Principal, Strategy and Transformation

About this role

At Early Warning, we’ve powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle®, Paze℠, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses.

Positions located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship.

Overall Purpose The Principal, Strategy and Transformation - Risk is a senior individual contributor responsible for leading the planning and execution of complex, enterprise-wide risk transformation initiatives. The role translates transformation strategy and priorities into executable plans and drives cross-functional delivery across multiple concurrent workstreams.

This role provides hands-on program leadership throughout the transformation lifecycle, including establishing integrated plans, managing milestones and dependencies, identifying and resolving delivery risks and issues, facilitating stakeholder decisions, and maintaining clear governance and reporting. The role partners closely with Risk subject matter experts, business and technology leaders, the PMO, and stakeholders across lines of defense to ensure initiatives deliver against committed objectives, timelines, and outcomes.

The role requires significant experience leading large-scale change in complex, regulated financial services environments. Knowledge of risk management practices and experience working with second-line risk organizations are valuable to effectively navigate the subject matter and stakeholder environment; however, the primary expertise required of the role is demonstrated program management and transformation execution.

Essential Functions

• Lead the planning and execution of multiple complex, high-priority initiatives within the enterprise Risk Transformation roadmap, translating strategic objectives into clearly defined workstreams, deliverables, milestones, dependencies, and accountable owners.

• Develop and maintain integrated program and workstream plans that provide clear visibility into scope, sequencing, critical paths, interdependencies, resource needs, decisions, and expected outcomes.

• Provide hands-on leadership of day-to-day program execution, actively monitoring progress and intervening as necessary to maintain delivery against committed objectives and timelines.

• Identify, assess, and proactively manage program risks, issues, dependencies, and potential delays. Drive resolution of barriers, establish appropriate escalation paths, and ensure decisions and follow-up actions are completed in a timely manner.

• Establish and facilitate effective program governance and operating rhythms, including working sessions, workstream reviews, decision forums, executive updates, and other stakeholder routines necessary to drive execution and accountability.

• Partner with Risk subject matter experts, business and technology leaders, PMO partners, and stakeholders across lines of defense to align transformation priorities, requirements, timing, dependencies, and impacts to ongoing business activities.

• Facilitate complex cross-functional discussions, clarify areas of ownership and accountability, surface competing priorities or points of disagreement, and drive stakeholders toward timely decisions and executable solutions.

• Translate complex program information into clear, decision-oriented communications for senior leaders and governance forums, including progress against milestones, key risks and issues, dependencies, decisions required, and overall transformation outcomes.

• Support the design and implementation of sustainable risk-management processes, governance structures, operating models, and supporting capabilities in partnership with appropriate Risk and business subject matter experts.

• Coordinate implementation and change activities across affected functions, helping ensure new processes, responsibilities, governance routines, and capabilities are effectively transitioned into ongoing operations.

• Evaluate program progress and outcomes using appropriate measures and reporting, identifying trends, emerging risks, and opportunities to improve execution or accelerate delivery.

• Apply sound judgment in ambiguous or evolving situations, balancing business impact, risk, stakeholder needs, and delivery priorities to maintain progress across complex initiatives.

• Build strong working relationships with senior leaders and stakeholders across the organization and influence outcomes without reliance on direct reporting authority.

• Support the company’s commitment to risk management and protecting the integrity and confidentiality of systems and data.

Minimum Qualifications

• Typically has 10 years or more of progressive experience or demonstrated portfolio consistent with experience required of the role.

• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale, complex, cross-functional transformation programs or major strategic change initiatives in financial services or another highly regulated environment.

• Demonstrated hands-on program management expertise, including development and management of integrated plans, milestones, dependencies, risks and issues, governance routines, executive reporting, and delivery against committed outcomes.

• Experience managing multiple concurrent workstreams involving significant organizational complexity, cross-functional dependencies, and senior-level stakeholders.

• Working knowledge of risk management concepts and practices sufficient to lead transformation initiatives involving risk processes, controls, governance, operating mod

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