Independent Testing Manager - COO - IT&V

Job description

**About This Role** Wells Fargo is seeking an Independent Testing Manager **In This Role, You Will** - Manage a team of managers in cross-functional teams in accomplishing goals and priorities - Develop and design methodologies and standards for review activities across the Enterprise in alignment with the Risk Management Framework - Ensure effective and appropriate testing, validation, and documentation of review activities for risk programs, risks, and controls according to standards and other applicable policies - Develop, maintain, and execute the Annual Plan - Assess, document, and communicate emerging risks, themes and identified issues to leadership and risk partners in a timely manner - Ensure issues are identified and documented - Identify potential corrective actions, and follows through on reporting, escalation, and resolution - Perform moderate to high risk quality reviews - Lead implementation of complex and strategic initiatives with moderate risk and complexity - Ensure plan includes targeted reviews based on risk and meets internal past due benchmarks - Lead moderate to high risk or complexity review activity engagements - Escalate any critical or high risk issues to appropriate leadership - Manage communication and collaboration with business heads, Legal, Audit, and regulators on risk related topics - Provide status updates to key stakeholders on programs and specific reviews where warranted - Manage allocation of people and financial resources for Independent Testing - Mentor and guide talent development of direct reports and assist in hiring talent **Required Qualifications:** - 5+ years of experience in Independent Testing experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education - 2+ years of Leadership experience ****Desired Qualifications:**** - 10-15+ years of experience across risk, compliance, audit, assurance, or regulatory functions, with a strong emphasis on data analytics and testing/validation within large, regulated financial institutions. - Deep hands-on experience in remediation analytics validation, including: - Validation of customer remediation populations, eligibility, and calculations - Review of data sourcing, lineage, transformations, and reconciliation (data waterfalls) - Assessment of assumptions, limitations, and completeness/accuracy risks - Ensure customer remediation identified populations are complete, accurate, appropriate, and thoroughly documented in terms of data waterfalls, sources, flows, limitations, and assumptions. - Proven ability to independently review and challenge complex analytics developed using SAS, SQL, Python, or equivalent tools, ensuring compliance with regulatory expectations and internal policy standards. - Demonstrated experience applying advanced analytics, automation, and AI/ML techniques within risk or control environments, including: - Practical application of optimization techniques and LLM-driven optimization - Working knowledge of LLMs, AI prompting, and emerging GenAI capabilities, with focus on responsible and controlled use cases - Strong leadership and people-management skills, with demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional and geographically distributed teams. - Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with experience influencing senior managers, leaders and executive partners. - Strong understanding of Second Line of Defense responsibilities and regulatory expectations. - Strong hands-on technical proficiency in: - Data querying and analytics tools (SQL, SAS, Python, R or equivalent) - Data visualization and storytelling tools (Power BI, Tableau) - Interpreting and validating complex datasets and analytical outputs - Solid understanding of: - Data governance frameworks, data quality controls, and lineage expectations - Regulatory expectations related to remediation, reporting, and testing (e.g., defensibility, auditability) - Strong knowledge of Second Line of Defense (Independent Testing/Validation) roles and responsibilities, including delivering credible challenge and maintaining independence. - Demonstrated leadership capability with a player-coach mindset, including: - Ability to lead teams while remaining hands-on in reviews and analytics validation, whenever required - Experience managing globally distributed teams and delivering through matrixed environments - Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with experience engaging and influencing: Senior leaders, Risk partners, Audit, and Regulators - Strong problem-solving, prioritization, and execution skills, with the ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, high-pressure regulatory environments. - Proven experience in project and program delivery, including managing complex, high-risk initiatives and regulatory-driven timelines. - Strategic, forward-looking mindset with the ability to operate effectively in ambiguity. - Strong project management and delivery experience. - Demonstrated ability to work in complex, matrixed organizations and partner across diverse stakeholders. ****Job Expectations:**** - A successful candidate will be a team player and a self-starter who is accustomed to working in complex organizations, partnering with a diverse group of stakeholders, and achieving results. - Candidates with strong experience in preparing for or reviewing complex SAS, SQL, and Python code to ensure compliance with the requirements. - Demonstrate ability to lead and multi-task, solve problems, make decisions, and operate in a fast-paced environment. - Drive consistency and rigor in ARDT methodologies, including: - Standardization of validation approaches - Contribution to methodology and guidance development, and governance forums within IT&V - Leverage analytics, automation, and AI capabilities to: - Improve coverage, efficiency, and scalability of Independent Testing - Enhance risk identificati