Director, Model Risk Management

Director, Model Risk Management

First Merchants Bank is seeking a Director, Model Risk Management to join our team! The Director of Model Risk Management (MRM) leads the enterprise-wide Model Risk Management program, ensuring robust governance, regulatory compliance, and credible challenge across all model-related activities. This role aligns model risk strategy with business growth, digital transformation, and AI / ML adoption. Additional responsibilities include oversight of internal model reviews, third-party validations relationships, contributions to strategic planning and merger and acquisition (M&A) due diligence.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities :

Program Leadership & Governance :

• Design, implement, and continuously enhance the Model Risk Management program, including frameworks, policies, procedures, standards, and technology tools.
• Ensure the MRM program is appropriately scaled to the bank's size, complexity, and risk profile.
• Align the enterprise-wide model risk strategy with business growth objectives, digital transformation initiatives, and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
• Lead the development and execution of the annual MRM plan, including budgeting, scheduling, and resource allocation for validations, reviews, and performance monitoring.
• Own and maintain the enterprise model risk dashboard, including the definition and tracking of key performance indicators (KPIs) for model performance, validation quality, and risk mitigation.
• Participate in strategic planning and M&A due diligence activities, providing model risk insights to support enterprise-level decision-making.

Third-Party Validation Oversight :

Internal Review & Challenge :

Reporting & Regulatory Engagement :

Stakeholder Collaboration :

Team Leadership :

Committee Participation :

Continuous Improvement :

To be successful in this position, we require the following : Bachelor's degree in business, risk management, economics, law, mathematics, statistics.