Program Director – Strategic Transformation

For over 20 years, Waystone has been at the cutting edge of specialist services for the asset management industry – partnering with institutional investors, investment funds and asset managers. We work with our clients to help build, support, and protect investment structures and strategies worldwide.

Our success depends upon our ability to attract and retain the best, most diverse talent and provide our employees with a broad spectrum of professional development opportunities. Our workplace environment is an inclusive one, where employees can be themselves, reach their full potential and drive business results.

Program Director – Strategic Transformation will report to the Head of Strategic Transformation. The successful candidate will work collaboratively, with different Waystone Functions, Departments and Senior Management across a diverse skillset covering strategic, tactical, and practical solutions for integrating acquired entities, businesses, and staff. The role will work closely with identified stakeholders to deliver strategic projects across integrations pre and post‑merger, and global system implementations that meet Waystone Group strategy.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each duty to a high standard. Candidates must lead the delivery of Strategic Transformation initiatives (the Program) by meeting the following responsibilities:

• Hold the business accountable for delivery of defined agreed project scope, objectives, budget, project actions and synergy delivery across the Program.
• Obtain approval for, execute, and continually improve a standardised Program Playbook ensuring a defined, structured approach to project delivery across the Program.
• Lead initial discovery sessions to produce a defined, cross‑functionally agreed Program Playbook per project.
• Collaborate with the Manager – Performance & Analysis to determine, measure, monitor, report on and oversee delivery of individual and consolidated budgets (including financial KPIs such as savings and costs, and non‑financial KPIs) across the Program.
• Develop robust criteria and budget to facilitate Proof of Concept analysis for project approval.
• Oversee the execution of the Program Playbook and ensure all risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies are known, agreed and monitored and that critical milestones are completed fully and on time across the Program.
• Create and nurture professional relationships in IT to ensure delivery across the Program of:
  • IT infrastructure requirements are in place in a timely manner, aligned to the Playbook.
  • Business applications are in place in a timely manner, aligned to the Playbook.
• Identify and recommend re‑alignment of projects within the Program to assure timely delivery of stated benefits where necessary.

• Collaborate with the Manager – Performance & Analysis to:
  • Ensure that the approved Proof of Concept is reflected in the Program Playbook, project objectives and deliverables.
• Establish a robust Project Governance Model to facilitate collaboration with each workstream owner to drive accountability for agreed budgets and hold leads responsible for delivering against budget across the Program.
• Agree ownership, track, monitor and evidence budget delivery including synergies (savings) and dis‑synergies (costs) across the Program.

• Analyse and determine the resourcing requirements for each project within the Program, involving a comprehensive consolidated understanding of project objectives, timelines, connectivity and deliverables.
• Ensure project managers and stakeholders clearly define and agree the scope and objectives of each Program project.
• Ensure specific project objectives and deliverables align type, skills and volume of resources (internal and external) needed and challenge where necessary.
• Oversee the performance of all resources deployed to the Program, including establishing KPIs, monitoring performance and reporting results and feedback to the Manager – Performance & Analysis.
• Address conflicts or challenges related to resource allocation and performance promptly and diplomatically,…