Risk Operations Support Manager

The SouthState story is one of steady growth, deep community roots, and an unwavering commitment to helping our customers move forward. Since our beginnings in the 1930s to becoming a trusted financial partner across the South and beyond - we are known for combining personal relationships with forward-thinking solutions.

We are committed to helping our team members find their success while maintaining the integrity of our values: building trust, fostering lasting relationships and pursuing excellence. At SouthState, individual contributions are recognized, potential is cultivated and team members are inspired to achieve their greater purpose. Your future begins here!

Summary

The Risk Operations Support Manager leads the operational governance activities that support the Model Risk Management program. This role manages governance processes, related technology and data initiatives, and a team responsible for maintaining consistent, timely, and well-documented model risk practices across the organization. The manager partners with model owners and users, business and risk stakeholders, technology teams, and senior governance committees to support effective oversight and informed decision-making.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate Model Risk Management governance activities, including governance standards, procedures, committee support, inventory governance, and program reporting.
• Manage MRM projects and cross-functional initiatives, including project planning, requirements, milestones, risks, dependencies, stakeholder communication, and implementation follow-through.
• Oversee the Archer platform and related MRM workflows, data quality, user requirements, reporting, enhancements, access coordination, and issue resolution in partnership with technology and platform teams.
• Manage model risk issues and remediation governance, including issue management, tracking, aging, escalation, status reporting, evidence review, and preparation for closure consideration.
• Oversee ongoing monitoring governance to support timely completion, consistent standards, escalation of exceptions, and clear reporting of model performance and control results.
• Lead model and data documentation initiatives, including documentation standards, inventories, data lineage and source information, governance records, and coordination with model owners to address documentation needs.
• Coordinate and help score model risk assessments, including risk identification, tiering and classification support, inventory maintenance, and periodic review activities. Support governance of end-user computing tools and artificial intelligence use cases, and represent Model Risk Management on the AI Governance Advisory Review Committee.
• Manage and develop direct reports and prepare materials, dashboards, metrics, and presentations for the Model Risk Management Committee and other senior management or governance forums; present topics as assigned.

It is the responsibility of this role to take ownership of all tasks and challenges that they encounter in the operation of their assigned position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Qualifications

Education Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in risk management, finance, business, data analytics, information systems, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Advanced degree is preferred but not required.
  
  

Minimum Experience

• Seven or more years of relevant experience in model risk management, risk governance, banking risk management, project management, data governance, or a related discipline.
• Three or more years of leadership, people management, or significant team-lead experience preferred.
• Experience supporting governance committees, senior management reporting, or regulatory and audit activities preferred.

Licenses & Certifications

• No license or certification is required. PMP, FRM, CRM, data governance, or related professional certification is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Strong knowledge of model risk management and model governance concepts, including model inventories, model risk assessment methodologies and scoring, documentation, issues management, validation governance, and ongoing monitoring.
• Working knowledge of artificial intelligence governance and the ability to evaluate AI use cases through established governance, risk assessment, and committee review processes.
• Working knowledge of Archer or a comparable governance, risk, and compliance platform, including workflow oversight, reporting, data quality, and enhancement coordination.
• Proficiency with Power BI and Microsoft Office tools; ability to develop clear dashboards, metrics, committee materials, and management reporting.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to organize complex work, manage competing priorities, track dependencies, and drive timely completion across multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to interpret governance requirements and translate them into practical, sustainable processes, controls, and documentation expectations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare concise executive-level materials and present effectively to committees and senior leaders.
• Demonstrated leadership and people-management skills, including coaching, workload prioritization, performance support, and development of team members.
• Strong analytical judgment, attention to detail, problem-solving ability, and commitment to accurate, complete, and auditable records.
• Ability to build productive relationships with model owners, business units, independent risk teams, technology partners, internal audit, and other control functions.
• Familiarity with banking operations, regulatory expectations for model risk management, end-user computing governance, AI governance, and data documentation or lineage practices.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

Physical Demands

• Ability to communicate in person, on the phone, and through electronic channels

• Ability to use a computer on a frequent basis, including typing and sustained attention to a monitor
• Ability to sit, walk, and/or stand for extended periods of time

• Ability to bend and reach

Work Environment

• Office: If the position reports to a physical Company location, the setting will be a typical office environment.
• Remote or hybrid: For remote or hybrid positions, a secure and distraction-free setting is required, with a reliable internet connection (cable or fiber preferred, mobile hotspots not acceptable). Hybrid positions will report to a physical Company location, as directed by the manager, and that setting will be a typical office environment.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled/veterans.

About Us

Our business model supports the unique character of the communities we serve and encourages decision making by the banker that is closest to the customer.

We think and act like owners and measure success over entire economic cycles. We prioritize soundness before short-term profitability and growth.