Programme Manager - Protect Integration

Nationwide Building Society; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Access to private medical insurance

Highly competitive pension

Performance-related bonus

Training and development opportunities

Salary sacrifice scheme benefits

Life assurance

Health and wellness access

Up to 2 days of paid volunteering

Job summary

Nationwide Building Society is looking for a Programme Manager - Protect Integration to lead the integration of Virgin Money’s financial crime and fraud capabilities. This pivotal role involves managing diverse teams and ensuring alignment with strategic priorities within a 24-month Fixed Term Contract.

The successful candidate will ensure the Economic Crime workstream runs smoothly, oversee budgets, and produce clear reporting for senior leaders. The position offers hybrid working options and generous access to home working while fostering rewarding relationships with colleagues.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading formal integrations or post-merger programmes within financial services.
• Background in major Economic Crime programmes spanning AML, sanctions, and fraud prevention.
• Strong capability in forecasting, cost control, and financial reporting.
• Experience coordinating multiple teams and managing dependencies.
• Ability to produce clear reporting packs for leadership and Boards.
• Solid understanding of AML, sanctions, fraud, and anti-bribery controls.
• Formal accreditation such as PRINCE2, MSP, or PMP.

Responsibilities

• Lead a complex programme unifying financial crime and fraud processes.
• Oversee budgets, monitoring attrition and programme capability.
• Produce senior-ready updates on progress, challenges, and outcomes.
• Partner with business and technology teams to embed resilient controls.

Skills

Integration delivery

Economic crime transformation

Budget governance

Workstream management

Executive reporting

Economic crime knowledge

Programme management certification

Job description

The Programme Manager - Protect Integration will play a pivotal role within the Economic Crime First Line Protect function, leading the integration of Virgin Money’s financial crime and fraud capabilities into a unified, scalable and future ready control environment. This is a high impact position at the heart of one of the largest integration programmes in UK financial services, shaping how we safeguard members and strengthen our Economic Crime framework for years to come.

You will oversee both Change and Run teams, ensuring delivery is well governed, transparent and aligned to strategic priorities. The role requires disciplined programme management, strong risk oversight and the ability to produce clear, insightful reporting for senior leaders. You’ll champion a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, balancing regulatory expectations, capacity considerations and long‑term roadmap outcomes while keeping the member experience at the centre.

This is an exceptional opportunity to deepen your expertise across retail and business banking, financial crime and fraud, while contributing directly to the continued growth of Nationwide. You’ll be instrumental in ensuring the Economic Crime workstream runs smoothly throughout the integration, gaining exposure to complex challenges and meaningful transformation that will shape the organisation’s future.

This is a 24‑month Fixed Term Contract opportunity.

At Nationwide, we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK‑wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

This role will involve regular collaboration events in UK offices.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll lead a complex, high‑profile programme that unifies financial crime and fraud processes, systems and controls across two organisations. This means coordinating diverse teams, aligning activity to shared goals and ensuring delivery remains steady, transparent and well‑governed. You’ll keep risks and issues clearly understood and acted on, while managing the flow of people, skills and resources so the programme stays focused on the right priorities.

Your work will involve overseeing budgets, monitoring attrition and ensuring the programme has the capability it needs at every stage. You’ll turn detailed, technical activity into simple, senior‑ready updates that clearly show progress, challenges and outcomes, supported by strong management information. Your ability to bring clarity and structure will help senior leaders make confident decisions.

You’ll also partner closely with business and technology teams to embed controls that are resilient, auditable and aligned to regulatory expectations. This role is central to building a safe, compliant and future‑ready organisation, ensuring the integrated financial crime environment is robust from day one.

About you

• Integration delivery – Proven experience leading formal integrations or post‑merger programmes within financial services, with a strong track record in large‑scale transformation at senior level and exposure to Economic Crime activity
• Economic crime transformation – Background in major Economic Crime programmes spanning AML, sanctions and fraud prevention, ideally gained within high‑profile merger or acquisition environments, with programme management expertise that adapts confidently to varied subject matter
• Budget governance – Strong capability in forecasting, cost control and financial reporting, ensuring disciplined financial management across complex programmes
• Workstream management – Experience coordinating multiple teams, managing dependencies and navigating intricate delivery landscapes to keep programmes aligned and on track
• Executive reporting – Ability to produce clear, concise and senior‑ready reporting packs for leadership and Boards within regulated environments
• Economic crime knowledge – Solid understanding of AML, sanctions, fraud and anti‑bribery controls, with the ability to apply this knowledge in a practical, delivery‑focused context
• Programme management certification – Formal accreditation such as PRINCE2, MSP or PMP, or equivalent hands‑on experience gained through leading complex programmes

Extras you’ll get

• Access to private medical insurance
• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement
• Access to an annual performance‑related bonus
• Training and development to help you progress your career
• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death
• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

Please note that should you be successful in securing this role, the job title on our internal systems will be Programme Manager.