Head of IT Delivery and Project Management

The Head of IT Delivery and Project Management is responsible for leading and overseeing the successful delivery of business initiatives that have significant IT components or require substantial IT contribution, pure IT projects (including cybersecurity related initiatives), and major IT changes within Bank ABC. This role involves managing a team of project managers (FTEs and contractors as needed); working with several senior stakeholders across the ABC Group; aligning IT projects with strategic business and technology objectives; ensuring timely delivery and project completion; and driving innovation and agility in IT delivery and project management.

The IT delivery and project management function plays a vital role in ensuring that IT related projects are delivered successfully, meeting business objectives, and achieving desired outcomes. It requires a combination of technical knowledge, leadership skills, effective communication, and adherence to project management methodologies to deliver project and IT changes on time, within budget, and with high quality.

The role is responsible for strategic and tactical management of projects and initiatives through the coordination and facilitation of:

• IT portfolio management
• IT project identification, selection, prioritization and/or resource allocation
• Relationship management with internal/external stakeholders, in the context of portfolio management
• Budget planning, cost estimation, monitoring project expenditures, and optimizing the allocation of financial resources to IT projects/initiatives
• Project change requests and IT change management portfolio and prioritization.

Dimensions of role (i.e. budgets managed, number of staff): Financial (Revenue, Expenses, Budgets etc.)

Responsible for:

• Managing IT portfolio
• Managing projects, including budget and costs
• IT Resource management.

Non-Financial (size of team, geographical coverage, time horizon of main decisions, etc.)

• Size of the team: 4 FTEs and few contractors (depending on demand)
• Geographical coverage: all Bank ABC locations
• Other: Frequent interaction with senior management and stakeholders at all levels within ABC group across all locations.

Principal Responsibilities, Accountabilities and Deliverables of Role:

Leadership

Provides leadership and guidance to the IT delivery team, which may include project managers, analysts, developers, and other IT professionals. The job holder is responsible for building and developing a high-performance team to manage projects and major IT changes effectively.

Key responsibilities, accountabilities, and deliverables

Manage Portfolio

• Evaluate, prioritize, and balance programs and initiatives
• Manage demand within resource and funding constraints, based on strategic objectives
• Move selected programs into the active products or service portfolio
• Monitor the performance of the overall portfolio of programs.

Manage Requirements Definition

• Identify and analyse requirements before acquisition or creation to ensure they align with strategic requirements and the IT enterprise architecture
• Coordinate the review of feasible options with affected stakeholders, including relative costs and benefits, and approval of requirements and proposed solutions
• Ensure the cybersecurity and data privacy by design principles are enforced from the outset.

Manage Projects

• Manage all projects that are initiated within Group IT (or that require significant IT contribution) in alignment with the IT/business strategy
• Maintain and enforce a standard approach for project management
• Manage stakeholder engagement to ensure an active exchange of accurate and timely information
• Mitigate risks associated with project delivery throughout a systematic process
• Measure project performance against key project performance criteria
• Manage project resources and work packages.

Manage acceptance and transitioning

• Establish an implementation plan that covers system and data conversion, acceptance testing criteria, communication, training, release preparation, promotion to production, and a fallback/back-up plan
• Coordinate the testing of new solutions/changes in accordance with a defined test plan, prior to migration to the live operational environment
• Ensure relevant, current, and reliable documentation/information is maintained to support future operations and change activities.

Other Duties

• Perform ad-hoc additional duties as required by the GCIO
• Help define wider IT organizational objectives and strategic initiatives
• Work closely with Finance and IT Planning to develop and manage the IT delivery budget. This involves allocating resources efficiently, tracking expenses, and ensuring cost-effective project delivery.
• Continuously improve IT project management activities, processes, and tools; drive the adoption of new project management methodologies (e.g., Agile) and best practice; and promote efficiency and effectiveness in IT project/change delivery.
• Monitor portfolio and project progress, track key performance indicators, and provide regular reports/MI to management and stakeholders.

Culture and Behaviour

• Manage direct staff in terms of motivation, goal/objective setting, development, training, performance review, and mentoring.
• Provide guidance, mentoring and development to project staff
• Align IT initiatives with the Bank's strategic objectives, working closely with business leaders, heads of IT, and other stakeholders to understand their requirements and priorities.
• Foster a collaborative and high-performing work environment
• Stay updated with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in IT project management within the banking sector.

Job Context (Circumstances & environment surrounding the job):

The IT Delivery and Project Management function is a key enabler for delivery and change within Group IT and the Bank ABC group. The function within Group IT is responsible for ensuring the successful execution and completion of IT projects and business projects that require substantial IT contribution. This function encompasses a set of processes, methodologies, and practices aimed at effectively managing and delivering projects and IT changes to meet business and IT objectives.

Its main contribution in this respect will be in:

• IT Portfolio and project management
• Team leadership and management to guide the IT delivery team, which may include project managers, analysts, developers and other IT professionals
• Stakeholder management to understand their requirements, communicate project progress, manage expectations, and address project delivery issue
• Process maturity and improvement to continually improve project management methodologies, process, and tools within Group IT and Bank ABC.

Job Requirements:

Knowledge

• A deep understanding of project management methodologies
• A deep knowledge of project management tools and software to make recommendations on improvements
• Knowledge of IT processes:
• Budgeting and IT Cost allocation
• Technology Architecture
• Service Management
• Vendor Management
• Change Management
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity.
• Knowledge of banking operations, systems, and technologies, including core banking systems, payment processing, and data management
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements and compliance standards relevant to the banking industry (e.g., data protection, cybersecurity, risk management, etc.).

Education / Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field
• Formal Academic credentials related to Project Management (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, CSM, PMI-ACP etc.)
• Appropriate certification (PMP, CAPM, PRINCE2).

Experience

• At least 15 years of relevant work experience
• With a minimum of 10 years of proven experience in project management, preferably in the banking or financial services industry
• experience coordinating with teams across multiple disciplines and geographies
• experience managing, designing, implementing, and evaluating concurrent projects
• experience working up to c-level and Board Committees.

Personal Attributes

• Strong strategy and planning skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a focus on delivering practical and innovative solutions
• Imperative to bring proven leadership skills to take ownership of a large international portfolio of work, as well as line managing a growing team
• Self-motivation, ability to work independently and to manage projects through effective communication, including analysis and persuasion
• Results orientated with an ability to deliver multiple objectives while maintaining a high quality of work
• Able to manage external technology vendors and service providers effectively, maintaining project deadlines and budgets
• Strong leadership and interpersonal communication skills and ability to motivate, manage a team of people and influence strategic decisions
• Fluent in English, with excellent written skills (mandatory).

Regulatory Status of Role : Country Specific

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