Director, Risk

Alkami is the digital sales and service platform provider for U.S. banks and credit unions. Our unified Platform integrates onboarding, digital banking, and data and marketing—each solution can stand alone, but together they deliver more—to help institutions onboard, engage, and grow relationships. As the future shifts toward Anticipatory Banking, we help data-informed bankers meet the moment with technology that drives action.

Founded in 2009, we continue to be recognized for our intentional culture and tremendous growth (Best Place to Work in Fintech; Best & Brightest to Work For Nationally; and Comparably’s Best Company Culture, Best Career Growth, Best Engineering Team, and Best Places to Work in Dallas, among others). We’re building a culture where each Alkamist can perform to their highest potential, and we’re always on the lookout for the best and brightest minds. If you’re ready to experience the power of alchemy - transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary - come join one of the fastest growing SaaS companies in the U.S.

As a remote-first company, most of our positions can be remote in the US, except for key roles, which will be indicated in the Job Title.

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Alkami is seeking to hire a Director of Risk to lead and mature the technology risk management program, which includes but is not limited to AI governance as a core area of responsibility. This role will maintain risk governance practices; facilitate risk identification, assessment, mitigation, monitoring, and reporting; evaluate the effectiveness of controls; and partner with risk owners, and cross-functional teams to manage risk within Alkami’s risk appetite.

The Director will bring sufficient experience in managing a standard risk assessment program and have technical fluency in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and generative AI to effectively address emerging technology risks. The Director will continue to drive evolution of AI governance practices to ensure expectations are timely translated into practical policies, standards, controls, review processes, and product or platform requirements.

The role may also support the Chief Compliance Officer and overall Compliance function, as needed, with business continuity and disaster recovery governance, regulatory management, compliance advisory matters and incidents, and related cross-functional initiatives. These support responsibilities are secondary to the role’s core risk management and AI governance accountabilities and do not constitute primary ownership unless otherwise assigned.

This position reports directly to the Chief Compliance Officer and is 100% remote.

Key Responsibilities & Duties

Risk Management

• Lead and mature Alkami’s enterprise and technology risk management program, including risk identification, assessment, mitigation, acceptance, monitoring, reporting, and escalation.  

• Provide strategic direction for risk frameworks, methodologies, metrics, and reporting.

• Apply recognized frameworks and standards such as ISO, COSO, NIST, COBIT, and applicable financial services requirements.

• Identify and monitor key risks against Alkami’s approved risk appetite and support the IT risk assessment, including threat identification and analysis.

• Develop and maintain IT risk and control assessments; identify, document, evaluate, and rate risks and controls, and partner with risk owners to assess control design and effectiveness.  

• Analyze risk ratings and control decisions, including mitigation, remediation, risk acceptance and avoidance; review monitoring and testing results and report on the adequacy and effectiveness of the risk and control environment.

• Promote risk awareness, accountability and responsibility throughout Alkami.

AI Governance

• Lead the governance lifecycle for AI, machine learning, and generative-AI use cases, including intake, risk classification, assessment, controls, monitoring, issue management, and reporting.  

• Evolve AI governance documentation to ensure practical policies, standards, review criteria, and control requirements.  

• Evaluate AI-related risks across data, privacy, information security, system behavior, third party providers, regulatory obligations, and client/customer impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, master’s preferred, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

• 15+ years of progressive experience in risk management, internal audit, compliance, IT audit/security risk, or related control functions, including at least 5 years leading risk, control, compliance, or governance programs. 

• Working knowledge of risk and control frameworks, standards, and regulatory expectations such as NIST, SCF, ISO, COSO, COBIT, FFIEC, FDIC, NCUA, CFPB, OCC, GLBA, SOC, PCI DSS, and other applicable financial services requirements.  

• Knowledgeable of IT security and privacy risk principles, technology controls, and emerging-technology risk. 

• Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, or overseeing AI governance, AI risk management, or responsible-AI practices, with technical fluency in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and generative AI.

• Experience translating regulatory, risk, privacy, security, or control requirements into practical business, product, technology, platform, or process requirements.  

• 10+ years experience in the banking, financial services, FinTech, or a regulated technology environment.

• One or more of the following certifications preferred, such as CRCM, CIA, CPA, CISA, CRMA, CRISC, CISSP, CISM, CBCP, CGRC, or an AI governance/ responsible-AI certification such as IAPP AIGP or equivalent.  Other GRC, ISC2, ISACA, or comparable credentials are also a plus.  

Desired Skills

• Strategic and pragmatic risk leader with sound judgment, appropriate independence, strong follow-through, and a practical approach to balancing risk with business objectives.  

• Ability to lead and facilitate risk and control discussions, challenge assumptions constructively, clarify accountability, and drive timely decisions and remediations.

• Ability to serve as a lead reviewer and subject matter expert in applicable enterprise, technology, information security, privacy, and emerging-technology risk, including AI/ML and generative-AI risks.  

• Ability to translate AI governance principles and regulatory expectations into practical policies, controls, review processes, and operational practices.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience preparing concise, defensible materials for executive, board, audit, client, or regulatory audiences.

• Experience using GRC or related risk management tools, including Optro/AuditBoard or comparable platforms.

The salary range for this position is: $151,000 - $189,000

Cool Things to Know

Not Just Any Company: Alkami has an awesome diverse and inclusive environment. We have a FUN culture and offer great benefits, including remote-first environment, unlimited paid time off, 401(k) with employer match, and more.

Work Authorization: We cannot offer employment sponsorship at this time. Candidates must be eligible to work in the US for full-time employment.

Recruiters: We are not looking for outside recruiting firms to help us in this search. Thank you for understanding.

Pay Transparency: As of January 1, 2023, new states and locales have enacted pay equity laws that require more pay transparency by employers in the following states: California, Colorado (effective January 1, 2021), Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington.

The Important Stuff

Alkami Technology is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind: Alkami is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at Alkami are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Alkami will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. Alkami encourages applicants of all ages.

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