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Head of Operational rigor

Geneva, Switzerland

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Date live: 05/07/2025

Business Area: Private Bank Processing

Area of Expertise: Banking Operations

Contract: Permanent

Reference Code: JR-0000047897

Barclays Banking Operations

Put yourself at the heart of the Barclays. A career in banking operations puts you at the very centre of our business strategy. By putting customers at the heart of everything we do, we’re putting our whole business behind our Customer facing teams. As the face of our brand, especially in an increasingly digital world, you'll play a vital role in our customers' financial lives. Here, your voice is heard, and you’ll have the support and opportunities to thrive.

Head of Operational Rigour | Barclays | Geneva.

Come join us as Head of Operational Rigour! The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing the effective design, implementation, and maintenance of the Geneva Operations Risk Management Framework. As part of the first line of defence, this role ensures strong risk governance, drives a culture of quality assurance, and partners closely with business teams to proactively identify, manage, and remediate operational risk.

Key Responsibilities:

Risk Management and Oversight

  • Maintain a strong risk partner relationship within Geneva Operations, offering guidance and challenge in operational risk identification and resolution.
  • Lead the co-ordination of 2nd line Quality Assurance, Conformance Testing, and Management Information (MI) for relevant Risk Forums.
  • Ensure all open actions (Audit, RCSA, etc.) are completed in a timely and accurate manner.
  • Support a robust control environment through root cause analysis (RCA), incident escalation, and continuous process improvement.
  • Track and report Key Risk and Quality Indicators (KRIs/KQIs) across daily, weekly, and monthly cycles.


Quality Assurance

  • Oversee the execution of Quality Assurance and Conformance Testing on critical tasks, ensuring appropriate volume, frequency, and documentation of issues identified.
  • Continuously assess and improve QA activities to ensure emerging risks are captured and addressed.
  • Ensure end-to-end understanding of operational processes, risks, and controls, with adequate documentation and escalation protocols.


Leadership and Stakeholder Management

  • Manage and develop a team performing high-risk quality and control checks, ensuring operational accuracy and timely delivery.
  • Promote a high-performance culture through coaching, training, and talent development.
  • Set and monitor stretching objectives, ensuring team performance aligns with business goals.
  • Engage regularly with senior stakeholders across Risk, Financial Crime, Compliance, and Global Operations.


Decision Making and Reporting

  • Present findings, gaps, and recommendations to senior stakeholders (VPs and Process Owners), ensuring actions are tracked and followed up.
  • Share best practices across Risk and Control (R&C) teams and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Support data-driven decisions through accurate, concise reporting and insightful MI.

Risk and Control Objective

Ensure that all duties are carried out in accordance with internal policy, regulatory requirements, and the Enterprise-Wide Risk Management Framework. Foster a risk-aware culture and maintain effective controls and monitoring to support operational integrity.

Person Specification:

Essential Skills and Qualifications

  • Proven experience managing teams in an operational risk or control environment.
  • Strong analytical, investigative, and numerical skills.
  • Excellent knowledge of operational risk standards and frameworks.
  • Highly detail-oriented with a positive, proactive mindset.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
  • Skilled in communicating with and presenting to senior stakeholders.


Desirable

  • Prior experience in financial services operations, risk, or compliance.
  • Fluency in English (written and spoken); additional languages an advantage.


This role is based in Geneva.

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

Purpose of the role

To support PBWM with day-to-day processing, reviewing, reporting, and issue resolution. 

Accountabilities

  • Support with day-to-day Private Bank and Wealth Management initiatives including processing, reviewing, reporting, and issue resolution with regards to accounts, products and services.
  • Support the management of the banks client relations to clearly identify their needs and provide a service that meets expectations.
  • Collaboration with teams across the bank to align and integrate Private Bank and Wealth Management processes.
  • Identification of areas for improvement and providing recommendations for change in Private Bank and Wealth Management processes.
  • Development and implementation of Private Bank and Wealth Management procedures and controls to mitigate risks and maintain operational efficiency.
  • Development of reports and presentations on Private Bank and Wealth Management performance and communicate findings to internal senior stakeholders.
  • Identification of industry trends and developments to implement best practice in Private Bank and Wealth Management Services.
  • Participation in projects and initiatives to improve Private Bank and Wealth Management efficiency and effectiveness.

Vice President Expectations

  • To contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/ processes; deliver continuous improvements and escalate breaches of policies/procedures..
  • If managing a team, they define jobs and responsibilities, planning for the department’s future needs and operations, counselling employees on performance and contributing to employee pay decisions/changes. They may also lead a number of specialists to influence the operations of a department, in alignment with strategic as well as tactical priorities, while balancing short and long term goals and ensuring that budgets and schedules meet corporate requirements..
  • If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others..
  • OR for an individual contributor, they will be a subject matter expert within own discipline and will guide technical direction. They will lead collaborative, multi-year assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
  • Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
  • Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
  • Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
  • Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
  • Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
  • Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
  • Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
  • Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

Barclays welcomes applications from all candidates and is committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments (accommodations) are put in place to allow for a fair and inclusive recruitment process. For more information and how to request one, please review Adjustments to the recruitment process.

We’re a global, vital and highly respected financial organisation with an inspiring Purpose. Operating in 39 countries and employing around 100,000 people across the world, we help communities, individuals and businesses thrive. And we’ve created financial solutions and technology that the world now takes for granted. A career with us can offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience, and the chance to learn from some of the best minds in technology and finance.

To find out more about Barclays' strategy please click here.

We are an equal opportunity employer and opposed to discrimination on any grounds. It is the policy of Barclays to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, colour, creed, religion, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by law.

Barclays is required by law to confirm that you have the Legal Right to Work in any role that you apply for. If you currently hold a work visa sponsored by Barclays, or you would require sponsorship from Barclays, you must declare this as part of your application. Sponsored visas are role and entity specific and any changes must be reviewed. It is important that you ensure you are working on the correct visa at all times. Failure to accurately disclose your visa status or Legal Right to Work may result in your application or any employment offer being withdrawn at any time.

Learn more about Barclays locations

Across our campuses, we offer modern workspaces, collaborative areas, and state-of-the-art meeting rooms. Facilities include wellness rooms, on-site cafeterias, fitness centers, and tech-equipped workstations. Designed for innovation and comfort, they support a dynamic and productive work environment.

Gain access to wellness rooms, gyms and mental health support.

Our welcoming and inclusive culture supports you to bring your whole self to work, explore your potential and pursue your passions.

Modern spaces designed for teamwork and brainstorming.

There’s so much more than work to involve and engage you on campus. From socialising to sports, from community events to volunteering.

Learn more about Barclays locations

Across our campuses, we offer modern workspaces, collaborative areas, and state-of-the-art meeting rooms. Facilities include wellness rooms, on-site cafeterias, fitness centers, and tech-equipped workstations. Designed for innovation and comfort, they support a dynamic and productive work environment.

Health and wellness

Gain access to wellness rooms, gyms and mental health support.

A place where you can belong

Our welcoming and inclusive culture supports you to bring your whole self to work, explore your potential and pursue your passions.

Collaborative Areas

Modern spaces designed for teamwork and brainstorming.

More than work

There’s so much more than work to involve and engage you on campus. From socialising to sports, from community events to volunteering.

Multicultural ERGs at Barclays

Be you. Be valued. Belong.

We celebrate the unique perspectives and experiences each individual brings, believing our differences make us stronger and drive success.

You can learn more about our commitment to our colleague on our Inclusion and Opportunities page.

Learn more

Application Process

Your application

We’ll ask for information about you, your CV and cover letter.

1

Your assessment

Covering your behaviours and ability at work.

2

Your interview

Exploring your past experiences and skills.

3

Next step

We’ll request additional information so that you can complete our screening process

4
Barclays

Working flexibly

We’re committed to providing a supportive and inclusive culture and environment for you to work in. This environment recognises and supports your personal needs, alongside the professional needs of our business. If you'd like to explore flexible working arrangements, please discuss this with the hiring manager. Your request will be reviewed in-line with the requirements of the role/business needs of the team.

Hybrid working

We have a structured approach to hybrid working, where colleagues work at an onsite location on fixed, ‘anchor’, days, as set by the business area. Please discuss the working pattern requirements for the role you are applying for with the hiring manager. Please note that working arrangements may be subject to change on reasonable notice to ensure we meet the needs of our business.

Barclays is built on an international scale.

Our geographic reach, our wide variety of functions, businesses, roles and locations reflect the rich diversity of our worldwide customer base. All of which means we offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience.
And the chance to learn from a globally diverse mix of colleagues, including some of the very best minds in banking, finance, technology and business. Throughout, we’ll encourage you to embrace mobility, exploring every part of our operations as you build your career.

Find more information

Related content

Multicultural ERGs at Barclays

Be you. Be valued. Belong.

We celebrate the unique perspectives and experiences each individual brings, believing our differences make us stronger and drive success.

You can learn more about our commitment to our colleague on our Inclusion and Opportunities page.

Learn more