Operating Model SME

Operating Model SME – Senior Manager

Location: Dublin

Working Model: Hybrid

Contract: Contract opportunity

About the Role

Our client is seeking an experienced Operating Model SME – Senior Manager to lead the design of a target operating model and governance structure connecting Global Compliance and Global Technology functions.

The successful candidate will play a key role in defining how the future capability will operate within the organisation, establishing clear decision rights, accountability, governance and procedures required to embed the model effectively into Business as Usual (BAU).

This is a senior stakeholder-facing role requiring significant experience in operating model and organisational design , combined with a strong understanding of governance within risk, compliance and/or technology environments.

You will work closely with senior and executive stakeholders to facilitate decisions, align competing perspectives and translate the target operating model into a practical framework that can be implemented and sustained.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design of the Target Operating Model (TOM) connecting Global Compliance and Global Technology.
• Define the future-state organisational structure, responsibilities, interfaces and ways of working across the relevant functions.
• Establish clear decision rights and accountability models , ensuring ownership is understood across the organisation.
• Design the governance structures required to support effective oversight, decision-making and escalation.
• Define the procedures and processes required to transition the capability into Business as Usual (BAU) .
• Establish clear roles and responsibilities across Compliance, Technology and other relevant stakeholders.
• Facilitate workshops with senior and executive stakeholders to develop, challenge and agree the target operating model.
• Identify current-state gaps, overlaps and areas of ambiguity and translate these into actionable design requirements.
• Develop practical governance mechanisms that support effective decision-making, accountability and oversight.
• Ensure the operating model aligns with the organisation's broader risk, compliance and technology governance environment.
• Support the development of implementation and transition plans required to move from the current state to the target model.
• Work closely with stakeholders to ensure the proposed model is both strategically appropriate and operationally achievable.
• Support the embedding of governance structures, processes and accountabilities into BAU.
• Provide subject matter expertise and challenge throughout the design and implementation lifecycle.
• Clearly document and communicate the agreed operating model, governance arrangements, decision rights and procedures.

Essential Experience

The successful candidate will have:

• 8+ years' experience in operating model and/or organisational design consulting.
• Proven experience designing operating models and governance structures within Risk, Compliance and/or Technology functions.
• Strong understanding of organisational design principles, governance frameworks, accountabilities and decision-making structures.
• Demonstrable experience working with senior and executive-level stakeholders .
• Excellent facilitation skills, with the ability to lead challenging discussions and achieve stakeholder alignment.
• Experience translating complex organisational requirements into practical operating models and governance frameworks.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to operate comfortably in complex, multinational and highly regulated environments.

Desirable Experience

The following would be advantageous:

• Working knowledge of ISO/IEC 38500 governance principles.
• Working knowledge of COBIT governance principles.
• Experience designing second-line oversight models aligned to the Three Lines of Defence Model.
• Previous experience designing or implementing Compliance or Risk function stand-ups .
• Experience working within a regulated industry.
• Experience supporting the transition of newly designed operating models into BAU.
• Understanding of the relationship between technology governance, compliance oversight and enterprise risk management.

Certifications

The following certifications would be advantageous:

• TOGAF
• PROSCI Change Management
• COBIT Foundation

Key Skills & Attributes

We're looking for someone who can combine strategic thinking with practical delivery.

You should be:

• Strategic: Able to design an operating model aligned to wider organisational objectives.
• Pragmatic: Capable of turning high-level concepts into practical governance, processes and ways of working.
• Facilitative: Comfortable leading workshops and challenging discussions with senior stakeholders.
• Commercially aware: Able to balance governance requirements with effective business delivery.
• Structured: Strong at defining clear roles, responsibilities, decision rights and accountabilities.
• Influential: Able to build consensus across functions with potentially competing priorities.
• Delivery-focused: Comfortable moving beyond design into implementation and BAU embedding.

Key Deliverables

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the development of:

• Target Operating Model
• Governance framework and structure
• Decision rights framework
• Accountability / responsibility model
• Roles and responsibilities
• Governance forums and escalation mechanisms
• Operating procedures
• Current-state vs target-state assessment
• Transition and BAU embedding approach
• Supporting documentation and stakeholder materials