set risk appetite and escalation expectations for financial, model, operational, market data, conduct and reporting risks relating to derivatives, structured products, FX, equities and fixed income products. • Hold teams and stakeholders accountable for timely remediation of control, substantiation and reporting issues, supporting sustainable reductions in audit, regulatory and Group findings. • Support CFO declarations, attestations and senior governance reporting through evidence-based ownership of Capital Markets Products balances, P&L, disclosures and control outcomes. Governance • Set and oversee governance across Capital Markets Products accounting, reporting, transformation and change initiatives. • Represent WRB Capital Markets Products Controllership in executive-level governance, risk and change forums, providing clear evidence-based insight, challenge and decision support. • Ensure material accounting, P&L, balance sheet, reporting and control impacts are assessed before product, process, system or operating model changes are implemented. • Maintain clear ownership, documentation, escalation discipline and closure accountability for significant judgements, risks, issues and remediation actions. Regulatory & Business Conduct • Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct. • Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. • Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters. • Lead the team to achieve the outcomes set out in the Bank’s Conduct Principles. • Exercise authorities delegated by the Board of Directors and act in accordance with Articles of Association (or equivalent). Key stakeholders • WRB Finance leadership, Wealth Product leadership, Business Finance, Country Finance, Operations, Technology, Risk, Product Governance, Treasury/Market Risk partners, Change teams, Group/central Controllers, external audit and senior governance forum members Other Responsibilities • Embed Here for good and the Group’s brand and values across the function; perform other responsibilities assigned under Group, Country, Business or Functional policies and procedures; sponsor transformation, control simplification and capability-building priorities across WRB Controllership. Skills and Experience • Accountable for enterprise-level financial integrity of WRB Capital Markets Products, including P&L, balance sheet, MI, disclosures, attestations and senior governance outcomes. • Set the front-to-back controllership strategy across transaction origination, booking models, sub-ledgers, GL, reporting and disclosures. • Own and strengthen the control environment for Capital Markets Products, including balance sheet substantiation, manual journals, reconciliations, reserves and booking model controls. • Approve, challenge and escalate accounting treatments, booking models and control design for new products, product changes and system implementations prior to go-live. • Identify, assess and escalate financial, operational, reporting and conduct risks to executive stakeholders and governance forums, with clear remediation ownership. • Support CFO declarations, attestations and external reporting outcomes through robust control ownership and defensible financial judgements. • Partner with senior Business Finance, Product, Markets and Risk stakeholders to provide independent, commercially informed challenge on product performance, pricing decisions and strategic growth initiatives. • Represent WRB Capital Markets Products Controllership in executive governance, risk and change forums, providing evidence-based insight and decision support. • Sponsor standardisation, simplification, automation and control uplift across Capital Markets Products processes, supporting improved audit, regulatory and reporting outcomes. • Lead leaders and reinforce a culture of ownership, integrity, informed challenge, accountability and decision quality across WRB Finance. Qualifications • Qualified accountant or equivalent finance qualification preferred (e.g. CA, CFA, ACCA, CIMA or CPA). • Significant senior leadership experience in financial control, product control, controllership, accounting policy application and governance within banking or financial services is essential. • Deep experience across Capital Markets products, including derivatives, structured products, FX, equities and fixed income, is strongly preferred. • Proven ability to lead leaders, influence executive stakeholders, set control strategy, manage complex audit and regulatory matters, sponsor transformation and deliver sustainable improvements in a complex matrix environment is expected. 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.