Senior Manager, Policy Strategy, Home Financing & Personal Lending

Address:

The Senior Manager, Policy Strategy will provide strategic direction on the development and maintenance of market relevant Product Policies & Programs with the view to simplify and balance risk with opportunity taking into consideration our customer needs, regulatory requirements, and the competitive landscape. Within the Bank’s policy framework, this role will lead a team of Policy Managers who will create and apply new tools, policies and processes that provide differentiation and competitive advantage relative to peers. This role must be able to manage across multiple initiatives and play a key role in providing product expertise and opinion to identify upstream and downstream impacts to business, employee and customer as well as ensure alignment to product strategy & risk appetite

The mandate covers all aspects of the retail lending control framework for all personal lending activities related to real estate secured lending, unsecured and non-real estate secured lending products & programs. This includes management of exception escalations in regard to policy in a manner that ensures an appropriate risk/return. The Senior Manager, Policy Strategy will participate as the subject matter expert in the development of new products and processes to meet regulatory requirements and enhance the customer experience. This position is also key compliance on standard and securitization transactions through the management of the investigation and resolution for process gaps and fulfilling audit requirements.

The incumbent will act as the Home Financing and Personal Lending subject matter expert for Business Process and Digitization as they develop and enhance end-to-end processes for both the branch and Mortgage Specialists.

As a people manager, the Senior Manager, Policy Strategy is responsible to lead, mentor, coach and develop a team of highly motivated Policy Managers,

40% A Policies/Processes

15% B Risk Management and Control

15% C Compliance

30% D Managerial Leadership & Planning

ACCOUNTABILITIES

A. Control Policies/Processes

Manage the development, enhancement and maintenance of Policies/Directives, in collaboration with Credit Risk, Operational Risk and Securitization, including credit origination, account/relationship management, regulatory requirements, documentation and all policies related to security and collateral, including the registration process in the various jurisdictions (excluding product specific collateral) to support the product process.

Provide subject matter expertise to Business Process & Digitization, Securitization and Personal, Business Banking, Payments & Collection Operations (PBPCO) to design and implement end-to-end product processes that ensures the effective and efficient delivery of products.

Second level escalation for requested exceptions to policies by Sales force to ensure risk/return is acceptable.

Manage and maintain policies to optimize risk/return, including leading the development of tools, methods to support the achievement of the business agenda and to ensure all regulatory requirements are met.

Provide oversight for team in regard to Change Management initiatives for the day-to-day operations coordinating any policy and process changes to ensure clear, concise communication.

B. Risk Management and Control

Manage and maintain an effective relationship with Credit Risk, ensuring the interests of Personal Banking Canada are effectively represented on current risk profiles and practices. Act as a broker between the Product Team and Credit Risk to ensure that all concerns, issues and opportunities are identified and addressed

Communicate and implement regulatory requirements on behalf of Personal Banking balancing regulatory requirements and a satisfactory customer experience.

C. Compliance

Ensure new or enhancement of policies, process and program adhere to the regulatory environment i.e., Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Department of Finance, OSFI, and Provincial Registries ensuring all regulatory requirements are met.

Provide subject matter expertise on all product related initiatives involving regulatory requirements, including recommending changes to policies & procedures to support overall business goals.

Lead / participate in the execution of regulatory remediation plans as required.

Manage and prioritize technology changes to meet regulatory requirements providing technical requirements for both CCAPS/CFS, MDIF, and Strata changes to our Technology and P&C Risk partners.

D.1. Managerial Leadership & Planning

Set appropriate context and establish prescribed limits for direct reports, including setting an effective framework of policies and procedures for the work in the group.

Establish a working relationship with direct reports to solicit their views on the working environment, potential changes affecting their work, continuous improvement opportunities, and revisions to the plan.

Build and sustain a team of direct reports who are capable of delivering the performance required for the group, including the coaching and creation and implementation of training and development plans.

Establish and optimize team integration by articulating the linkages between the accountabilities and authorities of different roles across the group and by establishing the context in which they will work collaboratively with one another.

Apply the Bank’s performance management system to direct reports, including establishing goals and objectives, assessing skilled knowledge gaps, allocating resources to achieve objectives and close gaps, assessing personal effectiveness, and reviewing and recommending base and variable pay.

Ensure the effective implementation of Bank initiatives and programs through the establishment of appropriate context and setting of direction for direct reports by providing relevant information, establishing goals, and setting limits with the context and prescribed limits of the Home Financing & Personal Lending group.

D. 2. Planning

Develop, implement, review and revise a 1-2 year work plan within the context of a functional plan, including: vision, mission, values, operational and resource plans.

Establish goals, plans and assignments for each direct report to achieve the plan.

Review progress to plans, and develop, communicate, delegate and actively participate in the implementation of actions necessary to correct internal and external issues. Escalate significant issues.

Determine and deploy equipment, processes and human resources, and optimize the allocation of resources within the team.

Develop, implement and review a plan to complete all assigned tasks in a timely manner to acceptable quality standards.

Knowledge & Skills

a) Knowledge:

Graduate degree or equivalent plus 8 - 10 years experience within the financial/technology sector

Extensive knowledge of lending and credit risk and the associated processes and policies.

3 - 5 years credit risk management experience

b) Skills:

Change Leadership (In-depth)

Managerial Leadership (In-depth)

Analytical Thinking (In-depth)

Negotiating and Contract Understanding (In-depth)

Process Co-ordination and Management (Working)

Resource Planning (Working)

Risk Management (In-depth)

Strategic Thinking (Working)

Customer Conversations (In-depth)

Data Driven Insights (In-depth)

MS Office, SAS, SQL, Power BI (In-depth)

The above represents BMO Financial Group’s pay range and type.

Salaries will vary based on factors such as location, skills, experience, education, and qualifications for the role, and may include a commission structure. Salaries for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on number of hours regularly worked. For commission roles, the salary listed above represents BMO Financial Group’s expected target for the first year in this position.

BMO Financial Group’s total compensation package will vary based on the pay type of the position and may include performance-based incentives, discretionary bonuses, as well as other perks and rewards. BMO also offers health insurance, tuition reimbursement, accident and life insurance, and retirement savings plans. To view more details of our benefits, please visit: https://jobs.bmo.com/global/en/Total-Rewards

About Us

At BMO we are driven by a shared Purpose: Boldly Grow the Good in business and life. It calls on us to create lasting, positive change for our customers, our communities and our people. By working together, innovating and pushing boundaries, we transform lives and businesses, and power economic growth around the world.

As a member of the BMO team you are valued, respected and heard, and you have more ways to grow and make an impact. We strive to help you make an impact from day one - for yourself and our customers. We’ll support you with the tools and resources you need to reach new milestones, as you help our customers reach theirs. From in-depth training and coaching, to manager support and network-building opportunities, we’ll help you gain valuable experience, and broaden your skillset.

To find out more visit us at https://jobs.bmo.com/ca/en.

BMO is committed to an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace. By learning from each other’s differences, we gain strength through our people and our perspectives. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. To request accommodation, please contact your recruiter.

Note to Recruiters: BMO does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. Any unsolicited resumes sent to BMO, directly or indirectly, will be considered BMO property. BMO will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. A recruiting agency must first have a valid, written and fully executed agency agreement contract for service to submit resumes.