Director, Third Party Risk Management Operating Model Design Lead

Role: Director, Third Party Risk Management Operating Model Design Lead

Function: Third Party Risk Management Programme

Location: Central London (Hybrid, 3 days a week on site, 2 days from home)

Start Date: ASAP

End Date: Until the end of 2027

Daily Rate: Competitive, Inside IR35

Role purpose

We are seeking a highly experienced Director, Third Party Risk Management Operating Model Design Lead to set the strategic direction and lead the design of a clear, sustainable and scalable end-to-end TPRM operating model.

The role holder will translate the programme’s strategic objectives and risk management requirements into a practical operating model that can operate effectively across a complex global and regional structure. This will include defining how TPRM activities are governed, delivered, controlled, supported and measured across the third-party lifecycle.

Working with the two TPRM subject matter experts, the role holder will be the senior operating model authority, bringing specialist expertise to shape the solution and guide delivery. They will align stakeholders across Regions, Global Businesses and Global Functions, Procurement, and Business Risk and Resilience (BRR) to establish a globally consistent model that accommodates local regulatory requirements where necessary.

This is a director-level design leadership role with accountability for setting the operating model direction, securing key decisions, and leading the project manager and TPRM subject matter expert assigned to the work. The role holder will oversee and drive plan development and delivery, but will not undertake day-to-day project management.

Principal accountabilities

Operating model design

·       Own and lead the development of the end-to-end 1LoD TPRM target operating model, building on the defined capabilities to complete the detailed design and set the direction for mobilisation.

• Support the definition of the respective responsibilities between the first and second lines of defence and establish clear ownership, accountability, escalation routes and decision rights.
  
• Develop detailed organisational structures, role profiles, responsibility matrices and interaction models.
  
• Design effective governance forums, reporting lines and decision-making mechanisms at global, regional and business levels.
  
• Define the service delivery model, including centralised, federated and locally delivered activities.
  
• Establish clear hand-offs and interfaces between TPRM, Procurement, BRR, Regions, GBGFs and other relevant control functions.
  
• Identify the required capabilities, capacity, skills and resourcing needed to operate the model successfully.
  

Process, controls and technology enablement

• Align the operating model with relevant policies, standards, risk taxonomies, control requirements and regulatory obligations.
  
• Define standardised processes, procedures, controls and minimum requirements, with clear criteria for permitted local variation.
  
• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardise and automate TPRM activities.
  
• Define business and functional requirements for technology, workflow, data and tooling that enable the target operating model.
  
• Establish the required data ownership, data quality, management information and reporting framework.
  
• Define key risk, control, performance and service indicators to demonstrate the effectiveness of the operating model.
  
• Ensure the design incorporates appropriate quality assurance, oversight, testing and continuous-improvement mechanisms.
  

Mobilisation and implementation

·       Oversee and drive the development of a comprehensive mobilisation plan by the project manager, ensuring it covers:

• • Scope, objectives and design principles
    
  • Workstreams, deliverables and dependencies
    
  • Governance and decision-making
    
  • Stakeholder engagement and consultation
    
  • Resource and capability requirements
    
  • Technology and data dependencies
    
  • Pilot and implementation approach
    
  • Transition states and sequencing
    
  • Change impact and business readiness
    
  • Communications, training and adoption
    
  • Risks, assumptions, issues and mitigations
    
  • Benefits and success measures
    

·       Set the direction for the implementation roadmap and hold the project manager accountable for delivery against agreed outcomes, milestones and dependencies.

• Define interim operating arrangements where the target state cannot be implemented immediately.
  
• Support pilot activity, implementation planning and the transition into business-as-usual operation.
  
• Establish mechanisms to monitor adoption, effectiveness and benefits realisation.
  

Stakeholder leadership

• Build strong relationships across Regions, GBGFs, Procurement, BRR and other risk and control functions.
  
• Facilitate senior stakeholder workshops to develop requirements, resolve differing perspectives and secure agreement.
  
• Present complex operating model concepts in a clear, structured and compelling way.
  
• Influence stakeholders without relying on direct authority and constructively challenge established practices.
  
• Build consensus while ensuring that key risk, control and regulatory requirements are not compromised.
  
• Provide authoritative recommendations and decision papers to programme governance and senior management, escalating material design or delivery decisions where required.
  

·       Lead the project manager and TPRM subject matter expert assigned to the work, setting direction, integrating their contributions and maintaining focus on the strategic design outcome.

Key deliverables

• Agreed TPRM operating model design principles
  
• End-to-end target operating model
  
• Process and service delivery architecture
  
• Governance and decision-rights framework
  
• Organisation design and accountability model
  
• Detailed RACI and interaction model
  
• Capability, capacity and resource model
  
• Data, technology and MI requirements
  
• Controls, oversight and assurance model
  
• Mobilisation and implementation plan
  
• Transition roadmap and interim-state designs
  
• Change, communications and training approach
  
• Operating model success measures and benefits framework
  

Experience required

·       Significant director-level experience leading complex operating model design and delivery within a global, highly regulated organisation; experience in Third Party Risk Management or a closely related risk discipline is strongly preferred.

·       Proven accountability for designing, mobilising and implementing complex end-to-end operating models, with evidence of moving solutions from concept through to sustainable operation.

• Deep understanding of the complete third-party lifecycle and associated risk disciplines.
  
• Demonstrable experience developing operating model components including:
  
  • Organisation and service delivery design
    
  • Governance and decision rights
    
  • Roles, responsibilities and accountability
    
  • Technology and workflow enablement
    
  • Data ownership, MI and reporting
    
  • Change, transition and adoption
    
• Strong understanding of large, matrixed organisations and the interaction between global, regional, business and functional teams.
  
• Experience working across Procurement, operational risk, resilience, compliance, legal, technology, data and business management disciplines.
  

·       Proven ability to lead mobilisation activity, direct plan development and oversee delivery through an experienced project manager.

·       Demonstrable authority and judgement in managing competing senior stakeholder priorities, resolving design trade-offs and securing decisions across organisational boundaries.

• Track record of producing high-quality operating model artefacts, executive papers and senior-level presentations.
  
• Experience leading SMEs or multidisciplinary design teams.
  

Skills and capabilities

• Exceptional stakeholder management, facilitation and influencing skills.
  
• Strong strategic thinking combined with a pragmatic delivery mindset.
  
• Ability to simplify complex organisational, process and risk issues.
  
• Excellent operating model, process-design and organisational-design capability.
  
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
  
• Sound judgement and the confidence to make clear recommendations in ambiguous situations.
  
• Ability to challenge constructively and navigate differing senior stakeholder perspectives.
  
• Strong programme planning, dependency management and delivery discipline.
  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  
• Ability to move comfortably between executive-level strategy and detailed operating model design.
  
• Strong attention to detail without losing sight of the overall strategic outcome.
  
• Collaborative, inclusive and culturally aware leadership style.
  
• Resilience, adaptability and the ability to maintain momentum in a complex change environment.