Job Description

The Programme Director, Europe is a senior delivery leadership role accountable for leading significant, complex and strategically important transformation programmes across the European business.

Reporting to the Head of Change, the role supports delivery of the European Change and Transformation agenda, ensuring priority initiatives are well governed, clearly sequenced, outcome focused and delivered with pace, discipline and control.

Working with Executive Management, business lines, operations, risk, finance, technology and change teams, the Programme Director translates strategic priorities into executable programmes with clear milestones, ownership, benefits and decision points.

The role leads high-stakes change initiatives end to end, bringing structure, challenge, delivery confidence and transparency to programmes involving customer, regulatory, employee, technology, process and operating model change.

As a senior member of the European Change function, the Programme Director helps strengthen transformation delivery capability, embed disciplined change governance and promote accountability, ownership and measurable outcomes.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Programme & Transformation Delivery

• Lead major European transformation programmes with clear scope, direction, milestones, outcomes and benefits.
• Translate strategic priorities into delivery plans covering sequencing, resourcing, dependencies, risks and decisions.
• Own end-to-end delivery across complex, multi-team initiatives, keeping delivery focused on business outcomes.
• Drive progress against milestones, escalating issues early and enabling timely senior decisions.

Change Portfolio & Management Agenda Support

• Support the Head of Change in delivering the European Change and Transformation Strategy.
• Help shape, prioritise and deliver key transformation initiatives within the European Management Agenda.
• Provide clear insight on status, delivery confidence, risks, dependencies, benefits and executive decisions required.
• Help maintain a disciplined, transparent approach to change prioritisation and governance.
• Link programmes to clear outcomes, including growth, efficiency, resilience, compliance and customer impact.

Governance, Risk & Controls

• Establish robust programme governance, including clear forums, accountabilities, reporting, decision logs, risk management and escalation.
• Ensure programmes are delivered in line with risk appetite, control expectations, regulatory obligations and internal policies.
• Identify, manage and escalate material delivery, operational, regulatory, financial and reputational risks.
• Ensure appropriate quality assurance, delivery discipline and challenge are applied throughout the programme lifecycle.
• Embed good governance, compliance, controls and risk management into delivery.

Senior Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong relationships with Executive Management, business leaders, operations, technology, risk, finance and change teams.
• Provide concise reporting on programme progress, risks, decisions and outcomes.
• Support decision-making by presenting options, implications, risks and recommendations clearly.
• Act as a credible senior change leader, able to influence beyond direct reporting lines.
• Challenge assumptions, sequencing, scope and delivery confidence constructively.

Leadership, Culture & Capability

• Lead cross-functional teams directly and indirectly, creating clarity, ownership and accountability.
• Motivate teams to work towards common goals and deliver against agreed outcomes.
• Coach and support project and programme leads, helping build delivery capability across the organisation.
• Role model ownership, delivery excellence, constructive challenge, inclusion and collaboration.
• Develop repeatable change practices, playbooks, governance standards and delivery disciplines.
• Support a mature, sustainable Change capability across Europe.

Experience Required:

• Significant experience leading complex, enterprise-wide transformation or strategic programmes within financial services or another highly regulated environment – preferably banking.
• Proven track record of delivering large-scale programmes end to end, including customer, regulatory, employee, technology, process and operating model impacts.
• Strong programme governance, delivery assurance, risk management and benefits realisation experience.
• Ability to lead indirectly across cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders beyond formal reporting lines.
• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills, with the ability to produce clear senior reporting.
• Strong analytical and commercial awareness, with the ability to turn complex issues into clear options, decisions and actions.
• Experience in a multi-entity European environment, regulatory change, operational resilience, payments or consultancy is desirable.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work b