Senior Program Manager / Program Director

Role Summary

We are seeking an accomplished Senior Program Manager / Program Director – Data, Analytics & Digital Engineering with approximately 20+ years of IT experience and a strong track record of leading complex, large-scale technology and data transformation programs for Banking, Financial Services and Wealth Management clients.

The role requires deep program leadership across Data Engineering, enterprise data platforms, cloud modernization, data warehousing, analytics, reporting, data governance and full-stack application development. The successful candidate will have led 100+ member global delivery organizations and managed vendor transitions, service consolidation, rebadging, knowledge transfer and operating-model transformation.

Recent program leadership involving AWS, AWS Glue and Snowflake is essential. The candidate is not expected to be the solution architect or developer, but must have sufficient technical depth to challenge architecture decisions, identify delivery risks, manage dependencies and communicate credibly with enterprise architects, engineering leaders and client executives.

Candidate Value Proposition

• Enterprise-scale ownership across data, analytics, cloud and digital engineering.
• Executive engagement with CIO, CDO, CTO, business, risk and operations leadership.
• Leadership of complex transitions and transformation programs with measurable business outcomes.
• Opportunity to shape modern data platforms and delivery models for banking and wealth-management clients.

Key Responsibilities

1. Large-Scale Program & Delivery Leadership

• Own end-to-end delivery of large, complex Data, Analytics and Digital Engineering programs.
• Lead globally distributed organizations of 100+ team members across multiple workstreams, locations and technology disciplines.
• Establish program governance covering scope, schedule, financials, quality, risks, dependencies, resources and stakeholder communications.
• Manage multi-year transformation roadmaps involving legacy modernization, cloud adoption, platform transformation and application modernization.
• Drive predictable delivery through measurable KPIs, SLAs, milestones, RAID management and executive governance.
• Operate effectively across Agile, Scrum, hybrid and managed-services delivery environments.

2. Data & Analytics Leadership

Provide program-level leadership across the full enterprise data lifecycle:

• Enterprise Data Architecture

• Data Engineering and ETL/ELT

• Data Warehousing, Data Lakes and Lakehouse

• Data Quality, Metadata and Lineage

• Master and Reference Data

• Data Governance and Controls

• Business Intelligence and Reporting

• Advanced Analytics

• Cloud Data Platforms

• APIs and enterprise integration

3. AWS, Snowflake & Modern Data Platforms

• Lead cloud-based data modernization programs involving AWS, AWS Glue, Amazon S3, Snowflake, SQL and enterprise data platforms.
• Govern ETL/ELT frameworks, APIs, integration services, BI platforms, CI/CD, DevOps and automated deployment practices.
• Partner with architecture and engineering teams to validate solution direction, non-functional requirements, security, scalability and operational readiness.
• Maintain program-level technical credibility while retaining focus on delivery outcomes, risk and stakeholder alignment.

4. Transition, Consolidation & Rebadging Leadership

• Lead vendor-to-vendor transitions for large technology and data portfolios.
• Develop transition strategy, governance, knowledge-transfer and operational-readiness plans.
• Manage incumbent-vendor dependency, knowledge retention and business-continuity risks.
• Lead consolidation of applications, data services, platforms and delivery teams.
• Manage rebadging and workforce transition programs where applicable.
• Establish Day 1, Day 30/60/90 and steady-state operating models, acceptance criteria and stabilization measures.
• Identify opportunities for tool, platform, process and vendor consolidation after transition.

Key Responsibilities continued

5. Banking & Wealth Management Domain

Apply strong financial-services experience across relevant business and technology areas, including:

• Retail and Commercial Banking
• Wealth Management and Investment/Portfolio Management
• Client, Advisor, Customer and Account Data
• Transactions, Risk and Compliance
• Regulatory, Financial, Management and Client Reporting
• Digital Banking, Data Privacy and Security
• Enterprise Data Modernization, Governance and Controls

6. Full-Stack & End-to-End Technology Delivery

• Govern programs spanning front-end and digital applications, back-end services, APIs, microservices, cloud infrastructure and enterprise data platforms.
• Coordinate reporting, analytics, DevOps/CI-CD, testing, quality engineering, production support and operational readiness.
• Ensure application and data workstreams are integrated through common architecture, release management and business outcomes.
• Maintain a holistic view of the business application and data ecosystem rather than managing isolated workstreams.

7. Client & Executive Stakeholder Management

• Act as a senior engagement point for CIO, CDO, CTO, Data, Engineering and Business leadership.
• Lead executive steering committees and program-governance reviews.
• Translate complex technical issues into business impact, options, decisions and clear accountabilities.
• Build trusted client relationships and proactively manage escalations and critical delivery situations.
• Identify opportunities for modernization, automation, consolidation and operating-model improvement.

8. Commercial & People Leadership

• Own program financials, forecasting, staffing, utilization, productivity and contractual commitments.
• Build a high-performing leadership layer across program managers, architects, engineering leads, product owners and delivery managers.
• Develop succession plans, capability-building priorities and a scalable global delivery model.
• Drive accountability, transparent performance reporting and a culture of continuous improvement.

Experience & Qualification Requirements

Essential Experience

• Approximately 20+ years of overall IT industry experience.
• Extensive experience managing enterprise-scale Data & Analytics programs.
• Demonstrated leadership of 100+ person teams across onshore, offshore and/or nearshore locations.
• Strong recent program experience involving AWS, AWS Glue and Snowflake.
• Proven delivery experience across Data Engineering, enterprise data platforms, analytics and reporting, cloud transformation, data governance, data quality and full-stack application development.
• Strong experience with Banking and/or Wealth Management clients.
• Demonstrated leadership of vendor transitions, consolidation and rebadging.
• Experience managing multi-vendor, geographically distributed delivery organizations.
• Strong executive communication, governance, commercial and stakeholder-management capabilities.

Preferred Experience

• Major cloud and data-platform modernization programs, including migration from legacy/on-premises platforms to AWS and Snowflake.
• Managed-services, outcome-based and product/platform delivery models.
• Transformation from project-centric delivery to Agile or product-led operating models.
• Automation of DataOps, DevOps, testing and operational processes.
• Experience within highly regulated financial-services organizations.
• Coordination of architecture, engineering, data, applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity and business teams under a common transformation program.

Education & Credentials

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems or a related discipline; an advanced degree is desirable.
• Program and delivery certifications such as PMP, PgMP, PRINCE2, SAFe or equivalent are desirable.
• AWS, Snowflake, Agile, data-management or architecture credentials are advantageous when supported by significant program-delivery experience.

Leadership Competencies

COMPETENCY

EXPECTED LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR

Enterprise Leadership

Connects business strategy, data, applications, architecture and operations across the full transformation portfolio.

Delivery Excellence

Manages commitments, dependencies, quality, financial performance and risk with disciplined execution.

Technical Credibility

Engages meaningfully with data architects, AWS/Snowflake specialists, engineering leaders and application architects.

Transformation Mindset

Moves programs from legacy models toward modern cloud, data, digital and product-led delivery.

Transition Leadership

Takes control of complex incumbent environments while protecting continuity and accelerating stabilization.

Executive Presence

Communicates decisions, trade-offs and delivery realities clearly with senior client stakeholders.

People Leadership

Builds accountable, motivated and scalable globally distributed teams and leadership layers.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a seasoned Data & Technology Program Leader who has progressed from technology delivery into enterprise-scale program leadership. The individual must combine the following four capabilities:

01

Deep Data & Analytics Leadership

Strong experience across engineering, platforms, governance, BI and advanced analytics.

02

Modern Cloud Credibility

Recent delivery leadership involving AWS, AWS Glue and Snowflake.

03

Large-Scale Delivery

Accountability for 100+ professionals, multiple workstreams and global delivery locations.

04

Transition & Transformation

Proven vendor takeover, consolidation, rebadging, knowledge-transfer and stabilization leadership.

Success Measures

• Predictable delivery against agreed scope, milestones, quality, financial and service commitments.
• Controlled transition with retained knowledge, uninterrupted business operations and timely stabilization.
• Effective modernization and consolidation of data, analytics and application landscapes.
• Strong executive confidence, transparent governance and rapid resolution of critical risks and dependencies.
• Sustainable global delivery organization with clear accountability, leadership depth and continuous improvement.

Recommended Market-Facing Title

Senior Program Manager / Program Director – Data, Analytics & Digital Engineering

Banking & Wealth Management

Recruiter Screening Priorities

• Has personally led 100+ member programs, not merely participated in them.
• Can explain recent AWS Glue and Snowflake delivery scope, architecture dependencies and measurable outcomes.
• Has led a vendor transition, consolidation or rebadging through knowledge transfer, Day 1 readiness and stabilization.
• Has direct Banking or Wealth Management client experience and can discuss relevant regulatory, risk and data-control expectations.
• Can govern both data-platform and full-stack application workstreams as one integrated transformation program.