Vice President, Payment Lead Project Manager (12 Month FTC)

Vice President, Payment Lead Project Manager (12 Month FTC) Do you want your voice heard and your actions to count?

Discover your opportunity with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), one of the world's leading financial groups. Across the globe, we're 120,000 colleagues, striving to make a difference for every client, organization, and community we serve. We stand for our values, building long-term relationships, serving society, and fostering shared and sustainable growth for a better world.

With a vision to be the world's most trusted financial group, it's part of our culture to put people first, listen to new and diverse ideas, and collaborate toward greater innovation, speed, and agility. This means investing in talent, technologies, and tools that empower you to own your career.

Join MUFG, where being inspired is expected and making a meaningful impact is rewarded.

The role will report into the Operations Portfolio Manager. The role and EMEA Operations team manage projects across the EMEA region with regular liaison with Tokyo/ Head Office. Projects/ changes include: Transaction Processing, Middle Office, Payments & Clearing, Regulatory Reporting/ Change, Operational Control, Optimisation, Operational Planning, and Business Management.

NUMBER OF DIRECT REPORTS

circa 5

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

MUFG is looking for a proven Senior Programme Manager with extensive Corporate Banking Operations experience mainly in payments to lead a large programme of projects across MUFG Bank EMEA and to MUFG Securities.

The role holder will support the Operations Portfolio Lead who has overarching responsibility for the governance, stakeholder management, financials, and ultimately successful delivery of ALL projects within the Operations change portfolio. You will ensure that all projects operate within the governance framework; and that they each undertake rigorous analysis and planning; manage scope, budget (including maintaining a realistic resource profile) and deliver accurate status reporting; and robustly manage and articulate project risks and issues.

You will be responsible for aiding in and producing MI, C-suite papers where appropriate for your programme.

Constantly engaging with the Accountable Executive (Head of Operations in EMEA) and Project Sponsors to drive through change within the specified governance framework and ensure that change is fully adopted and integrated into MUFG.

You will manage the following matters and have authority for building a team of high-quality professionals that will achieve the objectives set by the Head of Operations in delivering the agreed outcomes. You will be responsible for leading the Annual budget process for your programme - engaging with all relevant stakeholders in EMEA Operations and work with Technology in EMEA and Head Office to prepare the submission.

The successful candidate will need extensive experience in Banking, specifically in relation to payments processing, standardisation, reconciliations, payments regulation, fraud, anti-money laundering, and financial crime systems.

It will be critical to maintain and enhance strong working relationships with stakeholders, across the region and globally in order to deliver effectively and successfully the objectives of the programme and to share best practices, provide support and develop effective local policies and procedures appropriate to the Company, and working in support of the One MUFG and overall Group strategy.

A strong understanding and familiarity with standard market practices and knowledge, experience of the following payment platforms:

• Low Value Payments/ Schemes i.e. BACs, SEPA Direct Debits/ Credit Transfers, Faster Payments (FPS)
• High Value Payments/ Schemes i.e. SWIFT, TARGET2, CHAPs, RTGS

Additionally, the candidate MUST HAVE the following:

• An understanding regarding new Market Infrastructures (NPA), industry standards/ changes, including SEPA Rulebooks/ SWIFT Standards that are being introduced into the payments world, plus for example ISO20022, PSD3/PSR
• Experience of ISO migrations and toolsets that have been designed, implemented regarding payment translation tools i.e. MX-> MT

Strong communication and interpersonal skills are a must, and the candidate must have a well-organised and structured approach to managing large scale programmes plus small/ medium projects, working with senior stakeholders, managing/ developing a team of project managers and support resources.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage the full project lifecycle adhering to standard governance and best practice from project initiation to closure.
• Where applicable deliver complex change projects from design through to build, deployment and handover to BAU.
• Work closely with relevant business and key stakeholders to ensure effective and efficient implementation.
• Create and maintain project/ programme plans and revise as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements.
• Understand project budgeting; scheduling expenditures; analysing variances, project plan baseline and change control and initiates corrective actions.
• Maintain project status reports to stakeholders; coordinate and provide updates to steering committees; anticipate and react to change.
• Identify & manage inter-dependencies with other projects as and when required; optimising the portfolio.
• Work closely with technology and business product owners in order to design and deliver fit for purpose solutions.
• Plan, manage and escalate risks/issues in a timely fashion to determine priorities, monitor potential impacts.
• Responsible for identifying resource demand.
• Manage all day-to-day operational aspects of the project deliverables, providing guidance to a team of projects managers regarding best practice.
• Lead effectively and efficiently an executive level governance forum.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 15 years' Experience in large-scale payments regulatory change. This is a senior role, the candidate is expected to operate at Director level working closely with Executives, Project Sponsors to drive through change.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Functional / Technical Competencies:

• Proactive delivery of large multi-functional projects across Banking Operations and the Payments space.
• Payments schemes and ISO20022 knowledge and 15 years' experience is key.
• Relevant Experience proven track record delivering projects to financial institutions within time and budget.
• Strong staff management and team organization.
• Experience of demand and supply management.
• Strong project delivery.
• Strong communication and leadership.
• Experience in multiple delivery methodologies (waterfall & agile).
• Clear understanding of change management in the corporate environment.
• Strong governance approach to delivery, experience of leading Steering Committees with senior stakeholders in attendance.
• Experience of project management toolsets.
• Proficient in Microsoft Professional Suite Inc. Project, Excel, Word, PowerPoint.
• Proven experience of managing budgets.
• Experience with identifying project outputs and tracking delivery of business benefits.

Work Experience:

• Knowledge of front to back transaction lifecycle management.
• Experience of successfully leading full lifecycle complex projects across the Operations/ Payments Processing space.
• Demonstrable experience in multiple work stream delivery.
• Good working knowledge of the regulatory environment including regulatory reporting/ change.

Education / Qualifications:

• Prince2 or APMP project management methodology and certification beneficial.
• Excellent MS Project and MS Office skills.

PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Excellent communication skills.
• Results driven, with a strong sense of accountability.
• A proactive, motivated approach.
• The ability to operate with urgency and prioritise work accordingly.
• Strong decision-making skills, the ability to demonstrate sound judgement.
• A structured and logical approach to work.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• The ability to manage large workloads and tight deadlines.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• A calm approach, with the ability to perform well in a pressurised environment.
• Strong numerical skills.
• A confident approach, with the ability to lead meetings, project teams and provide clear direction.
• Excellent managerial/ leadership experience, demonstrable ability to lead a high performing team, guide/advise/mentor junior project team members.
• A strategic approach, with the ability to lead and motivate your team, the ability to articulate and implement the vision/strategy.

Please note, MUFG operate a hybrid working model - 3 days office based (London)/2 days wfh.

We are open to considering flexible working requests in line with organisational requirements.

MUFG is committed to embracing diversity and building an inclusive culture where all employees are valued, respected and their opinions count. We support the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion in recruitment and employment, and oppose all forms of discrimination on the grounds of age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and maternity, race, gender reassignment, religion or belief and marriage or civil partnership.
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