Services Controls: Kenya Site Lead- Senior Vice President

This is an exciting opportunity to be the part of an established team in Citi’s Services’ Controls organization based in Kenya with senior responsibilities across the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Cluster for Services business The Controls function is part of Services’ 1st line of defense, and the SSA Cluster team manages risk in alignment to this, within the wider Middle East and Africa (MEA) Franchise given the unique Regulatory regimes that are at play About the role • Critical senior Risk & Control Site Lead based in Nairobi, Kenya, supporting Services Controls leadership and governance for Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) and broader MEA Cluster— a strategically significant and growing hub within the MEA cluster. • This role is specifically designed to provide on-the-ground senior leadership as one of the MEA cluster's most important strategic locations. The Kenya site is not only a key in-country market but increasingly serves as a scalable hub for MEA cluster operations — making strong, embedded Controls oversight at this location a critical priority for the franchise. • Importantly, MEA Services Controls organization already has an established presence in Nairobi with an existing team of 3 professionals on the ground — a clear demonstration of the site's growing strategic relevance and a strong foundation upon which this senior Site Lead hire will build. Critically, this role also carries a Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) regulatory compliance and governance mandate, with a longer-term view of supporting the broader MEA cluster — making it a significant and expanding strategic reach. Key Responsibilities • Provide dedicated, on-the-ground senior Risk & Control leadership and governance for the Kenya site and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), supporting Controls delivery at one of the MEA cluster's most strategically significant locations. • Drive a proactive, forward-looking risk reduction agenda through thematic reviews, early identification of control gaps, and continuous process improvement across SSA and the broader MEA Cluster. • Implement the R&C Target Operating Model (TOM) principles with rigour and consistency at the Kenya site level, bridging ground-level execution with the broader MEA Controls leadership structure. • Serve as the primary Controls partner Services Country Operations — acting as the key bridge between Operations, Product, and Geography teams to deliver a unified approach to risk and control across all products. • Identify and drive enhancements to documentation, controls, and processes — including within the Managers Control Assessment (MCA) construct — to meet local and cross-border risk and regulatory requirements across SSA. • Monitor and ensure compliance with primary and secondary regulatory requirements across SSA for Services, accounting for the diverse and unique regulatory regimes across the sub-region. • Lead and develop the existing Nairobi-based Controls team of 3 professionals, building capability and capacity in line with the site's growing strategic importance as a scalable MEA hub. • Lead the identification, escalation, and end-to-end resolution of control issues and risk events cross the SSA and MEA Cluster in line with firmwide escalation guidelines. • Build and maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders across multiple countries, Citi franchise, products, and control functions within MEA and globally, to influence outcomes and drive accountability. Knowledge/ Experience: • Bachelor’s Degree is required. • 10+ years expertise in Operational Risk Management and other regulatory related function within Financial Services sector preferred. • Deep understanding of Operational Risk and related frameworks as they relate to the banking sector is required, as is a working knowledge of the Regulatory environments/regimes within MEA countries for Transaction Banking. • Proven record in monitoring compliance to regulations including controls