Risk & Controls Testing Lead

About the team (Finance Risk & Control) Finance Risk & Control partners with Finance and the wider business to strengthen the control environment, support SOX compliance, and improve how risks and controls are designed, operated and evidenced. We’re a distributed team across the UK and Estonia, and we’re building a SOX testing hub in Hyderabad to increase consistency, quality and scalability of our testing programme. What you’ll be doing (responsibilities) Own the SOX business process controls testing programme (end-to-end) Build and run the annual and interim testing plan across all in-scope business process controls. Plan when testing occurs and ensure sequencing reflects process dependencies, change activity, and auditor timelines. Deliver both Design Effectiveness and Operating Effectiveness testing to a consistently high standard. Methodology, quality, and audit readiness Own and continuously improve the testing methodology, templates, sampling guidance, and evidence standards. Perform QA reviews to ensure testing is complete, well-documented, and auditor-ready. Ensure consistent conclusions and a strong “why” behind pass/fail outcomes. Auditor partnership and external reporting Be a key interface for the external auditor on business process testing: align approach, share results, coordinate walkthroughs/re-performance support, and respond to questions efficiently. Present testing outcomes clearly in governance packs and formal forums. Manage external resources / co-sourcing Manage external testing resources: onboarding to Wise methodology, allocation, progress tracking, and quality/performance oversight. Ensure external capacity reduces bottlenecks without creating rework or inconsistencies. Issue management and remediation governance Oversee how issues are agreed (severity, impact, root cause) and ensure remediation plans are practical, measurable, and owned. Track progress and coordinate re-testing / closure requirements. Minimise burden on the business Build a low-friction evidence request process and smart scheduling to reduce disruption for process owners. Drive clarity and predictability: stakeholders know what’s needed, when, and why. Build the Hyderabad testing capability This is the first testing hire in Hyderabad; you’ll help build the operating model and then hire/lead a team of 6+ testers. Coach and develop the team; embed standards, consistency, and stakeholder partnership. Integrate day-to-day delivery with the UK/Estonia Finance Risk & Control team. Innovation: AI/data-enabled testing in BAU Identify opportunities to use AI and analytics to improve coverage, speed, and quality (e.g., evidence extraction, population testing, exception flagging). Implement in a controlled, explainable way that auditors and internal stakeholders can rely on. Themes, insights, and SOX capability-building Identify trends across testing results and recommend improvements (control design, execution, monitoring, evidence). Help build SOX understanding across the business through guidance, coaching and practical support.

What you’ll bring (requirements) Essential Strong SOX/ICFR testing experience across business process controls (DE + OE). Deep understanding of controls testing methodology, sampling, evidence expectations, and audit standards. Proven experience running a testing programme end-to-end (planning → fieldwork → QA → issues → reporting). Experience managing/coordinating co-sourced or external testing teams and driving quality. Strong stakeholder management and ability to influence remediation outcomes. Excellent written documentation skills and governance-ready communication. Nice to have Experience building/scaling a testing function or controls centre of excellence. Fintech/high-growth/regulated environment experience. Experience with continuous controls monitoring, data analytics, or AI-enabled assurance/testing. Experience working across time zones and distributed teams. How we work / Level 7 expectations Sets dire