Senior Program Manager

Role purpose:-

The Senior Programme Manager Finance Systems will provide permanent, enterprise-level leadership for the Finance Systems & Transformation portfolio. The role combines programme delivery leadership with hands-on portfolio management, governance and PMO discipline, ensuring that strategic initiatives move from concept and approval through controlled execution, adoption and benefits realisation.

The role will maintain an integrated view across Finance transformation initiatives, including finance systems, planning and forecasting, reporting and analytics, controls improvement, process transformation and operating-model change. It will give Finance leadership clear visibility of priorities, delivery status, risks, dependencies, resources, costs and decisions, while holding workstream owners and delivery partners accountable for outcomes.

Key responsibilities:-

• Programme leadership and execution: Translate the Finance Transformation strategy and roadmap into executable programmes, workstreams, milestones and outcomes. Drive delivery across multiple initiatives and intervene early where progress, ownership or quality is at risk.
• Integrated portfolio planning: Own the consolidated transformation roadmap, integrated plan, critical path and cross-workstream dependencies. Maintain a clear view of sequencing, capacity, funding and business availability.
• Governance and decision support: Operate the programme governance rhythm, including Steering Committee preparation, decision papers, status reporting, action tracking and follow-through. Ensure forums focus on decisions, outcomes and value rather than activity reporting.
• PMO and delivery discipline: Establish and maintain consistent planning, RAID, dependency, decision, change-control, financial tracking and document-management standards across the portfolio.
• Risk, issue and escalation management: Maintain an enterprise view of delivery risks and issues, ensure mitigations have accountable owners and dates, and escalate material matters with clear options and recommendations.
• Workstream assurance: Challenge plans, assumptions, RAG status, estimates and recovery actions. Confirm that scope, requirements, testing, readiness, controls, documentation and handover are adequate before stage-gate decisions.
• Stakeholder alignment: Build strong relationships across Finance, Finance Systems, Technology, Operations, Risk, Internal Audit and regional teams. Translate complex delivery information into concise, decision-ready messages for senior leaders.
• Supplier and resource coordination: Coordinate internal teams, contractors and delivery partners; monitor commitments, deliverables, costs and knowledge transfer; support mobilisation, onboarding and transition to permanent capability.
• Change, readiness and adoption: Ensure each initiative has a proportionate change approach covering communications, training, business readiness, operating procedures, ownership and transition into BAU.
• Benefits and continuous improvement: Define measurable outcomes and benefits, track realisation after implementation and ensure lessons learned are reflected in future delivery standards.

Key working relationships

Finance Transformation sponsors and Steering Committee; Head of Finance Systems; Global and Regional Finance leadership; Finance process owners; Technology and data teams; Risk, Controls, Internal Audit and external audit stakeholders; programme and project managers; business analysts; implementation partners and specialist suppliers.

Key deliverables

• Integrated Finance Systems Transformation roadmap and portfolio plan with milestones, dependencies, resources and critical path.
• Clear executive reporting, programme dashboards, decision papers and Steering Committee materials.
• Current RAID, decision, action, dependency, change and benefits registers with accountable ownership.
• Consistent delivery methodology, templates, stage gates and evidence standards across workstreams.
• Recovery plans for red or amber initiatives, with measurable actions and dates.
• Controlled programme financial and resource view covering budgets, forecasts, supplier costs and capacity.
• Business readiness, transition and BAU handover plans for each material initiative.
• Portfolio-level benefits tracking and post-implementation review.

Skills and experience

Essential

• Significant experience leading complex, multi-workstream Finance Systems or enterprise transformation programmes.
• Strong programme and portfolio management capability, including integrated planning, governance, RAID, dependencies, change control and benefits realisation.
• Experience preparing executive and Steering Committee reporting and converting complex information into clear decisions and recommendations.
• Proven ability to coordinate Finance, Technology, Operations and external delivery partners in a matrix environment.
• Experience challenging delivery plans, driving recovery activity and holding senior workstream owners accountable.
• Understanding of Finance processes, systems implementation, controls, testing, readiness and BAU transition.
• Commercial and financial discipline covering budgets, forecasts, resource plans and supplier commitments.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, facilitation and influencing skills.
• Ability to operate hands-on, manage competing priorities and deliver through ambiguity.

Preferred

• Experience in Financial Services or another regulated, control-focused environment.
• Experience with Finance ERP, EPM, reporting, data, controls or operating-model transformation.
• Exposure to platforms such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, Anaplan, Power BI, Qlik or Azure DevOps.
• Experience establishing or maturing a transformation office, portfolio office or enterprise PMO.
• Experience working across global teams and delivery partners, including India-based delivery models.
• Recognised programme or project management qualification, such as MSP, PRINCE2, PMP or equivalent.
• Finance, accounting, technology or transformation-related professional qualification.

Personal attributes

• Outcome-oriented, structured and able to combine strategic perspective with hands-on delivery.
• Calm and credible with senior stakeholders, while willing to challenge constructively.
• Highly organised, analytical and rigorous about ownership, evidence and follow-through.
• Commercially aware, pragmatic and comfortable making recommendations with incomplete information.
• Collaborative across cultures, functions and locations, with a strong commitment to building internal capability.

Success measures

• Transformation initiatives delivered to agreed outcomes, quality, cost and key milestones.
• Leadership has a reliable, single view of programme status, decisions, risks, resources and dependencies.
• Material risks and slippage are identified early, with timely recovery action and escalation.
• Governance forums result in clear decisions, accountable actions and measurable follow-through.
• Improved consistency and maturity of programme planning, reporting and delivery controls.
• Successful business adoption, BAU transition and measurable benefits realisation.
• Reduced reliance on external programme leadership through sustainable permanent capability in India.

Role positioning

This is not a reporting-only PMO role. It is a senior, hands-on programme leadership position accountable for joining up the Finance Transformation portfolio, driving execution and maintaining the governance discipline required to deliver sustainable business outcomes. Individual workstream leads remain accountable for their solutions and deliverables; this role provides the integration, challenge, visibility and leadership that connect them into one controlled programme.