Shell Asset Management Company B.V. (SAMCo) in Rijswijk is the dedicated in-house asset manager for the Royal Dutch Shell plc group sponsored pension funds and insurance companies and currently manages around USD 100 billion of assets for its clients. SAMCo is supervised by the Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and the Dutch Central Bank (DNB). The company is internationally oriented with clients in 10 different countries and approximately 175 employees. SAMCo’s objective is to provide high quality and cost-effective investment advice and asset management services to its clients. On behalf of its clients, SAMCo invests in fixed income, equities, and alternative investment categories such as private equity funds and other investment funds, all over the world. Specific parts of the activities are also outsourced to external managers. Continuous change in financial markets and regulations as well as the diversity of SAMCo’s clients and the products they invest in, make it a professionally challenging environment to work in.

We are currently looking to recruit a Head of Governance, Risk & Assurance (“GRA”) to head the GRA team that consists of two GRA Analysts. The Head of GRA will report to the Controller and will be responsible for the Risk and Control framework within SAMCo and running the processes related to operational risk mitigation within SAMCo. The framework covers the objectives regarding SOx, ISAE, regulatory and business demands.

What’s the role?

As Head of Governance for Risk & Assurance, we’ll be looking to you to:

• Run all activities related to SAMCo’s risk and control framework. These include among others:

  • the risk control identification process

  • annual control review with SAMCo’s control owners

  • scoping the control test plan and align these with testing by external auditors

  • facilitate SOx and ISAE3402 process

  • perform and review control testing aligned with SAMCo control testing strategy.

• Lead the assurance scoping, planning and closing process

• Liaise with SAMCo’s management team, internal and external auditors, and teams in the wider Shell group such as Group GRA and IT Risk Management

• Organise and lead the Business Assurance Committees in which SAMCo’s management team and internal/external auditors participate

• Ensure that the SAMCo Standards, Manuals, Policies and Procedures remain up to date and are in line with Shell Group Policies.

• Run incident management processes in SAMCo and ensuring that controls are improved after occurrence of an incident if necessary.

• Be involved as subject-matter expert regarding risk and control in all SAMCo (change) projects

Special challenges include:

• Leading a project to identify improvements in set up of controls and control testing and, if necessary, implement a system to improve oversight over controls.

• Increasing the operational risk management component of the function and lead this component to next maturity level.

• Ensuring that controls remain fit for purpose in an environment in which investment strategies are becoming more complex while demands from regulators and auditors are increasing and there is no room for error.

What we need from you

As many of the following as possible:

• Master of Science degree or similar, preferably with an RA, RO, or RE title.

• Strong experience with governance, assurance, and operational risk management in the asset management industry. Preferably, in an operational risk management function or similar.

• The nature of the business, low risk appetite as well as no room for error, require a strong knowledge of asset management business processes to ensure that the fully integrated Risk and Control framework is fit for purpose.

• Pro-active attitude, ability to identify and solve problems.

• Strong analytical skills with an attention to detail and high level of accuracy.

• Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to maintaining good business relationships in dealing with the business and internal and external stakeholders.

• Good communication skills and ability to motivate others to deliver in line with Shell Group and regulatory requirements.

• Strong organisational and planning skills to ensure that the GRA team can perform all tasks in time, and the ability to handle a variety of caseload simultaneously.

• Motivate the team to do the work accurately under time pressure.

• Good verbal and written communications skills in English.

• Capable of working in a fast-changing regulated environment.

What we will give you

This role will provide you the opportunity to combine working from home and in the office, currently located in Rijswijk and scheduled to be relocated to Shell campus The Hague from end 2022.