Lead Associate Principal, Enterprise Project Management Office

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** THIS POSITION IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR VISA SPONSORSHIP     
**** What You'll Do:
** The Lead Associate Principal-EPMO develops and maintains departmental procedures while leading cross-functional collaboration between Project Management and Governance teams to ensure operational effectiveness and compliance. This role drives continuous improvement of EPMO processes through partnerships with GRC and second line of defense representatives. The position is instrumental in supporting the delivery of OCC's strategic initiatives through enhanced project management practices and governance.##

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* Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

** To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily.

Procedures & Controls Development
* Develop and maintain departmental procedures and control frameworks aligned with compliance standards.
* Lead process gap analysis of controls to key regulations and industry standards.
* Implement continuous compliance monitoring methodologies and processes.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
* Lead collaboration between Project Management and Project Governance teams to ensure operational effectiveness.
* Partner with first line GRC and second line of defense representatives to enhance process integration.
* Build and maintain key stakeholder relationships to drive strategic alignment.

Process Improvement & Strategic Initiatives
* Drive continuous improvement of EPMO processes through data analysis and performance metrics.
* Support delivery of OCC's strategic initiatives through enhanced project management practices.
* Evaluate and recommend technologies and tools that improve efficiency, quality, and governance.

Reporting & Governance
* Develop executive dashboards demonstrating control adherence and improvement opportunities.
* Prepare and deliver strategic reporting to support organizational decision-making.
* Credibly challenge and advise on potential and emerging risks across project portfolios.
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* Supervisory Responsibilities:

** None
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* Qualifications:

** The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary functions.
* Advanced familiarity with project management methodologies (Waterfall and Agile)
* Strong understanding of control frameworks and governance methodologies
* Experience with regulatory compliance requirements in a highly regulated environment
* Proven ability to manage projects throughout the entire lifecycle from initiation through completion.
* Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across organizational boundaries, particularly between business and technical teams.
* Self-directed with strong analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities
* Highly effective organization and planning skills with attention to detail
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including effective presentation skills for executive-level reporting.
** Technical

Skills:

*** Proficiency in using Microsoft Office products (Project, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio)
* Experience with project management tools such as Microsoft Project and SharePoint (or similar PPM tool)
* Experience with Agile tools such as Jira
* Ability to develop and interpret dashboards and reports demonstrating control adherence.
* Experience in driving process improvement through data analysis
** Education and/or

Experience:

*** Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Project Management, or related field, required, Master's degree in related field preferred
* 8+ years of experience in project management or project leadership role required
* Experience in financial services or regulated industry preferred
* Proficiency with Confluence preferred
* Advanced knowledge of application development and testing processes preferred
* Knowledge of GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) platforms and tools preferred
* Experience with cross-functional process improvement initiatives preferred
** Certificates or Licenses:
*** PMP Certification or equivalent preferred
* Agile Certification or equivalent preferred

The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization. Founded in 1973, OCC is dedicated to promoting stability and market integrity by delivering clearing and settlement services for options, futures and securities lending transactions. As a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU), OCC operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

OCC has more than 100 clearing members and provides central counter party (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 19 exchanges and trading platforms. More information about OCC is available at
** Benefits
* * A highly collaborative and supportive environment developed to encourage work-life balance and employee wellness.…