Guardian Life

Operational Risk Program Lead

Guardian Life  •  $86k - $142k/yr  •  Bethlehem, PA (Hybrid)  •  2 hours ago
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Job Description

The Operational Risk Program Lead is a key contributor to how the organization understands, manages, and communicates operational risk. This role supports multiple risk disciplines and evolving risk domains including operational, third-party, technology, cyber, model, data, and AI risk by helping translate complex risk information into reliable insights that leaders can use to make informed decisions.

Rather than owning individual risk outcomes, the analyst enables strong risk practice across the enterprise by strengthening the quality of risk information and helping ensure insights are timely, consistent, and decision ready. The role balances disciplined execution with professional judgement and offers exposure across the organization.

You will

Coordinate Risk Process Execution

  • Coordinate key processes facilitated in ServiceNow Integrated Risk Management (IRM) (e.g., risk and control self-assessments (RCSAs) and issue and event management), including scheduling, facilitation support, workflow lifecycle coordination (intake/triage, analysis/assessment, escalation/assignment, and noncompliance management), and quality review to ensure timely, decision-useful outcomes.

  • Coordinate platform-driven aggregation cycles (risk assessments, control attestations, and issue updates) across risk domains by setting cadence, tracking completion, and driving follow-up so roll-up inputs are refreshed on time.

  • Support cross-team calibration of risk and control ratings and thresholds to promote consistent interpretation and comparable results across domains prior to aggregation.

  • Support coordination of risk activities across multiple domains, including model, data, and AI-related oversight, help ensure assessments, issues, reporting, and governance activities remain aligned.

Deliver Risk Reporting

  • Analyze risk assessment results and dependency roll-ups to identify trends, concentrations, and emerging risk themes across business processes, applications, and third parties.

  • Produce and distribute risk dashboards, KRI reporting, and compliance status summaries from ServiceNow for leadership, risk committees, and business unit stakeholders, delivering executive-ready narratives that support decisions and prioritization.

  • Identify opportunities to improve reporting automation and data visualization.

Maintain Data Quality

  • Help promote the completeness, consistency, and traceability of risk information, including model, data, and AI-related records and supporting evidence.

  • Ensure issues, risks, controls, and supporting evidence are connected across key items (business process, applications, third party, and engagement) so stakeholders can understand enterprise-wide impact, ownership, and downstream dependencies.

  • Support regulatory compliance program activities within ServiceNow, including mapping of regulatory requirements (e.g., NYDFS Part 500, NIST CSF 2.0, etc.) to control objectives and compliance profiles.

Platform Enablement

  • Support implementation and enhancement initiatives by helping identify process gaps and improvement opportunities, participating in UAT testing, validating data migration, and contributing to process documentation to enable effective adoption.

  • Support ERM working groups and recurring governance forums by tracking decisions, configuration impacts, and action-item follow-ups, ensuring changes in one domain are communicated and reflected appropriately across others.

  • Serve as a point of contact for business unit risk coordinators, providing guidance on platform usage, assessment completion, and issue management workflows.

  • Contribute to the development and maintenance of training materials and user guides for TPRM, IRM, and BCM stakeholders.

You are

  • Detail‑oriented professional who ensures accuracy, consistency, and completeness across ServiceNow records and reporting.

  • Adaptable and resilient, thriving in dynamic environments with evolving regulatory expectations and platform capabilities.

  • Clear and effective communicator who conveys risk concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences.

  • Continuous learner who proactively stays current on ServiceNow platform capabilities and emerging industry risk practices, and who is interested in growing into broader risk advisory, ERM, or platform enablement responsibilities over time.

You have

  • Bachelor's degree in Risk Management, Business Administration, Finance, Information Systems, or a related field.

  • 3–5 years of experience in operational risk, compliance, or GRC roles within financial services or insurance.

  • Experience working with ServiceNow IRM (or an equivalent GRC platform) to support risk registers, control libraries, issue management, and reporting; strong candidates may also demonstrate the ability to learn new platforms quickly.

  • Strong understanding of risk assessment frameworks (e.g., RCSA, KRI monitoring, risk scoring methodologies).

  • Familiarity with regulatory requirements applicable to insurance or financial services (e.g., NYDFS, NAIC, MAR, HIPAA).

  • Excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills with the ability to translate technical data into business-relevant insights.

  • Familiarity with risk management concepts across operational and non-financial risk domains; exposure to model, data, or AI governance is a plus.

  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word); experience with data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau) is a plus.

Reporting Relationship

This position reports to the Head of Business Risk & Resiliency Program Initiatives, who reports to our Head of Operational Risk within Enterprise Risk Management.

Location

Hybrid role - 3 days in office in the Hudson Yards, NYC or Bethlehem, PA office; 2 days WFH

Salary Range:

$86,210.00 - $141,635.00

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact MyHR@glic.com Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment visas. In order to be a successful applicant. you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship.

Notice Regarding Guardian’s Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

As part of Guardian’s job application process, Guardian may use artificial intelligence tools (“AI Tools") to automate the sorting and filtering of information provided by applicants as part of its preliminary screening. This preliminary screening may be used to help identify applicant materials and resumes relative to their indication that the applicant meets the requirements for the specific job for which they are applying, as specified in the listing posted on Guardian’s jobs website (Careers at Guardian at https://www.guardianlife.com/careers). At Guardian, we do not use AI Tools to substantially assist or replace human judgment or discretionary decision making in our hiring process. All hiring decisions will be made by Guardian colleagues.

Please be aware that if you apply for a specific position with Guardian, you will have the choice of opting out of Guardian’s use of AI Tools during the job application process. If you would like to request an alternative process that does not utilize AI Tools or would like to request a reasonable accommodation, within ten business days of your position application, you must email your request to MyHR@glic.com, making sure to provide your name and job requisition identification number. Guardian will retain your applicant materials and resume and all information therefrom in accordance with Guardian’s document retention policy, a copy of which you may request via MyHR@glic.com

Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be found here

Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday.

Guardian Life

About Guardian Life

Who we are

Guardian makes a difference in the lives of people when they need us most. With over 160 years of stability and fiscal integrity, we are a trusted resource to generations of families and business owners, inspiring well-being and helping build financial confidence.

Today, we stand behind 29 million consumers, helping them prepare and plan for a bright future for themselves and their families. We help business owners care for their employees. And we help people recover and thrive in times of unexpected loss.

As a modern mutual insurance company, we believe in driving value beyond dividends. We invest in our colleagues, are building an inclusive and innovative culture, and are helping to uplift communities through thoughtful corporate impact programs.

What we stand for

In 1860, a community of immigrants joined together to insure and protect their businesses and families. They were guided by powerful ideals that we’ve continued to stand behind and evolved throughout the years: we do the right thing, we believe people count, we courageously shape the future together, and we go above and beyond for the people we serve.

Guardian employees embrace and live by these values every day. They remind us to put people at the heart of all we do so that we can help protect what matters most to you. Want to help bring these values to life? Join us for a rewarding career and the opportunity to shape the future.

Disclosures:

Financial information concerning Guardian as of December 31, 2022, on a statutory basis: Admitted assets = $76.0 billion; liabilities = $67.2 billion (including $55.0 billion of reserves); and surplus = $8.8 billion. Dividends are not guaranteed. They are declared annually by Guardian’s Board of Directors.

Guardian® is a registered trademark of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. © Copyright 2023 The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America 2023-156184 Exp. 5/25

Industry
Finance & Insurance
Company Size
5,001-10,000 employees
Headquarters
New York , NY
Year Founded
1860
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