Program Director – Strategic Transformation

For over 20 years, Waystone has been at the cutting edge of specialist services for the asset management industry – partnering with institutional investors, investment funds and asset managers.  We work with our clients to help build, support, and protect investment structures and strategies worldwide.

Our success depends upon our ability to attract and retain the best, most diverse talent and provide our employees with a broad spectrum of professional development opportunities. Our workplace environment is an inclusive one, where employees can be themselves, reach their full potential and drive business results.

Program Director – Strategic Transformation will report to the Head of Strategic Transformation. The successful candidate will work collaboratively, with different Waystone Functions, Departments and Senior Management across a diverse skillset covering strategic, tactical, and practical solutions for integrating acquired entities, businesses, and staff. Program Director – Strategic Transformation will work closely with identified stakeholders to deliver strategic projects across integrations pre and post-merger, Global system implementations meeting Waystone Group strategy.

Duties & Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each duty to a high standard. Candidate must lead the delivery of Strategic Transformation initiatives (the Program) by meeting the following responsibilities:

• Responsible for holding the business to account for delivery of defined agreed project scope, objectives, budget, project actions and synergy delivery across the Program.
• Establishes, obtains approval for, executes, and continually improves a standardised Program Playbook ensuring a defined, structured approach to project delivery across the Program.
• Leads initial discovery sessions to produce a defined, cross functionally agreed Program Playbook per project.
• Collaborates with Manager - Performance & Analysis to determine, measure, monitor, report on and oversee delivery of individual and consolidated budgets (including financial KPIs (savings, costs) and non-financial KPIs) across the Program.
• Develop robust criteria and budget to facilitate Proof of Concept analysis for project for approval.
• Oversees the execution of Program Playbook and ensures all risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies are known, agreed and monitored and critical milestones are completed fully and on time across the Program.
• Creates and nurtures professional relationships in IT to ensure delivery across the Program of:
  • IT infrastructure requirements are in place in a timely manner, aligned to the Playbook.
  • Business Applications are in place a timely manner, aligned to the Playbook.
• Identifies and recommends re-alignment of projects within Program, to assure timely delivery of stated benefits are met where necessary.

Budget Modeling – Program Consolidation

• Collaborate with the Manager - Performance & Analysis to
  • Ensure that the approved Proof of Concept is reflected in the Program Playbook, project objectives and deliverables.
• Establish robust Project Governance Model to facilitate collaboration with project each workstream owners to drive accountability for agreed budgets, hold workstream leads responsible for delivering against budget across the Program.
• Agree ownership, track, monitor and evidence budget delivery including synergies (savings) and dis-synergies (cost) across the Program.

People Management

• Responsible for analysing and determining the resourcing requirements for each project within the Program, involving a comprehensive consolidated understanding of project objectives, timelines, connectivity and deliverables.
• Ensure project managers and stakeholders clearly define and agree the scope and objectives of each Program project.
• Ensure specific project objectives and deliverables align type, skills and volume of resources (internal and external) needed and challenge where necessary.
• Responsible for overseeing the performance of all resources deployed to Program, including establishing KPIs, monitoring the performance and reporting results and feedback to Manager – Performance and Analysis.
• Address conflicts or challenges related to resource allocation and performance promptly and diplomatically. Consistently creating a positive and collaborative team environment.
• Regularly assess and report on resource performance against project goals and budget.
• Foster open communication channels between Program project teams to ensure shared resource priority, needs and availability is known, measured, and mitigated for.

Communication

• Design, implement and execute a Program Communication Plan to ensure information is disseminated efficiently, stakeholders are well-informed, and team members are engaged throughout the Program lifecycle.
• Ensure an appropriate, standardised, commensurate Project Governance Model is in place to oversee, report and escalate matters arising across the Program.
• Communicate set and manage realistic expectations regarding Program deliverables, timelines, and potential challenges at project commencement.
• Communicate clear, timely, appropriate information to all stakeholders on Program objectives, connectivity, progress, deliverables, achievements, and challenges.
• Establish a feedback loop to gather input from stakeholders and team members to foster a culture of continual improvement.
• Ensure Program Communication Plan is enshrined in regular communications, meetings, and collaboration platforms.
• Provide high-level prompt updates, escalations, and periodic structured reporting to the Head of Strategic Transformation.

Lateral Thinking

• Foster a culture of creativity and innovation within the Program project teams, and across peers in Transformation Office.
• Facilitate brainstorming sessions and workshops to generate innovative ideas, including facilitating an environment where diverse perspectives are welcomed and explored.
• Drive cross functional collaboration to bring diverse expertise to problem-solving, breaking down silos to promote a holistic approach to Transformation.
• Lead diversity embracement, creating an environment where diverse teams can give a broader range of perspectives, ideas, opinions, and are all treated equally.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree or Masters in a relevant field e.g. Project Management, Business Administration, Information Technology, or a related discipline.
• Project management professional qualification e.g., PRINCE2 or IPMA certification.
• Project management or business analyst relevant work experience.
• Proficiency in English is required. Additional languages, an advantage.

Experience:

• Minimum of 15 years’ relevant experience in Project Management, Business Administration, Information Technology, or a related discipline in the financial sector with proven path of advancement. Funds Industry experience preferred
• Proven track record of project delivery, exemplary budget management and lateral thinking
• Pre/post merger integration programs, global system implementations, target operating model execution experience preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal