Executive Director, Project Manager, Human Capital Management (24 months Fixed Term Contract)

Job Summary

The Project Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management, coordination and delivery control of SMBC's global HR transformation programme. The programme aims to modernise and standardise HR processes, operating models, data structures and technology platforms across international operations.

The role provides the programme management discipline, governance, controls, integrated planning, reporting and assurance required to coordinate delivery across multiple workstreams and geographical regions. Working closely with Programme Leadership, Workstream Leads, HR and IT stakeholders, subject matter experts, vendors and implementation partners, the Project Manager ensures delivery remains aligned with agreed scope, timelines, budget and quality objectives.

The role also provides independent challenge and oversight, ensuring risks, issues and dependencies are effectively managed and senior stakeholders receive accurate, decision-useful and audit-ready information to support successful programme delivery.

Key Roles& Responsibilities:

Programme Planning &Delivery

• Develop, maintain and manage the integrated programme plan across multiple workstreams.
• Coordinate delivery activities, milestones, deliverables, critical paths and cross-workstream dependencies.
• Monitor delivery progress and support recovery planning where timelines or key deliverables are at risk.
• Coordinate readiness, deployment, cutover, transition and post-implementation stabilization activities.

Governance, Controls &Reporting

• Establish and maintain effective programme governance and project control processes.
• Coordinate governance meetings and decision-making forums, including preparation of reports, management information and Steering Committee materials.
• Maintain programme actions, decisions, assumptions, documentation and audit evidence.
• Support programme assurance and internal audit activities, ensuring appropriate standards of documentation and control.

Risk, Issues, Dependencies& Change Control

• Own and maintain RAID processes, ensuring risks, issues and dependencies are identified, monitored, mitigated and escalated appropriately.
• Facilitate resolution of delivery challenges and track agreed mitigation actions to completion.
• Manage change control processes, including assessment of impacts to scope, schedule, resources and delivery.
• Maintain change registers and coordinate the evaluation, approval and implementation of change requests.

Resources, Vendors &Stakeholders

• Monitor resource utilisation and identify resource constraints that may affect programme delivery.
• Coordinate activities and deliverables involving external consulting partners, technology vendors and third-party service providers.
• Build effective relationships with Programme Leadership, Workstream Leads, HR, IT and other key stakeholders.
• Facilitate workshops, planning sessions and delivery reviews, ensuring actions and decisions are appropriately documented and followed through.

Qualifications& Requirements:

Experience

• Significant experience managing large-scale, complex transformation programmes or projects, including coordination of multiple interconnected workstreams.
• Demonstrated experience establishing and operating programme governance, integrated planning, executive reporting, RAID management and change control.
• Strong track record of engaging senior stakeholders and supporting executive-level governance and decision-making forums.
• Experience managing third-party vendors, consulting partners and delivery dependencies within complex organizational environments.
• Experience in HR transformation, global operating model transformation or HR technology implementation, including SAP SuccessFactors, would be advantageous.
• Experience within banking, financial services or another regulated industry, and working across international and multicultural teams, would be beneficial.

Skills & Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of project/programme management methodologies, governance, risk and control frameworks.
• Excellent programme planning, organizational and delivery coordination capabilities.
• Strong stakeholder management, influencing, facilitation and communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with high attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, interdependencies and competing deadlines in a complex transformation environment.
• Working knowledge of programme budgeting, reporting and transformation/change management disciplines.

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience.
• Professional certifications such as PRINCE2 Practitioner, PMP, MSP, Agile Project Management or Change Management certification would be advantageous.