Payments Program Leader

**Are you exceptional in Heading up multi-year Payments transformation program within a Banking & Finance environment?**:
If so, this could be the career opportunity for you

We are looking for a **Payments Program Leader**, working closely with team leads in the transformation of the banking business to drive business results by enabling quicker transaction processing, reducing settlement times and improving the speed of both domestic and international payments. This role involves understanding customer needs, managing payments platforms, developing strategies, and leading teams to achieve organizational goals.

**Payments Program Manager - perm in Banking**
- Act as a single point of contact (trusted advisor) for senior stakeholders and influencers of the designated business with regard to project portfolio.
- Support effective business change by building relationships with Business leaders, Support Functions, Technology and Operational business partners.
- Prioritize business requests and manage project pipeline for the portfolio
- Work very closely with Business CIOs to plan, manage pipeline and with Program Business Analyst for solution design Operating Model
- Manage projects end-to-end delivery for designated business segment
- Prepare Investment approval/notation decks including business case, in collaboration with Technology teams
- Develop robust resource plan aligned to project pipeline
- Anticipate the business challenges, objectives of the department's initiatives to be undertaken, high level budgets and success criteria.
- Undertake scoping and evaluation of new initiatives. Defining overall considerations, including scalability, maintainability, cost, operations and technology principal risk to provide a recommendation.
- Ensures that there is a business perspective on how the new operations and technical capabilities will be delivered to the business.
- Initiate the implementation plan for Group level projects. This will include all the activities that the business needs to do to prepare for new operation process and technical components.
- Spot potential problems, recognize the risk impact and propose risk mitigation strategies.
- Develop and maintain the required governance for the projects or programme supported e.g coordinate PSC meetings including planning, preparation and tracking of actions pre and post meetings
- Implement governance standards across the portfolio, including tracking, monitoring and updating status of the programme deliverables
- Report project risks and issues proactively with transparency and help PSC to make informed decision. Identify emerging issues and resolve conflicts within the portfolio
- Improve quality of delivery and timelines aligned to business priorities which provide the highest ROI.
- Improve efficiency of investment across the portfolio and effective management of inter-dependencies
- Reduce transaction cost by constantly looking to automate operational processes while designing, delivering change.
- Build a sustainable process for measuring benefits to ensure projects are delivered on time (within contingency) and commercialized.

**_In return for this excellent career opportunity, we ask that you have the following: _**
- Tertiary degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
- Significant experience in managing mega Payment related Transformation Programmes / Projects in a banking environment
- Complete understanding of project life cycle and Technology development models
- Strong quantitative, analytical, problem solving and process design skills that can translate analysis into actions that meet business objectives
- Understanding of technology and operational processes across functions / departments in the bank/market.
- Experience in scoping and evaluation - Defining overall considerations, including scalability, maintainability, cost, operations and technology principal risk to provide a recommendation
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
- Manage divergent agendas and divergent stakeholders with win-win solution
- Manage organizational ambiguity and differing stakeholder views
- Strategic forward thinking approach to challenges with outstanding influencing, negotiating and persuasion skills
- Passionate, diligent individual with ability to thrive in ambiguity
- Resourceful team player
- Understands and articulates the business strategy and vision and is able to mobilize formal and informal networks to achieve business growth in a sustainable manner
- Decision maker and influencer with strong relationships across the organization embracing the strength in diversity
- Facilitates and drives strategy / processes to achieve transformational change and sustainable solutions
- Builds bench strength and focuses on succession planning of employees for future roles and challenges

Even if you are not interested, you can still park your CV with us for other Banking IT related positions or forward