Head of Complex Change

Job Description

Job Purpose:

It requires deep, proven experience in leading large‑scale banking transformations to measurable outcomes.

• Own executive delivery accountability for RAKBANK's most complex transformation programmes across core banking, digital, payments, and infrastructure.
• Ensure programmes are delivered to committed scope, timelines, and budgets with clear, outcome‑based ownership.
• Lead proactive risk identification and mitigation through deep upfront assessments and a live, senior‑reviewed RAID framework.
• Enforce rigorous scope management and prevent scope creep via disciplined change control and executive escalation.
• Act as the primary delivery interface with Tier‑1 technology partners and vendors, ensuring contractual accountability and milestone delivery.
• Lead and align Offshore Development Centres and offshore delivery teams to programme plans, quality standards, and delivery commitments.
• Design and mobilise complex, multi‑year programme structures, governance forums, and inter‑workstream dependencies.
• Chair programme steering and governance forums, resolving blockers and escalating issues to CTO, ExCo, and CEO as required.
• Coordinate regulatory, audit, compliance, and risk engagement for programmes under CBUAE scrutiny.
• Produce board‑quality, risk‑adjusted programme reporting and build delivery leadership capability across programme managers and change leads.

• 20+ years of progressive technology and transformation leadership, with a minimum of 5 years in an EVP, MD, Programme Director, or CXO-adjacent delivery leadership role within a bank or globally regulated financial institution.
• Demonstrated track record of personally leading and successfully completing multi-year, cross-platform transformation programmes in banking — specifically including core banking migration or major platform upgrade, payments modernisation, or digital platform transformation.
• Expert-level command of upfront risk management, scope control, and delivery governance in complex, multi-vendor programme environments — with evidence of having prevented or resolved scope creep and delivery crises in prior engagement.
• Proven experience managing Tier-1 vendor relationships and ODC/offshore delivery partnerships within programme scope — holding external parties to contractual accountability and delivery standard.
• Expert command of enterprise programme governance frameworks (MSP, PMI-PgMP, or equivalent) and the ability to adapt these pragmatically to the pace and constraints of live banking transformation.
• Experience engaging with central bank regulators (CBUAE, FCA, MAS, or equivalent) on technology change submissions and supervisory engagement, in partnership with governance and compliance function.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, Business, or a related field. MBA, MSP Practitioner, or PMI-PgMP certification highly preferred.

What We are Not Looking for:

❌ A coordinator or status‑reporting PMO profile that tracks plans but does not personally own delivery outcomes, risk decisions, and executive accountability.

❌ A leader who reacts to issues after escalation, rather than proactively identifying, structuring, and mitigating complex delivery risks upfront.

❌ A purely theoretical transformation expert with exposure to large programmes, but without proven, hands‑on experience delivering multi‑platform banking transformations under board and regulatory scrutiny.