IT Control Assurance Lead

Job Summary

Overall Objectives of Job: (If multiple sections, accord weightage to each section). The Assurance Function Lead is accountable for building and operating the internal readiness and control-assurance capability within Allianz Technology of America's IT organization. Reporting directly to the CISO, this role acts as the senior point of accountability for the Assurance Operating Model across policy operationalization, control solutions development, evidence readiness, and assessment preparation. The Lead consolidates the responsibilities of Service Owners into a single leadership function, driving compliant-by-design principles across IT service domains.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in IT governance, risk, compliance, or security assurance roles within large, complex organizations.
• Demonstrated experience owning or leading an internal IT audit readiness, GRC, or control assurance function.
• Proven track record of translating security policy requirements into actionable IT control frameworks and BAU processes.
• Experience managing or leading teams responsible for evidence collection, control testing, or compliance reporting.
• Prior exposure to Allianz ARS processes, TMC controls, or equivalent group-level IT compliance frameworks is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior accountable owner for the ARS internal readiness function, ensuring continuous assessment preparedness across all in-scope IT services.
• Lead the operationalization of Group IT CISO policy and Target Measure Catalog (TMC) control updates coordinating communication, solution design, implementation planning, and execution across IT teams.
• Embed ARS control requirements into the design and build of new and changed services, working with Architecture, Project Managers, and Service Owners to ensure security is designed into Services from inception.
• Own and maintain the overall control solutions and documentation framework defining control solutions, onboarding of services to those control solutions including the onboarding to common capabilities and the enablement of automation.
• Oversee BAU evidence creation and assessment preparation activities, instilling evidence collection as a routine discipline and managing the evidence repository.
• Execute the ARS process on behalf of the Service Owners.
• Manage and develop a team of Assurance Function Team Members, providing direction, coaching, and quality oversight across their control and evidence workstreams.
• Serve as the primary liaison to the ARS Team, Security Governance, and DIRM on issues, risks, and assessment outcomes, ensuring timely issue resolution and risk mitigation.
• Drive continuous improvement, automation, and AI-enabled solutions to reduce manual effort in compliance activities.
• Maintain escalation accountability for control findings and non-compliance, reporting status to the CISO and Head of IT as appropriate.
• Define and maintain operating procedures, training materials, and onboarding content for the Assurance Function.

Key Result Areas

• ARS - Ensure timely completion of all ARS assessment cycles, Maintain continuous assessment readiness for ARS audits, Achieve satisfactory and improving assessment outcomes.
• Operationalize Group IT CISO policy and TMC control updates within defined timelines, Maintain an up-to-date and auditable control solutions & documentation framework, Embed ARS control requirements into all new and changed services.
• Ensure BAU evidence creation is complete and audit-ready at all times.
• Maintain an organised, accessible, and well-governed evidence repository, Drive automation and AI-enabled solutions to reduce manual compliance effort.
• Serve as the effective senior liaison with ARS Team, Security Governance, and DIRM.
• Manage and actively develop all Assurance Function team members, Build a high-performing, self-sufficient assurance team.
• Desirable: Having a basic understanding or exposure to AI tools would be a plus. Familiarity with basic AI tools is considered an advantage. Basic knowledge or experience with AI tools will be beneficial. Exposure to AI tools, even at a basic level, is a value-add.