Senior Programme Manager

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments

What working at Columbia Threadneedle offers....

Working at Columbia Threadneedle Investments you'll find the promise we make to our clients is the same one we make to our employees: Your success is our priority.

Here, you'll find growth and career opportunities across all of our businesses. We're intentionally built to help you succeed. Our reach is expansive with a global team of 2,000 people working together. Our expertise is diverse with more than 450 investment professionals sharing global perspectives across all major asset classes and markets. Our clients have access to a broad array of investment strategies, and we have the capability to create bespoke solutions matched to clients' specific requirements.

Job Purpose Statement

Where you'll fit in & what our team goals are...

The role sits within the Global Change & Transformation function at CTI and is a key leadership role within the function. The team is a key part of delivering CTI's strategic goals, objectives and outcomes. Key accountabilities include: Leading the shaping and definition of high complexity major strategic initiatives, building then leading the delivery team effectively, being the first point of escalation for any issues, establishing a culture of high performance both within the team and across the function.

Role Responsibilities

How you'll spend your time...

• Management of scope, budget, deliverables and timelines for the 'single view of change' work, including engagement with various impacted business teams and stakeholders.
• Takes end to end responsibility for the delivery of a major project or programme, establishing and maintaining the correct structures to control and monitor the deliverables to the business to realise the benefits as defined in the Business Case.
• Identifies, structures and secures, working with the sponsor, the project resources and budget required. Ensures that appropriate prioritising, planning, resourcing and contingency for customer issues are integrated into project and resource plans
• Ensuring plans are aligned to our strategic roadmap and long-term business needs; Delivery plan production and maintenance
• Monitors, and reviews all project/programme economics, including costs, staffing requirements, resources, and project risk, ensuring that there are appropriate and effective governance arrangements, supported by appropriate reporting at various senior governance forums
• Regular status reporting and project management activity e.g., resource management, RAID log management and issue prioritisation / resolution
• Monitors the management of third-party relationships ensuring that dependencies are identified and managed and deliverables are achieved, as defined in respective project documents such as Business Cases and without incurring unnecessary cost or delay to the project.
• Supports the sponsor in board level stakeholder management and gaining buy to the project's objective and scope. Manages senior stakeholders effectively to ensure that direction, scope and progress of the project/programme is understood and transparent.
• Ensure that all Stakeholders have a common understanding of what is being delivered
• Work closely with IT, Technology Delivery, and the architecture team to design Technology & Business solutions
• Form part of the conversation with the business on their target operating model
• Understands the principles of Business Transformation and is able to translate these principles into business/people change activities and project/programme deliverables. Leads the production of the vision statement and blueprint for the programme
• Shares knowledge and experience with the Project Management community, coaches less experienced Project Managers in specific subjects and is actively involved in continuous improvement activities affecting the project delivery framework.

Key Capabilities

To be successful in this role you will have...

• Experience delivering business transformation, technology and/or data projects.
• Experience of change governance processes and best practice
• Must be able to demonstrate the ability to deliver end to end solutions
• Experience of delivering change across internal, vendor and offshore models
• Demonstrable ability to lead by influencing technology teams without direct authority in a matrix environment
• Experience working and delivering in a global environment
• Is proficient in the standards associated with the practitioner's current role and is able to assist with definition of delivery approaches to meet internal change quality assurance framework expectations and applicable firm wide policies and standards, within risk appetite.
• Is proficient in the principles, methods, techniques and tools for the preparation and monitoring of budgets to minimise costs and ensure cost-effectiveness. This includes assistance with the annual change budget planning process, supporting the sponsor and executive to secure strategic change funding.

Desired Capabilities

If you also had this, it would be great...

• Extensive project management experience
• Extensive Project management experience with a proven track record of delivery with complex projects
• Proven experience with identifying and mitigating risk from change;
• Knowledge of project methodologies including Agile and Waterfall project management and control tasks, for example complete project reporting and project documentation. Must have experience of project planning, project reporting and the active management of project risks and issues, and quality management.
• Evidence of experience working successfully across the business with Distribution, Marketing, Investment, Operations, Risk & Compliance, Technology and Business Change functions in large organisations
• Financial Services and Asset Management experience essential
• Is established in partnering with the Distribution business to deliver change in a range of areas spanning from: client and mandate onboarding, delivering operating models to support the servicing of clients invested through multiple channels (wholesale, institutional, segregated), implementation of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions, provision of automation solutions to drive marketing campaigns, through to revenue analytics driving key business MI into product roadmaps and client/product fee structures.