Job Summary

This role could be based in HK or SG. When you start the application process you will be presented with a drop down menu showing all countries, please ensure that you only select a country where the role is based
 

In partnership with Accountable Executive, Businesses and Functions stakeholders, and working within Technology & Operations team, The Programme Director will lead a large-scale core banking transformation initiative, transitioning the organization’s core banking systems from legacy mainframe architecture to a modern, scalable, and resilient platform. 

This is a high-profile, multi-year program with significant strategic and operational impact across the organization. The role requires deep collaboration with technology, operations, business stakeholders, and regulatory bodies across multiple jurisdictions to ensure successful delivery.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and own the strategic roadmap for the core banking transformation, aligning with the organization’s long-term objectives and business strategy.
• Act as the primary point of accountability for the successful delivery of the program within defined timelines, budget, and quality parameters.
• Ensure the alignment of program outcomes with business and operational goals, enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with senior executives across technology, operations, and business units to ensure buy-in and alignment of program objectives.
• Serve as the main liaison with regulators in local and global jurisdictions, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and maintaining transparency.
• Manage relationships with external vendors, consultants, and partners, ensuring they meet contractual obligations and performance standards.

Program Management

• Establish and maintain a robust program governance structures, including steering committees, risk management frameworks, and reporting mechanisms.
• Oversee program planning, resource allocation, and milestone tracking to ensure timely and effective delivery.
• Lead cross-functional teams comprising technology, operations, and business experts to execute program activities cohesively.

Technical Oversight

• Provide guidance on technical architecture decisions, ensuring alignment with enterprise IT strategies and industry best practices.
• Monitor system integration, data migration, and testing activities to mitigate risks and ensure smooth transitions.
• Ensure the program’s architecture supports scalability, resilience, and future innovation.

Risk and Compliance Management

• Identify, assess, and manage program risks, implementing mitigation strategies to minimize disruption.
• Ensure compliance with data privacy, security, and other regulatory requirements across jurisdictions.
• Maintain rigorous documentation and reporting for audit and regulatory purposes.

People Leadership

• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing program team, fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability.
• Ensure clear communication of program goals and updates to internal and external stakeholders.
• Act as a change champion, driving adoption of new systems and processes across the organization.

Regulatory & Business Conduct 

• Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct. 
• Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines and the Group Code of Conduct.
• Lead the team to achieve the outcomes set out in the Bank’s Conduct Principles: Fair Outcomes for Clients; Effective Financial Markets; Financial Crime Compliance; The Right Environment.
• Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate, and resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters. 

Key Stakeholders

• Global and country business and functions Heads
• Global and country management team
• Country Board Committee
• Country Chief Technology and Operations Officer
• Global and country technology leads
• Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA)

Skills and Experience

Experience

• Minimum 15 years of experience in program or project management, with at least 10 years leading large-scale technology transformation initiatives in the banking or financial services sector.
• Proven track record of delivering core banking system implementations or migrations, preferably involving mainframe to modern architecture transitions.
• Extensive experience working with regulatory bodies across multiple jurisdictions.
• Demonstrated success in managing multi-million-dollar budgets and diverse, geographically dispersed teams.

Technical Skills

• Deep understanding of core banking platforms, modern architectures (e.g., cloud-based solutions, microservices), and system integration.
• Knowledge of mainframe systems, data migration strategies, and non-functional testing methodologies.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements.

Soft Skills

• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong problem-solving abilities, with a focus on delivering innovative solutions.
• Proven ability to influence and manage senior stakeholders and build consensus in complex environments.
• Resilience and adaptability to manage high-pressure situations and evolving priorities.

About Standard Chartered

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together we:

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term

What we offer

In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.