Digital Asset & Emerging Technology Risk Principal

About Northern Trust

As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions.

Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure:
Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide.

With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Role

Summary:

We are seeking a forward-thinking risk professional to provide independent oversight and challenge of risks associated with digital assets, digital financial instruments, and emerging technologies, including blockchain, distributed ledger technologies, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and advanced cloud architectures. The ideal candidate will bring a balanced, risk-based perspective that enables innovation while ensuring risks are effectively identified, assessed, and managed.

Operating at the intersection of cybersecurity, technology risk, and financial innovation, this role evaluates evolving threats, technology developments, and regulatory expectations impacting digital asset ecosystems, with a particular focus on cyber and technology risk exposures.

The role partners with business, technology, cybersecurity, compliance, and risk stakeholders to promote the secure, resilient, and well-governed adoption of innovative technologies in alignment with the firm's risk appetite and regulatory obligations.

The successful candidate will translate complex technical concepts into actionable risk insights, provide credible challenge to strategic initiatives, support executive and committee-level decision-making, and help shape the firm's approach to managing risks associated with digital assets and emerging technologies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support development and enhancement of risk taxonomy, policies, standards, and risk appetite metrics covering digital assets and emerging technologies.
• Establish and maintain risk reporting, risk indicators, and governance processes for digital asset activities.
• Monitor industry developments, emerging threats, and evolving regulatory expectations impacting digital assets and distributed ledger technologies.
• Assess cyber risks associated with blockchain ecosystems, including private key management, cryptographic controls, consensus mechanisms, node security, and on-chain transaction monitoring.
• Evaluate cyber and technology control environments supporting digital asset platforms across control domains including cloud-hosted and hybrid architectures supporting digital asset capabilities.
• Interpret and assess impacts of evolving regulatory requirements related to cryptocurrencies, stable coins, digital custody, tokenization, distributed ledger technologies, and cybersecurity and operational resilience.
• Support regulatory examinations, audits, issue remediation activities, and management responses.
• Provide subject matter expertise to governance committees and senior management forums.
• Partner with technology, cybersecurity, business, compliance, legal, operational risk, and architecture teams to evaluate emerging digital asset initiatives.
• Advise leadership on risk implications of new products, services, and technology adoption.
• Translate complex technical concepts into practical risk insights and actionable recommendations.

Qualifications:

Required

• 4+ years of technical experience in one or more of:
• Blockchain Security Blockchain Technology and Security
• Crypto Custody (including MPC protocols)
• Digital Asset Risk Management
• 8+ years of experience in one or more of:
• Financial Services Risk Management
• Cybersecurity
• Technology Risk Management
• Operational Risk
• Information Security

Preferred

• Experience with regulatory expectations and compliance in financial services
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear risk…