Director, Governance Transformation Lead

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

To lead the newly established Project Governance Transformation Team within the Project Governance function, reporting to the Head of Project Governance, and to deliver the integration of Bank and Securities IT investment and project governance for EMEA Technology by Day 1 on 1st April 2027.

The role has end-to-end accountability for assessing the current governance environment, identifying gaps and control weaknesses, defining the TOM and transition roadmap, and leading implementation of the required organisation, roles, processes, controls, governance forums and reporting model.

The role will define the organisation, responsibilities and capability required for stable BAU delivery after Day 1. Following Day 1, the role will act as the senior governance lead for Securities projects and IT investment governance, with accountability for the ongoing operation, control and continuous improvement of the integrated service.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide senior ownership and strategic leadership for the EMEA Technology workstream of Project, translating management direction into a clear roadmap, delivery plan and measurable outcomes.
• Partner with the Head of Project Governance and other leads within the Project Governance function to ensure that the transformation is aligned with the wider EMEA Technology strategy, IPR priorities and Project objectives.
• Assess current Bank and Securities practices across project planning, investment governance, management reporting, budgeting, project accounting, resource management and process control; identify gaps, duplication, unclear accountability and improvement opportunities.
• Design, agree and implement the integrated Target Operating Model, including organisation design, RACI, authorities and responsibilities, governance forums, decision rights, escalation routes, management information, processes and controls.
• Develop and manage the transition roadmap to 1 April 2027, including milestones, critical path, dependencies, risks, readiness criteria, knowledge transfer, training, documentation and contingency arrangements.
• Lead the FY27-FY29 mid-term business plan and FY27 annual IT investment planning for EMEA Securities, coordinating with relevant EMEA and Asia stakeholders where Asia Securities input is required for annual planning and reporting.
• Consolidate and challenge investment demand, ensuring alignment with Technology strategy, available budget, delivery capacity, regulatory and risk priorities, and expected business outcomes.
• Lead the transfer of Securities IPC functions into the Bank governance framework through the EMEA Investment Committee (InvestCo), including redesign of submission, review, approval, monitoring, reporting and escalation processes.
• Ensure that the integrated model reflects Securities business characteristics, legal-entity responsibilities and Safety & Soundness requirements rather than applying Bank processes without appropriate assessment.
• Prepare and present concise, decision-oriented recommendations, status reports, risks and options to senior management, steering committees, governance forums and HO stakeholders.
• Coordinate with Technology, Finance, Bank, Securities, EMEA, Asia and HO stakeholders, resolving cross-entity issues and securing timely decisions and approvals.
• Establish and maintain the policies, procedures, standards, templates, Terms of Reference, controls and working materials required to operate the new governance model.

• Define and oversee the post-Day 1 BAU service, including investment planning, InvestCo governance and reporting, BAF review, financial and process controls, project reporting, resource management, data governance and continuous improvement.
• Recruit, line manage, coach and develop approximately three direct reports, and set direction, priorities and delivery standards for a wider team of approximately 10 onshore, offshore and matrix resources.
• Manage team capacity, objectives, performance, succession and knowledge retention, and recommend future resourcing and organisation changes as the service scope develops.
• Maintain effective risk, issue, dependency and decision management; identify control gaps or delivery threats early and drive corrective action or escalation.
• Perform responsibilities on an entity-neutral basis and ensure that the interests, obligations and governance requirements of both the Bank and Securities are appropriately considered.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Essential:

• A minimum of 10 years' relevant experience in project, programme, portfolio or governance leadership within a bank, securities firm or other large financial institution.
• Proven experience leading a large-scale governance transformation, operating model change, organizational redesign or PMO transformation from design through implementation and transition to BAU.
• Demonstrable experience of working across Bank and Securities businesses, multiple legal entities, regions or functions in a complex regulated environment.
• Strong experience of mid-term planning, annual IT investment planning, portfolio prioritisation, budget management and executive decision support.
• Experience designing and operating governance forums, decision rights, RACI, Terms of Reference, escalation routes and management reporting.
• A strong understanding of project and portfolio financial management, including budget, forecast, actuals, variance analysis, capital and expense treatment, and change control.
• Proven line-management experience, including recruitment, objective setting, performance management, coaching and development of high-performing teams.
• Experience leading onshore, offshore and matrix teams and delivering through stakeholders outside the role's direct reporting line.
• A strong record of influencing senior management, resolving competing priorities and securing decisions across organizational boundaries.
• Experience reporting to executive committees, steering committees or equivalent senior governance forums.
• Excellent written and verbal business English, with strong presentation, facilitation and negotiation skills.

Preferred

• Experience within an international financial institution operating across EMEA and Asia.
• Experience of both Bank and Securities IT investment governance or PMO operations.
• Experience working with a Japanese or global Head Office.
• Knowledge of legal-entity governance, Safety & Soundness, conflicts of interest and control requirements in regulated financial services.

• Experience of project accounting, capitalization, Capex/Opex, business-case or Budget Application Form (BAF) review, internal audit and remediation activity.
• Knowledge of PPM tools, Power BI, management information, data governance and process automation.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Functional / Technical Competencies - Essential:

• Project, programme and portfolio governance
• Governance transformation and Target Operating Model design and implementation
• Organisation design, RACI, decision rights and governance forum design
• Mid-term business planning and annual IT investment planning
• Investment portfolio prioritisation, budgeting, forecasting and variance management
• Project accounting and capital versus expense categorisation
• Baseline, change, benefit, risk, issue, dependency and critical-path management
• Resource demand and supply management
• Executive reporting, management information and senior-level presentation
• Policy, standard, procedure and control design
• Operational readiness, transition, knowledge transfer and change management
• Waterfall, Agile and hybrid delivery approaches
• Advanced analytical and management-reporting capability using Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Power BI
• Working knowledge of Planview or an equivalent PPM tool

Education / Qualifications - Essential

• Degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Formal training or recognised professional knowledge in project, programme, portfolio or change management.

Education / Qualifications - Preferred

• PRINCE2, PMP, APM, MSP, MoP or an equivalent qualification.
• Postgraduate qualification in business, finance, technology or a related discipline.
• Change-management or operating-model-design qualification or training.

PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Strategic mindset with the ability to translate complex objectives into practical and executable plans.
• Director-level ownership, sound judgement and clear accountability for outcomes.
• Ability to influence and mobilise senior stakeholders across functions, entities, regions and cultures without relying solely on positional authority.
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship, communication, presentation and negotiation skills.
• Ability to provide constructive challenge, resolve conflict and facilitate evidence-based decisions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability, with attention to both the overall operating model and detailed control implications.
• Proactive, results-driven and resilient, with the ability to prioritise and operate effectively under pressure and ambiguity.
• Strong people leadership, coaching and talent-development capability.