Program Director || ONSITE || Phoenix, AZ

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Program Director to lead large-scale, enterprise transformation programs within the banking domain. The role requires strong leadership across business, technology, compliance, and operations teams to drive strategic initiatives such as core banking transformation, digital modernization, regulatory programs, payments transformation, and risk/compliance platforms.

The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in banking operations, regulatory frameworks, and enterprise program governance, with a proven track record of delivering multi-million-dollar programs onsite in a client-facing environment.

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Strategy

• Lead end-to-end delivery of complex banking transformation programs.

• Define program roadmap aligned with business strategy and regulatory requirements.

• Establish governance structures, steering committees, and executive reporting.

• Manage multi-workstream programs (technology, operations, compliance, data, infrastructure).

Stakeholder Management

• Serve as primary executive liaison between client leadership and delivery teams.

• Engage CXOs, business heads, risk and compliance stakeholders.

• Drive executive-level presentations, status reviews, and strategic planning sessions.

Financial & Delivery Oversight

• Own P&L responsibility for the program.

• Manage program budgets, forecasting, financial tracking, and resource allocation.

• Ensure on-time, on-budget, high-quality delivery.

Banking Domain Expertise

• Lead programs across:

  • Core Banking Platforms (e.g., Temenos, Finacle, FIS)

  • Payments & Cards transformation

  • Regulatory & Compliance (Basel III, AML, KYC)

  • Risk & Treasury platforms

  • Digital Banking & Omnichannel initiatives

Risk & Compliance Management

• Identify program risks, regulatory impacts, and mitigation strategies.

• Ensure alignment with banking compliance standards and audit requirements.

Team Leadership

• Lead large cross-functional teams (200+ members, multiple vendors).

• Mentor program managers and delivery leaders.

• Foster a high-performance and collaborative culture onsite.

Required Qualifications

• 18+ years of experience in IT/Banking transformation programs.

• 8+ years in Program/Portfolio leadership roles.

• Extensive experience in Retail Banking / Corporate Banking / Investment Banking.

• Proven delivery of large programs ($20M+ budgets).

• Strong understanding of banking regulations and compliance frameworks.

• Experience managing global delivery teams in onsite-offshore model.

• Excellent executive communication and negotiation skills.

Preferred Certifications

• PMP / PgMP

• SAFe Agilist / Scaled Agile certification

• ITIL

• MBA (Finance/Strategy preferred)

Key Competencies

• Strategic Thinking

• Executive Presence

• Governance & Controls

• Financial Acumen

• Risk Management

• Vendor & Contract Negotiation

• Change Management

Reporting Structure

Reports to:

• Client CIO / CTO / Head of Transformation

Direct Reports:

• Program Managers

• Delivery Leads

• Solution Architects

• PMO Team