Head of Market and Counterparty Risk control in Zürich

Are you passionate about shaping the global risk strategy, leading high-performing teams, and partnering with executive leadership to future-proof the firm's risk and regulatory capabilities?

We are seeking a commercially minded Head of Market and Counterparty Risk Control with a strong background in market and counterparty risk management, exceptional stakeholder engagement skills, deep leadership experience and the ability to shape our quantitative capabilities and analytics tools.

In this role, you will act as the principal authority on market and counterparty risk, driving the evolution of enterprise-wide risk oversight as well as risk governance, and assure regulatory compliance.

You will be deeply connected to the business—interacting with our trading desks daily to understand market developments and positioning—and you will partner closely with our first line risk managers at the desks to collaborate and act as a challenger with value-add.

You will also interact with Executive Management, Front Office, Finance, Technology, and external regulators to ensure a robust, scalable, and resilient risk framework.

What would your role be?

• Act as a visible, influential presence on the trading floor, maintaining deep connections with the business to understand positioning and strategy, and providing robust, credible challenge to first-line thinking in a collaborative and productive manner.
• Lead and mentor a team of risk professionals, setting the strategic vision and overseeing the aggregation, analysis, and governance of market and counterparty risk data across all asset classes, focusing heavily on structured products and complex equity derivatives portfolios.
• Champion the continuous enhancement, automation, and scalability of enterprise risk infrastructure, overseeing modernization initiatives across modern data platforms (such as Snowflake) and advanced analytical stacks.
• Partner directly with Front Office, Finance, Technology, and Regulatory Reporting executive teams to continuously enhance risk analytics, reporting capabilities, and control frameworks across the entire trade lifecycle.
• Direct complex investigations into valuation, risk, and reporting discrepancies, ensuring root causes are identified and sustainable, firm-wide remediation measures are implemented.
• Oversee the design, development, and maintenance of market risk methodologies, capital calculations, and regulatory frameworks, including driving the implementation of FRTB-SA and IRRBB.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for Internal Audit, regulatory bodies, and the Board/Executive Committee on market risk analytics, methodology, and capital matters, providing authoritative subject matter expertise.

What are we looking for?

• Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.

D.) in a quantitative discipline such as Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, Engineering, Computer Science, or Quantitative Finance from a leading university.

• 12+ years of progressive experience in Market Risk, Risk Analytics, Quantitative Risk, or a related function within the financial services industry, with a proven track record of leadership in complex financial environments.
• Demonstrated ability to build rapport and earn the respect of trading and business heads, combining technical depth with the commercial acumen required to challenge the first line effectively.
• Deep technical familiarity with modern data architectures (e. g., Snowflake, Python, SQL) and how they support scalable analytical and reporting solutions at an enterprise level.
• Comprehensive command of market risk methodologies and regulatory requirements (specifically FRTB-SA and/or IRRBB), with the proven ability to translate complex regulatory mandates into practical executive strategy.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to navigate complex organizational structures and challenge senior leadership constructively.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and verbal; German is a strong advantage.

What do we offer?

• Top work location with collaboration spaces and free lunch
• Friendly, diverse team in an open-office space
• All the latest technology to help you and your team excel and advance
• Agile environment in how we think, the way we work and our trust for each other
• Flat hierarchy with collaboration at all levels
• Campus feeling and a collaborative spirit

Why Vontobel?

At Vontobel, you are building better futures for our clients and society, as well as for yourself.

As a family-owned and publicly listed company with over 2,000 professionals based in 29 locations globally and headquartered in Zurich, we’re committed to long-term thinking and sustainability.

Our diverse team values unique perspectives, and we hire individuals determined to deliver in a dynamic and changing world.

Do you want to be Vontobel?

At Vontobel, we are an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability or gender identity.

We value the many voices within our teams and are committed to creating an environment where everyone who wants to be part of our performance culture can be themselves.

It is based on mutual respect and zero tolerance for any form of discrimination.

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