Project Manager (NCS/Job/ 970)

• To plan, direct and govern the changes required to Operations systems and processes within the project structure, ensuring quality, outcomes, timelines and cost requirements are delivered.  This includes ensuring compliance to the prescribed project delivery framework and ensuring that reporting obligations as defined within the project delivery framework are met.
• To scope the project and plan project delivery.  The project being delivered will be both non-IT (including but not limited to creation of a new procedure or standard or new control(s); Redesign of a business process; Organizational change management; Regulatory impact assessments) and IT related (including but not limited to creation of or enhancements/revisions to an application, creating a database, or system migration).
• To design and recruit (from internal teams) the project delivery team.  To matrix manage project delivery staff as regards their involvement on the project.  To manage un-resourced roles in line with published rules and timelines (and minimize escalation except for valid exceptions e.g. re-prioritsation of resource with critical skills / on the project critical path)
• To engage all stakeholders of the project and operate effectively within established project governance using the guidelines in the project delivery framework.  Ensure that escalation is into the relevant governance committees.
• To create the baseline plan and scope for the project.  To oversee that project delivery adheres to agreed scope and baselined timeline.  To re-plan and raise change controls without the project breaching approved budget / timeline etc. when change happens.
• To provide Change Management expertise to manage delivery, resolve conflict and mitigate change risk and advise the business on decisions relating to change
• To structure the project plan with meaningful milestones (following guidelines in the project delivery framework) that, when baselined, provide a basis to regular project reporting.  Provide transparency as to project progress in regular project updates; ensuring that no project reporting data becomes “stale” or out of date.  Ensure that reporting updates are meaningful to all project and programme stakeholders, not all of whom will be SME’s in all aspects of the project. Provide executive summarized information when requested to Central PMO for inclusion in executive reporting about the project.
• To support portfolio manager in the delivery of portfolio strategy, including providing input into the required reporting forums
• To collaborate with key functional or business stakeholders to achieve clear outcomes / deliverables in relation to the portfolio book of work

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Full lifecycle project management ensuring that the project being delivered is compliant to minimum quality standards defined in the project delivery policy / process / procedures.  This includes being complete (in terms of data capture as specified in the toolset and documentation standards); current (no stale data as in missed dates); and accurate (maintained with the latest update).  Responsibility for the project will be from initiation through to handover to business and project closure.

• • This will be through regular and proactive use of reporting provided by central PMO; and regular meetings with staff delivering the portfolio of work
  • Regular catch-up with peers / risk control owners in other departments who have vested interest in quality project delivery
  • Using golden source data to submit updates to oversight / executive committees instead of off-line data sources
  • Sign-off all deliverables assigned to the Project Manager roles in the project delivery lifecycle RACI and roles and responsibilities
  • Run and manage steering committees, working groups (cross functional) and ensure accountability of actions against timelines and responsible stakeholders

Support the portfolio manager, who has overarching responsibility for the governance and delivery of all projects within the portfolio. 

Identify and understand issues, errors or concerns, swiftly and accurately and resolve

problems taking into account agreed policy, procedures and service needs. 

Carry out analysis and form clear recommendations and proposal on projects / programmes based on sound business rationale. Clearly articulate strategic imperatives and benefits of projects – describe complex problems and solutions in a compelling manner, influencing senior management.  Ensure consensus and collaboration with project delivery partners.  Be a trusted partner to stakeholders, central PMO and other departments ensuring updates are transparent and accurate; actions, risks, issues, dependencies are effectively managed through to completion.

Run and manage project steering committees, working groups (cross functional) and ensure accountability for delivery of actions against planned timelines is clearly defined / executed. 

Define and track the delivery of project outcomes and benefits in order to justify the business case and decisions to prioritise the project for delivery.  

Engage, contract and manage third party vendors within the procurement policy and third party vendor management policy.

Define and recruit (from internal teams) project delivery staff of the correct calibre to deliver success.  Ensure that responsibilities are appropriately assigned and controlled.  Ensure that project and steering staff have a clear understanding of their duties to ensure that project delivery is adequately monitored and controlled.

Show awareness of all sub portfolio’s within the investment portfolios in scope to assist in identifying synergies and avoiding duplication of effort.

Ensure that project delivery steering committees / working groups remain in governance: that meetings are quorate, the Terms of Reference are reviewed at the end of each project delivery phase, that the portfolio committee has visibility / transparency of project delivery status, change and risk and that project risk and issues (RAID) items are escalated appropriately / on time.  This is through:

• • Creating a baseline and management of baseline (budget, scope, outcomes / benefits, timeline)
  • Approval of change
  • Approval and closure of mitigating actions for escalated risks and issues
  • Approval of project go live and capture / logging of Accountable Executive Attestation at go live
  • Approval to close project following update as to lessons learned and project closure reports
  • Approval of every project business case (benefits vs cost)

WORK EXPERIENCE

Essential:

• Minimum 5 years proven track record delivering Financial Management and regulatory reporting change projects for financial institutions within time and budget.

•  
• Demonstrable experience of:

• Knowledge of related change delivery – in depth knowledge of general & sub ledgers, product control, financial reporting requirements, data quality, control and management.
• Investment budget management – accurate forecasting of cost categories; management of “estimate at complete” vs budget; budget change control (at individual project or programme level).  Demonstratable insight into controlling cost e.g. no actuals being committed before budget approval and planning / interventions that need to be made if approved budget (vs committed budget) is at risk of being exceeded
• Investment project allocations agreement – working across stakeholders to agree how project costs (budget, increase to on-going expense budget) and benefits and gaining commitment that these costs are factored into their department business plans. 
• Delivery resource review and attestation of on time project / programme delivery (“doability”) – working across resource supply teams to confirm the availability of required capacity to deliver the portfolio; overseeing project manager progress to securing resource or re-planning project delivery timelines avoiding “crisis escalation” except in genuine cases of inability to secure a rare skillset.
• Project / Programme Management Subject Matter Expertise – Experience of managing delivery of wide range of finance management and regulatory reporting related change required to support the merger on day 1, resolving conflict, delays and mitigate change risk and advise the business on decisions relating to change
• Project / Programme governance design and delivery – delivering regular and relevant reports to portfolio committees / or more senior management / executive forums.  Regular, proactive maintenance of the project governance committee terms of reference and minute taking / management.  Regular review and challenge of all Risk, Assumption / Action, Issues, Dependencies/ Decision (RAID) logs within the portfolio; and creation of portfolio level RAID items ensuring they are not “stale”.
• Document Management – ensure all project / programme artefacts are consistently structured to standards and maintained for ease of reference by second / third line of defence and by Central PMO.
• Project / Programme closure – ensuring that every project / programme is “cleanly” closed and all “open” project items are risk accepted or closed within budget. 

Preferred:

• Strong knowledge of banking regulations and running finance related projects.
• Good understanding of financial products and front office processes with a good appreciation of front-to-back processes.
• Demonstrable track record of managing multiple stakeholders and building relationships across diverse skill sets and across the organisation.
• Experience of working with and negotiating contracts for vendors and consultancies
• Coaching, mentoring and leadership skills
• Proven experience and expert understanding of delivering through full project lifecycle SDLC/PDLC using waterfall and agile approaches
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate at all levels.
• Proven experience of managing budgets.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Functional / Technical Competencies:

Essential

• Financial – cost categorization (capital vs expense)
• Project / Programme management including change control (of one of or a combination of scope, budget, plan, benefits change to baseline)
• Project / programme baseline control and management
• Delivering projects / programmes from delivery prioritization by portfolio committee, through to