Program Manager - Strategic Programs (Charlotte, NC, US, 28202)

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation – SMBC Group

Experience: 15+ yrs
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Job type: Full-time

Required skills

accounting
banking
business objectives
capital markets
end-to-end
forecasting

About the role

SMBC Group is a top-tier global financial group. Headquartered in Tokyo and with a 400-year history, SMBC Group offers a diverse range of financial services, including banking, leasing, securities, credit cards, and consumer finance. The Group has more than 130 offices and 80,000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (SMFG) is the holding company of SMBC Group, which is one of the three largest banking groups in Japan. SMFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York (NYSE: SMFG) stock exchanges.

In the Americas, SMBC Group has a presence in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Backed by the capital strength of SMBC Group and the value of its relationships in Asia, the Group offers a range of commercial and investment banking services to its corporate, institutional, and municipal clients. It connects a diverse client base to local markets and the organization’s extensive global network. The Group’s operating companies in the Americas include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC), SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., SMBC Capital Markets, Inc., SMBC MANUBANK, JRI America, Inc., SMBC Leasing and Finance, Inc., Banco Sumitomo Mitsui Brasileiro S.A., and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co., Ltd.

Role Description

We are seeking a strong, execution-focused Program Manager to support the US delivery of a global platform rewrite replacing legacy Middle and Back Office systems supporting Fixed Income, Currencies, and Commodities (FICC).
This role is critical in ensuring successful end-to-end delivery of a multi-year transformation program, covering trade lifecycle processing, controls, accounting, and regulatory capabilities. The Program Manager will be accountable for driving execution across multiple workstreams, coordinating global teams, and ensuring delivery aligns to business outcomes, timelines, and financial commitments.
The ideal candidate brings deep program delivery experience in capital markets, strong financial and delivery governance, and a proven ability to lead large-scale, complex transformations across global teams.

Role Objectives

Program Leadership & Delivery Execution
• Own end-to-end governance of the US workstream for the global platform rewrite, ensuring alignment to global milestones and architecture.
• Develop and drive a clear, integrated program plan covering all workstreams, dependencies, milestones, and deliverables.
• Ensure delivery against scope, schedule, cost, and quality, with clear accountability across teams.
• Identify and manage risks, issues, and dependencies, with proactive mitigation and escalation.

Planning, Governance & Financial Oversight
• Establish and run strong program governance, including steering committees, working groups, and reporting cadence.
• Drive financial discipline across the program, including:
o Budget vs actuals vs forecast (RTB/CTB where relevant)
o Burn rate, run rate, and estimate at completion (EAC)
o Resource and vendor cost tracking
• Ensure a robust forecasting and reporting process, with clear variance analysis and ownership.

Workstream Coordination & Execution Control
• Coordinate across technology, operations, product, and business teams to ensure fully aligned delivery.
• Enforce clear scope definition, requirements, and deliverables across all workstreams.
• Track progress against milestones and outcomes, not just activity.
• Ensure outputs are well-defined, including reporting, controls, workflows, and user-facing capabilities.

Business & Stakeholder Engagement
• Act as the primary US point of coordination between business stakeholders, technology teams, and global program leadership.
• Ensure alignment on priorities, scope, and delivery expectations.
• Drive transparency and communication at all levels, including senior leadership.
• Translate business objectives into actionable delivery plans and measurable outcomes.

Global Delivery Model & Team Leadership
• Work closely with global teams (US, EMEA, APAC) to ensure coordinated delivery across regions.
• Support a follow-the-sun delivery model, ensuring consistency in standards, quality, and execution.
• Drive accountability across a matrixed organization, including internal teams and third-party vendors.

Operational Readiness & Outcomes
• Ensure delivery supports target operating model outcomes, including:
o Improved financial and operational controls
o Automation and reduction in manual processes
o Scalability and resilience of MBO functions
• Oversee testing, release readiness, and transition planning to ensure successful implementation.

Qualifications and Skills

• 10–15+ years of experience in program management within financial services, preferably in capital markets.
• Strong understanding of Middle and Back Office functions (trade lifecycle, settlements, reconciliations, accounting, regulatory reporting).
• Proven track record of delivering large-scale platform transformations or system replacements.
• Experience managing global, distributed teams and complex stakeholder environments.
• Strong financial management skills (budgeting, forecasting, vendor management).
• Excellent communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
• Ability to operate at both strategic and detailed levels, driving execution while maintaining alignment to business outcomes.

What Success Looks Like
• Clear, executable program plan with fully defined scope, milestones, and deliverables
• Strong governance with no surprises on cost, timeline, or scope
• High-quality delivery aligned to business outcomes and regulatory expectations
• Full transparency into financials, progress, and risks
• Successful replacement of legacy platforms with measurable improvements in control, efficiency, and scalability

Additional Requirements

SMBC’s employees participate in a Hybrid workforce model that provides employees with an opportunity to work from home, as well as, from an SMBC office. SMBC requires that employees live within a reasonable commuting distance of their office location. Prospective candidates will learn more about their specific hybrid work schedule during their interview process. Hybrid work may not be permitted for certain roles, including, for example, certain FINRA-registered roles for which in-office attendance for the entire workweek is required.

SMBC provides reasonable accommodations during candidacy for applicants with disabilities consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please let us know at accommodations@smbcgroup.com.

About Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation – SMBC Group

Provides global banking, investment, securities, and consumer finance services.

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