Head of Operational Resilience - Executive Director

Profile Summary

Operational Resilience ensures the Bank can continue to deliver its most important services to clients within agreed impact tolerances during periods of disruption. It enables business and product leadership to identify Important Business Services (IBS), set Impact Tolerances, and ensure the operational assets that support those services are designed, operated and changed with resilience at their core.

The role holder is the Head of Operational Resilience for EMEA, and a Subject Matter Expert, accountable for owning and maintaining Operational Resilience policies and standards in line with Client Service Resilience needs, and for overseeing delivery of its requirements across the organisation.  The role plays a key part in shaping, delivering and maturing the Operational Resilience agenda, embedding resilience into staff culture, BAU activities and strengthening end‑to‑end service resilience over time.

The role is organisationally aligned to the CIO EMEA leadership team and works closely with senior stakeholders across Business, Technology, Risk and Functions to ensure effective delivery. While the primary focus is EMEA, the role also collaborates with Global peers to align, share best practice and support consistency where appropriate.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the Operational Resilience standards, including associated governance, controls, processes and reporting, in line with Group policy and regulatory expectations.
• Formulate and lead delivery of the Operational Resilience strategy, driving continuous maturity of resilience capabilities across services, countries and functions.
• Define and align methodologies for IBS identification, Impact Tolerances, operational asset mapping, scenario testing and vulnerability management.
• Embed Operational Resilience into BAU, including mapping of operational assets, planning and execution of scenario tests, management of vulnerabilities, and monitoring of IBS health.
• Provide leadership on Third‑Party resilience and integration of resilience considerations across the supply chain.
• Drive tooling, data and visualisation capabilities to support effective mapping, insight and management of operational resilience.
• Provide resilience metrics and insights to support risk management, investment prioritisation and strategic decision‑making.
• Lead engagement with regulators on Operational Resilience matters and represent the Region in relevant governance and external forums.
• Partner with Business, Technology and Function leadership to build resilience by design across end‑to‑end services.
• Oversee Operational Resilience risks, controls, issues and actions, including RCSA, governance reporting and escalation of material concerns.
• Provide guidance and challenge to executive committees, risk forums and programmes to drive delivery of resilience outcomes, including where delivery sits outside direct ownership.

Experience, Skills & Qualifications

• Significant experience in Operational Resilience, Business Continuity or related risk disciplines within a complex, regulated environment (preferably financial services).
• Experience delivering and maturing resilience frameworks, controls and capabilities over time.
• Proven ability to operate effectively across Business, Technology and Functions in a multi‑country organisation.
• Strong understanding of Operational Resilience strategy, financial management and regulatory requirements in the EMEA region, including PRA, FCA and EU‑related expectations (e.g., DORA).
• Working knowledge of global resilience frameworks and the ability to collaborate effectively with Global partners where alignment or consistency is required.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear, actionable insights.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, including experience engaging at executive and committee level.
• Ability to manage delivery, prioritisation and outcomes across multiple initiatives without direct line management responsibility.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• Professional certification in Business Continuity or Resilience (e.g. BCI, DRI) desirable.

What Mizuho Can Offer You

Here at Mizuho, there are fantastic progression opportunities and clear paths to promotion. We will give you ample opportunity to affect change and to help grow our business.

In addition to the great opportunity outlined above we are also currently able to offer:

• Competitive starting salary, plus discretionary bonus
• Non-contributory pension
• 27 days’ annual leave
• Core working hours*
• Hybrid working - office and home based*
• Virtual GP
• Wellbeing benefits, including Mental Health Allies and First Aiders

*For applicable roles only

At Mizuho, we embrace flexible ways of working when the role permits. We offer different working arrangements like part-time, job-sharing and hybrid (office and home) working. Our purpose-led culture and global infrastructure help us connect, collaborate, and work together in agile ways to meet all our business needs.

We are committed to supporting equality and diversity, and seek to create a workplace that is fully inclusive. We welcome applications from all sections of the community that we operate in and from all ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, beliefs, gender identities and disabilities

If you require more information about our equal opportunities policy or wish to discuss any accessibility requirements or reasonable adjustments please contact the recruitment team – recruitment@mizuhoemea.com and we will be happy to help.