IT Controls Management Specialist

Your Team Responsibilities

Enterprise Quality & Operations is a function that manages the cross-functional and company-level Quality Center of Excellence. It is composed of experienced professionals with various backgrounds in technology and data operations that provide specific services and solutions to improve MSCI’s operational quality and advance its maturity levels. Controls Management is one key quality framework pillar that the team supports.

The Controls Management team primarily facilitates oversight and testing of regulation-related controls, as well as non-regulatory requirements. It is responsible for developing a comprehensive framework that includes setting core objectives, identifying key workstreams, establishing measurable success KPIs, and assigning clear ownership responsibilities particularly in the Control Management Quality Pillar. Its members have more than 40 years of combined expertise in IT audit and data operations. Currently, this team is present in the following locations: Manila, Pune, Mexico City, and New York.

The Operational Controls Management Specialist is a person who engages and collaborates with various stakeholders involved in designing, implementing, and assessing MSCI’s internal regulatory and non-regulatory controls. The primary focus of this individual contributor is to perform management testing of Operational Controls of MSCI’s Sustainability & Climate business. This role is also expected to support Operational Controls and other regulatory programs the team currently manages (i.e., U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act, EU/UK Benchmark Regulation, IOSCO Principles, etc.).

Your Key Responsibilities

• Support the design and implementation of various data and technology internal control frameworks, to ensure teams are implementing their IT-related controls to meet both regulatory and non-regulatory requirements. These include – but not limited to – the SOX program, Sustainability & Climate standards, Benchmark Administration regulations and standards, business processes, IT general controls (ITGCs), IT application controls, etc.
• Build relationships and collaborate with control owners, Internal Audit, external audit, and other relevant stakeholders throughout the annual planning, scoping, control execution, testing, and issue management activities.
• Review and update control procedures to address emerging risks, changes in regulations and standards, or evolving non-regulatory needs.
• Perform assessments to identify potential weaknesses in internal controls through management testing of IT controls.
• Assist in developing mitigation strategies to address identified risks.
• Assist in ensuring continuous compliance with certain regulatory requirements and international standards.
• Identify opportunities to integrate internal controls into business processes.
• Provide training and support to team members across different functions on internal control processes and best practices.
• Assist in preparing reports on the effectiveness of internal controls and documenting control deficiencies and recommendations of corrective actions.
• Stay updated on industry best practices and changes to both regulatory and non-regulatory requirements.
• Support special projects, such as process integrations and technology transformation initiatives.

Your skills and experience that will help you excel

• 5+ years of relevant experience in the financial services industry.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, organizational, presentation, negotiation, and time management skills.
• Self-reliant, detail-oriented, fast learner, and team player.
• Diligent, relentless, and persistent in coordinating with counterparts from other teams and departments in another region or time zone.
• Effective relationship building with partners in technology and data operations to accomplish critical goals.
• Capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously while adhering to tight, short-term deadlines.
• Experience as an information technology professional (technology audit experience a plus)
• Preferred knowledge of MSCI’s Sustainability & Climate business. Additional knowledge of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, IT application and IT general controls, and other related regulatory/standard requirements is an advantage.
• Knowledge of user access, change management, software development, system architecture, databases, and operating systems.
• Experience with Microsoft Office suite of applications and experience with the use of a variety of applications such as auditing tools, ServiceNow, Salesforce, SAP, and/or Workday is an advantage.