Head of Operational Risk in banking domain

We have an urgent requirement for Head of Operational Risk in banking domain is required for our banking client in Oman 

MD-level leadership, cross-border banking exposure, strong strategic thinking, stakeholder management, and people leadership.--Must

Own enterprise-wide operational risk strategy, RCSA, KRIs, loss data, scenario analysis, stress testing, and change/new product risk.--Must

Align with Basel standards, Central Bank of Oman regulations, and international practices.---Must

Lead Operational Resilience, BCM, Disaster Recovery, Crisis Management, and technology/cyber resilience.---Must

Govern outsourcing, cloud, fintech, vendor, concentration, and cross-border third-party risks.---Must

Advise Board Risk Committee, Executive Committee, CRO, and regulators on operational risk and resilience.---Must
Banking Domain --Must

Skill Set :

 Summary

The Head of Operational Risk is accountable for designing, embedding, and continuously enhancing a globally robust operational risk and resilience framework that enables bank  to grow safely across local, regional, and international markets. As the Bank expands its cross-border footprint, this role ensures that operational risk management evolves from a traditional control function into a strategic enabler of growth, balancing innovation, speed, and regulatory discipline. The role carries enterprise-wide accountability for safeguarding the Bank against process failures, people risk, systems risk, fraud, cyber disruption, outsourcing risk, and geopolitical complexity, while strengthening operational resilience and customer trust.





ResponsibilitiesEnterprise & Global Operational Risk Strategy

• Define and own the Bank-wide Operational Risk Strategy, aligned with the Board-approved Risk Appetite and international growth agenda.


• Translate strategic objectives into scalable risk frameworks capable of supporting multi-jurisdictional operations, overseas branches, subsidiaries, alliances, and digital platforms.


• Continuously assess emerging global risk trends (e.g., cyber threats, geopolitical tensions, regulatory divergence, AI adoption, outsourcing concentration).

Operational Risk Framework & Methodology

• Own and enhance the full Operational Risk Management Framework, including - Risk & Control Self-Assessments (RCSAs), Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) and dashboards, Operational loss data collection and analysis, Scenario analysis and stress testing, new product and change risk assessment.


• Ensure frameworks are aligned with Basel standards, Central Bank of Oman regulations, and leading international supervisory practices.

Operational Resilience & Business Continuity

• Provide executive oversight of Operational Resilience, ensuring the Bank can withstand, respond to, and recover from severe but plausible disruptions.


• Oversee Business Continuity Management (BCM), disaster recovery, and crisis management frameworks across all geographies.


• Work closely with Technology and Cyber teams to strengthen end-to-end resilience of critical services.

Third-Party & Outsourcing Risk

• Establish and govern a robust Third-Party Risk Management framework, covering outsourcing, cloud services, fintech partnerships, and cross-border vendors.


• Ensure compliance with regulatory expectations on outsourcing, data protection, and concentration risk.

Incident Management & Root Cause Analysis

• Lead executive response to material operational risk incidents, ensuring timely escalation, regulatory engagement, and remediation.


• Drive deep root-cause analysis and sustainable corrective actions, embedding lessons learned across the organization.

Governance, Board & Regulatory Engagement

• Act as principal advisor to the Executive Committee and Board Risk Committee on operational risk matters.


• Lead engagement with regulators and supervisors on operational risk, resilience, and control matters across jurisdictions.


• Ensure transparent, insightful reporting that enables effective Board oversight.

Leadership & Culture

• Build and lead a high-performing operational risk function with strong technical depth and business partnership capability.


• Embed a strong risk ownership culture across the first line of defense, ensuring accountability sits with the business.


• Mentor and develop future risk management leaders within the Bank.

Competencies

• Effective Communication


• Collaborating with Others


• Agility


• Acting with Empathy and Compassion


• Leading Change


• Emotional Intelligence


• Strategic Thinking


• Ownership

Skills

• Strategic thinking with strong execution discipline.


• Credibility to engage confidently with Boards, regulators, and global stakeholders.


• Ability to operate calmly under pressure and during crisis situations.


• Strong People (Expert) leader with a collaborative, enterprise mindset

Experiences

•  15–20+ years of experience in operational risk, resilience, or enterprise risk within leading international banks or financial institutions.


• Proven leadership experience at senior executive or MD level.


• Demonstrated exposure to cross-border banking operations and complex regulatory environments.