Senior Manager Group Operational Risk- Accounting, Tax and GL at Equity Bank Kenya

• The role is  Second Line of Defense (2LoD) role responsible for establishing and leading the independent oversight of all operational risks across the end-to-end financial reporting, tax, and General Ledger (GL) control environments.
• The role holder will act as a subject matter expert and trusted advisor to the business. The primary purpose is to provide assurance to the Group's executive management and Board that operational risks inherent in financial and regulatory reporting processes are being effectively identified, assessed, managed, and monitored in line with the Group's risk appetite and regulatory expectations.

Job Responsibilities/ Accountabilities/ Operational Efficiency:

• Framework, Policy, and Standard Setting (2LOD)
• Develop the Control Framework: Design, implement, and maintain the operational risk and control framework specifically for end-to-end financial reporting processes across the Group.
• Set Control Standards: Establish minimum control standards for high-risk areas, including the month-end close process, manual journals, GL reconciliations, tax computations and filings, and the implementation of new accounting standards (e.g., IFRS).
• Policy Ownership: Own and periodically review the operational risk policies pertaining to financial data integrity, ensuring they remain relevant and aligned with regulatory requirements across our six operating countries.
• Independent Oversight & Credible Challenge
• Review and Challenge RCSAs: Critically review and challenge the Risk & Control Self-Assessments (RCSAs) performed by the first-line Finance and Tax teams. Ensure that risks are accurately identified and controls are appropriately rated for design and effectiveness.
• Process Oversight: Provide ongoing, independent oversight of key financial processes. This includes challenging the adequacy of controls around GL account ownership, the substantiation of balance sheet accounts, and the accuracy of regulatory and tax reporting.
• Independent Control Assurance: Design and execute a risk-based control testing and assurance plan to independently validate the design and operating effectiveness of key controls over financial reporting (IFRS), regulatory reporting, tax compliance, and GL integrity.
• Incident Analysis: Lead the 2LOD investigation into operational risk incidents (e.g., reporting errors, late filings, reconciliation breaks), performing root cause analysis and challenging the adequacy of the first line's remediation plans.
• Thematic Reviews and Deep Dives
• Lead Targeted Reviews: Proactively identify and conduct deep-dive reviews into high-risk or complex areas. Examples include reviewing the operational readiness for a new tax law, assessing the control environment around a new financial system, or analyzing the risks in the IFRS 17 implementation for our insurance business.
• Control Assurance: Perform independent assurance activities and control testing on a sample basis to validate the effectiveness of the most critical financial controls, providing a secondary layer of defense behind the first line's own testing.
• Governance, Reporting & Stakeholder Management
• Committee Reporting: Develop and present clear, concise reports on the state of the financial reporting risk environment to senior management and governance forums, including the Group Risk Committee.
• KRI Development: Design and monitor Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) to provide early warnings of potential control weaknesses in accounting and tax processes (e.g., aging of unreconciled items, volume of manual journals).
• Build Partnerships: Act as a trusted advisor and partner to Finance, Tax, and internal Control, building a collaborative relationship while maintaining the independence and professional skepticism required of a 2LOD function.
• Liaise with Audit: Serve as a key point of contact for the Third Line of Defense (Internal Audit) on matters related to financial reporting risk, aligning on risk assessments and sharing insights.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or a related field is mandatory.
• Must be a qualified accountant with a recognized professional designation (CPA, ACCA, CA, CIA or equivalent)
• Seven (7) years of relevant experience
• A master’s degree in business related field is desirable
• A risk management certification such - ORM (PRMIA); or PRM (PRMIA); or CORM (IRM) or FRM (GARP) among others.
• IT Risk related certification such as CRISC desired.