Director, Project Portfolio Governance Lead

SUMITOMO MITSUI BANKING CORPORATION SINGAPORE BRANCH; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

SUMITOMO MITSUI BANKING CORPORATION SINGAPORE BRANCH seeks a seasoned leader to govern its strategic transformation portfolio, delivering an objective, forward-looking view of progress to Executive Management. You will establish a robust governance framework spanning initiation, funding, mobilisation, execution, and closure, with clear ownership, milestones and accountability.

You will maintain an integrated view across strategic, regulatory and operational change, prioritising investment and

Qualifications

• 15+ years in banking/financial services or large-scale transformation.
• Strong understanding of banking technology, operations and regulated delivery.
• Experience leading an enterprise Transformation Office or equivalent.
• Proven ability to manage multi-year, multi-business and multi-jurisdiction programmes with financials and governance.
• Credibility presenting to Executive Committees and senior governance forums.
• Experience identifying and recovering challenged programmes and building capability across programme managers and business analysts.
• Formal qualifications such as MSP, PMP, PRINCE2 or equivalent are advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead governance of the bank's strategic transformation portfolio, providing Executive Management with a clear, objective and forward-looking view of portfolio performance.
• Establish and maintain the portfolio governance framework covering initiation, prioritisation, funding, mobilisation, execution, stage gates, change control and closure.
• Ensure initiatives have clear outcomes, accountable executives, sponsors, governance, credible plans, resources and success measures; provide constructive challenge where these are insufficient.
• Ensure governance forums are decision- and action-oriented, with clear escalation, ownership and resolution of material issues.
• Maintain an integrated view across strategic, regulatory, technology, operational and business change and support senior management in prioritising investment and organisational capacity.
• Identify competing priorities, resource contention, interdependencies and risks; recommend sequencing, acceleration, remediation, pause or termination where appropriate.
• Define practical, risk-based minimum standards for business cases, mobilisation, integrated planning, RAID, financials, resources, dependencies, scope/change, vendors, benefits, implementation readiness and closure.
• Establish a consistent project health methodology and conduct or commission targeted health reviews of strategically important or challenged programmes.
• Own executive portfolio reporting covering delivery confidence, milestones, financial performance, risks, dependencies, resources, benefits and decisions required.
• Develop forward-looking indicators that expose emerging delivery risk before milestones are missed; ensure reporting provides insight and recommendations rather than aggregated status.
• Ensure credible investment forecasts, expenditure controls and benefit assumptions; challenge material variances and forecast accuracy with Finance and programme leadership.
• Strengthen accountability for measurable business outcomes and benefits, including post-implementation tracking and transparency where expected outcomes are not realised.
• Partner with Risk, Compliance, Finance, Technology, Operations and Internal Audit; support regulatory and audit reviews relating to transformation execution and governance.
• Establish portfolio-level visibility of programme and project resource demand, capacity constraints and critical capability gaps.
• Work with business and functional leadership to resolve resource conflicts and ensure priority initiatives are appropriately staffed.
• Lead and develop Programme Management, Project Management and Business Analysis capability, with clear role definitions, competency expectations and career pathways.
• Coach senior delivery leaders in executive communication, planning, risk management, stakeholder management and recovery of challenged programmes.
• Build a culture of ownership, transparency, constructive challenge, early escalation, delivery discipline and continuous improvement.

Job description

Responsibilities

Portfolio Governance & Oversight

Lead governance of the bank's strategic transformation portfolio, providing Executive Management and governance committees with a clear, objective and forward-looking view of portfolio performance.

Establish and maintain the portfolio governance framework covering initiation, prioritisation, funding, mobilisation, execution, stage gates, change control and closure.

Ensure initiatives have clear outcomes, accountable executives, sponsors, governance, credible plans, resources and success measures; provide constructive challenge where these are insufficient.

Ensure governance forums are decision- and action-oriented, with clear escalation, ownership and resolution of material issues.

Portfolio Management & Prioritisation

Maintain an integrated view across strategic, regulatory, technology, operational and business change and support senior management in prioritising investment and organisational capacity.

Identify competing priorities, resource contention, interdependencies and concentration risks; recommend sequencing, acceleration, remediation, pause or termination where appropriate.

Delivery Standards & Assurance

Define practical, risk-based minimum standards for business cases, mobilisation, integrated planning, RAID, financials, resources, dependencies, scope/change, vendors, benefits, implementation readiness and closure.

Establish a consistent project health methodology and conduct or commission targeted health reviews of strategically important or challenged programmes.

Identify initiatives requiring management intervention and lead or support recovery and stabilisation of critical programmes.

Executive Reporting & Management Information

Own executive portfolio reporting covering delivery confidence, milestones, financial performance, risks, dependencies, resources, benefits and decisions required.

Develop forward-looking indicators that expose emerging delivery risk before milestones are missed; ensure reporting provides insight and recommendations rather than aggregated status.

Financial, Investment & Benefits Governance

Ensure credible investment forecasts, expenditure controls and benefit assumptions; challenge material variances and forecast accuracy with Finance and programme leadership.

Strengthen accountability for measurable business outcomes and benefits, including post-implementation tracking and transparency where expected outcomes are not realised.

Risk, Controls & Regulatory Alignment

Ensure transformation activity operates within the bank's risk and control frameworks and that material programme risks are appropriately identified, governed and evidenced.

Partner with Risk, Compliance, Finance, Technology, Operations and Internal Audit; support regulatory and audit reviews relating to transformation execution and governance.

Resource & Capacity Management

Establish portfolio-level visibility of programme and project resource demand, capacity constraints and critical capability gaps.

Work with business and functional leadership to resolve resource conflicts and ensure priority initiatives are appropriately staffed.

Leadership & Capability Development

Lead and develop Programme Management, Project Management and Business Analysis capability, with clear role definitions, competency expectations and career pathways.

Coach senior delivery leaders in executive communication, planning, risk management, stakeholder management and recovery of challenged programmes.

Build a culture of ownership, transparency, constructive challenge, early escalation, delivery discipline and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Approximately 15+ years' experience in banking, financial services, consulting or large-scale transformation environments, including significant senior leadership of complex programmes and portfolios.

Strong understanding of banking technology, operations, transformation and regulated delivery environments.

Experience establishing or leading an enterprise Transformation Office, Strategic Change Office, EPMO or equivalent.

Demonstrated experience with complex multi-year, multi-business and multi-jurisdiction programmes, including financial management, delivery assurance and portfolio governance.

Credibility presenting to Executive Committees and senior governance forums and the ability to challenge senior stakeholders constructively.

Demonstrated experience identifying and recovering challenged programmes and building capability across Programme Managers, Project Managers and Business Analysts.

Formal qualifications such as MSP, PMP, PRINCE2 or equivalent are advantageous; demonstrated delivery leadership is more important.