Associate Director - Financial Services (Banking) Major Programmes

£90,000 to 120,000 GBP
bonus
Hybrid WORKING
Location: Central London, Greater London - United Kingdom Type: Permanent
Associate Director - Financial Services (Banking) Major Programmes
Location: Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London or Manchester - Hybrid
Salary: £90,000-£120,000 + bonus, depending on experience
Visa sponsorship: Not available
The Opportunity
We are looking for an experienced Associate Director to join a growing Financial Services Programme Leadership team, leading major transformation programmes across the banking and wider financial services sectors.
This is a senior leadership opportunity for someone with a strong track record of delivering complex, large-scale transformation programmes and building trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders. You will help shape programme strategy, lead multidisciplinary teams and oversee the successful delivery of strategically important business and technology change.
The role offers exposure to major programmes across UK Retail Banking, Global and Commercial Banking and Building Societies, covering areas such as digital and cloud transformation, core banking modernisation, data transformation, regulatory change, financial crime and mergers and acquisitions.
Key Responsibilities

• Lead and shape complex, large-scale transformation programmes and portfolios, ensuring successful delivery against strategic objectives.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders, including C-suite executives, providing programme leadership expertise and strategic direction.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams across clients, consulting teams and external delivery partners.
• Oversee programme mobilisation, delivery strategy, operating model design, governance and commercial structures.
• Provide leadership across programme delivery, controls, assurance, risk management and operational readiness.
• Lead programme recovery and transformation activities, engaging executives to reshape programmes and get delivery back on track.
• Build and maintain long-standing client relationships, identifying opportunities to develop and expand strategic accounts.
• Lead business development activities, including shaping proposals, developing client propositions, structuring commercial models and winning new engagements.
• Support the development of programme leadership methodologies, thought leadership and industry points of view.
• Mentor, coach and develop diverse teams, promoting inclusive leadership and high-performing delivery environments.

What We're Looking For
You will have significant senior-level programme leadership experience within Financial Services, ideally across one or more of the following:

• UK Retail Banking
• Global and Commercial Banking
• Building Societies

You should also bring experience in most of the following areas:

• Leading large-scale business, organisational and technology transformation programmes or portfolios.
• Deep expertise in programme and portfolio management, using traditional and/or Agile delivery methodologies.
• Technology and data-enabled transformation, with an understanding of emerging AI-powered solutions and their potential to accelerate programme delivery.
• Experience delivering one or more of the following:
• Digital and cloud transformation, including AWS, Azure, GCP or cloud-based ERP.
• Core banking transformation.
• Data transformation programmes.
• Regulatory and financial crime transformation.
• Mergers and acquisitions, including integration, separation and Transformation Management Offices.
• Programme mobilisation, delivery model design, business case development and defining programme outcomes.
• Programme controls, assurance, risk management, governance and operational readiness.
• Executive-level programme recovery and experience reshaping complex or underperforming programmes.
• Commercial and contract management, including engagement risk and financial oversight.
• Building trusted senior client relationships and identifying opportunities to sell and deliver complex transformation work.
• Developing client propositions, winning new business and leading the mobilisation of new engagements.
• Strong industry knowledge, with the ability to bring market insight and programme delivery expertise to clients.
• Experience contributing to thought leadership, business strategy and proposition development.
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing, communication and presentation skills, including at C-suite level.
• A proven track record of inclusive leadership, managing and coaching diverse teams.

What's on Offer?

• Salary of £90,000-£120,000, depending on experience.
• Bonus scheme.
• Senior leadership position within an established Financial Services transformation practice.
• Opportunity to lead high-profile, strategically important banking transformation programmes.
• Exposure to senior executives and major organisations across the Financial Services sector.
• Opportunity to shape client propositions, influence business growth and develop new market opportunities.
• Hybrid working, with locations available across Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Manchester.
• Continued professional development and long-term career progression.

Please note: Applicants must already have the unrestricted right to work in the UK. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
If you're an established Financial Services programme leader looking to take on a senior role shaping and delivering complex transformation programmes, we'd be keen to hear from you.