Chief Operating Officer

Division Description

Within Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking, the Global Markets Division brings together the Research, Investment and Risk Management Solutions, Execution and Clearing, Prime Services, Equities, Fixed Income, Futures and Currencies & Commodities structuring capabilities with the objective of providing investors with one integrated multi-asset market solutions team. The business uses an advisory and innovation mindset, focused on client needs, with a global leader in financial markets engineering. Global Markets is a leading player in derivatives, with unrivaled over the counter and listed derivatives expertise, as well as cross-asset and economic research.  Our prime services' offering is a unique combination of execution, clearing, custody and financing services. 

MARK is a business line with approximately 400 full-time staff in the US, NBI circa $1.6b in 2025.

Responsibilities

Front Office supervision and regulatory controls:

• Support the MARK Americas supervisory framework, including Written Supervisory Procedures, supervisory controls, delegation arrangements, desk and individual mandates, governance documentation and evidence of control performance.

• Coordinate with registered securities principals and Desk Heads on controls that must be performed under United States broker-dealer requirements and cannot be transferred to offshore teams.

• Provide subject matter expertise on United States securities regulations, futures and clearing requirements, Volcker and DFA controls, e-communications, agency errors and other Americas-specific supervisory obligations.

• Review changes to policies, procedures and supervisory standards. Coordinate local implementation, communication, training and evidence retention.

• Support regulatory examinations, branch reviews, compliance testing, internal audit missions and requests from control functions. Coordinate responses, evidence and remediation follow-up.

Operational risk framework and risk assessment:

• Execute and maintain the operational and non-financial risk framework across MARK Americas, including Risk and Control Self-Assessments, risk identification exercises, process and risk taxonomy, key risk indicators, scenario analysis and risk appetite monitoring.

• Assess operational risk impacts arising from new products, transactions, business initiatives, technology changes, organizational changes, outsourcing arrangements and regulatory developments.

• Review and challenge business risk assessments, controls, residual-risk conclusions, action plans and risk-acceptance decisions.

• Support process mapping, critical-process assessments, key-control identification, control inventory enrichment, monitoring and testing design, and governance over changes to the risk framework.

• Coordinate with second-line Operational Risk and Enterprise Risk teams to support consistent interpretation and application of Group and SGUS standards.

Operational incidents, breaches and conduct matters:

• Act as a primary entry point for operational incidents. Gather facts, coordinate immediate escalation, log incidents in the relevant SG tool and distribute information to the appropriate management and control stakeholders.

• Oversee incident investigation, impact assessment, root-cause analysis, post-mortem review and the definition of sustainable corrective actions.

• Manage and monitor operational and compliance breaches, including governance, documentation, communication and escalation to the appropriate committees.

• Support the assessment and escalation of incidents linked to trading, booking, reporting, systems, near misses, unusual trading behavior and algorithmic trading.

• Track operational losses, gains, near misses, regulatory incidents and related management metrics. Ensure reporting consistency and data quality.

Issues, action plans and remediation oversight:

• Maintain oversight of open issues, audit and regulatory recommendations, compliance findings, self-identified issues and operational incident action plans.

• Monitor action plans by origin and accountable perimeter, follow up with owners, challenge overdue items and escalate delays through the relevant governance forums.

• Review closure evidence and assess whether remediation actions address the root cause and provide a sustainable control outcome.

• Prepare status reporting for senior management and committees, including open and overdue actions, criticality, trends, blockers and decisions required.

• Contribute to major remediation programs, including RCSA, process mapping, control inventory, monitoring and testing, and governance enhancements.

Algorithmic trading, market access and specialized risk oversight:

• Support oversight of the MARK Americas algorithmic trading and market access governance framework, including relevant policies, incidents, controls and committee reporting.

• Represent or support MARK Americas in relevant algorithmic trading, electronic orders supervision and market access forums.

• Coordinate the classification, escalation and remediation of algorithmic trading incidents in line with global and local requirements.

• Support operational resilience, business continuity, information security, data governance, anti-fraud, anti-bribery and third-party risk topics affecting MARK Americas.

• Provide quality assurance over selected risk processes, controls, reporting and evidence.

Risk reporting, governance and risk culture:

• Prepare operational and conduct risk reporting for business heads, the MARK Americas Executive Committee, Operational and Conduct Risk reviews, supervisory committees and other senior governance forums.

• Maintain accurate reporting on incidents, breaches, action plans, controls, training, supervisory requirements, risk appetite and emerging risks.

• Ensure management reporting retains required regulatory metrics, reconciles to source data and provides clear analysis of key trends and exposures.

• Chair, coordinate or contribute to regional and global risk, supervision, breach, incident, regulatory and control forums, as assigned.

• Deliver targeted training, awareness communications and practical guidance on incident declaration, breach management, supervision, risk ownership and control responsibilities.

• Act as an advisory point for Front Office and COO teams on operational risk policies, procedures, exceptions and escalations.

Transformation, efficiency and team contribution:

• Identify opportunities to automate, streamline or transfer lower-value production activities while preserving Americas-specific regulatory, time-zone and senior-expertise requirements.

• Coordinate effectively with service teams in Montreal and global hubs. Maintain clear ownership, service standards, controls, escalation paths and quality review.

• Support transformation projects affecting risk processes, systems, data, reporting and organization. Ensure operational risk requirements are integrated into project design and delivery.

• Provide leadership and guidance to junior Operational Risk professionals and project resources. Support knowledge transfer, succession and capability development.

• Contribute to the broader MARK Americas COO organization through cross-functional projects, executive materials and business support when operational risk expertise is required.
   

​ Technical Skills:

• Basic understanding of Global Markets instruments, risks and operational processes

• Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Excel-Macros & VBA, Word, PowerPoint)

• Advanced skills using various tools for management reporting

• Experience with other programming languages a plus

• Understanding of structured credit instruments, risks and operational processes

• Master degree or United States equivalent in a relevant field.

• FINRA registrations or experience supporting a United States registered broker-dealer.

• French language skills and international experience.

Societe Generale is committed to offering an inclusive recruitment experience to all candidates. If you require any reasonable accommodations during the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to let our Recruiters know.

OUR CULTURE: 
At Societe Generale, we live by our 4 core values of commitment, responsibility, team spirit and innovation. We are engaged and demonstrate consideration for others. We act ethically and with courage. We focus our talent and energy on collective success. We experiment and propose new ideas. This way, we maximize our ability to serve client needs and anticipate market changes. Societe Generale is committed to strengthening bonds with colleagues, communities, and the world in which we live, because relationships are at the heart of how we operate. For more information about our Culture and Conduct initiatives, please visit this link (https://americas.societegenerale.com/en/careers/get-know-culture/)

DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING (“DIB”):
Our DIB Mission: Recruit, develop, retain and advance a talented workforce that is united in our efforts to leverage our talent and further develop an inclusive environment that will enhance our competitive position and deliver innovative solutions to our clients. It seeks to foster an environment where employee differences are valued and where all employees feel engaged, supported, respected, and informed. For more information about our DIB initiatives, please visit this link: https://americas.societegenerale.com/en/careers/get-know-diversity/

COMPENSATION:
Base salary range does not include overtime pay, bonus and/or other benefits, where applicable. Actual base salary offer will vary based on skills and experience. The role is eligible for an annual discretionary bonus and includes a competitive benefits package including 401(k) plan with company match, medical/dental/vision, and other benefits for fertility, wellness, student loans and commuters.

• 10 or more years of experience in Operational Risk Management, Front Office supervision, Enterprise Risk, Internal Audit, Compliance, COO or related control functions within a global financial institution.

• Experience interacting with senior business leaders, registered supervisors, regulators, auditors and control functions.

• Ability to provide constructive challenge, make sound risk judgments and maintain effective business partnerships.

• Strong organization and project leadership skills. Ability to manage concurrent regulatory, risk and remediation priorities under tight deadlines.

• Clear written and oral communication. Ability to convert complex risk topics into concise analysis, decisions and action plans.

• High integrity, accountability, attention to detail and willingness to escalate material concerns.

• Degree or U.S. equivalent in Finance, Financial Engineering, Engineering, Economics, Information Systems, or a related field