A Vice President (VP) of Controls within the End-User Computing (EUC) Product Management domain is a senior leadership role at the critical intersection of technology innovation, risk management, and strategic product delivery. This executive is responsible for establishing and governing the control framework that ensures EUC tools and solutions—such as spreadsheets, databases, and local automation scripts—are developed, deployed, and managed in a secure, compliant, and operationally resilient manner. Professionals in these jobs act as the key bridge between product teams driving innovation and risk/control functions mandating governance, ensuring that business agility does not come at the expense of security or regulatory compliance. The core mission of a VP in this field is to embed robust controls into the product lifecycle from inception. Common responsibilities include designing and implementing a comprehensive controls program tailored to the EUC landscape, which is often prone to hidden risks due to its decentralized nature. This involves defining control standards, policies, and procedures for EUC product development and usage. They lead the ongoing assessment and testing of controls, identifying gaps, and driving remediation efforts. A significant part of the role is collaborating with Product Management, IT, Risk, Compliance, and Audit teams to align control objectives with business goals, ensuring new product features incorporate necessary safeguards by design. Furthermore, they are tasked with staying ahead of regulatory changes and industry best practices, translating complex requirements into actionable guidance for product teams, and providing transparent reporting on the control environment to senior management and regulators. Typical skills and requirements for these high-level jobs are extensive. Candidates generally possess 10+ years of progressive experience in operational risk, controls, audit, or compliance, ideally within financial services or another heavily regulated sector, with specific expertise in technology or product-focused controls. A deep understanding of End-User Computing risks, controls frameworks (like COBIT or the NIST CSF), and relevant regulations is paramount. The role demands exceptional leadership and stakeholder management skills to influence and guide senior product and business leaders. Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities are required to assess complex processes and design effective, sustainable control solutions. Excellent communication is critical for articulating risk concepts to non-technical audiences and for building a culture of risk awareness within product teams. A bachelor's degree is standard, with advanced degrees or relevant certifications (CIA, CISA, CISSP, or PMP) being highly preferred. Ultimately, a VP of Controls for EUC Product Management is a strategic guardian, enabling safe and rapid innovation. They ensure that the powerful, user-driven tools essential for modern business are reliable, secure, and trustworthy, thereby protecting the organization's assets and reputation while supporting its strategic ambitions. For seasoned risk and control professionals seeking to impact product strategy at the highest level, these VP jobs represent a challenging and critical career path at the forefront of technology governance.
