AI Program Manager - Product Development

The initial assignment will support a major strategic programme involving artificial intelligence, automation and emerging technologies. The role will establish the programme structure, roadmap, integrated plan and governance arrangements and provide clear oversight of outcomes, dependencies, risks, resources, costs and decisions.

This is a generalist Program Manager position. The successful candidate may subsequently lead other strategic, regulatory, product, data, digital and operational-change programmes as business priorities evolve.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish the programme structure, governance model and delivery cadence.

• Translate strategic objectives into an integrated programme roadmap and plan.

• Define:

  • programme outcomes and scope;

  • projects and workstreams;

  • milestones and delivery gates;

  • roles and accountabilities;

  • governance and decision forums;

  • escalation routes.

• Coordinate business, product, technology, operations, risk and other stakeholders.

• Manage programme-level:

  • scope and milestones;

  • dependencies and critical paths;

  • resources and capacity;

  • costs and forecasts;

  • risks, assumptions, issues and decisions;

  • actions and governance requirements.

• Coordinate opportunity assessment, prioritisation and mobilisation.

• Integrate requirements, solution delivery, controls, testing and operational readiness into the programme plan.

• Coordinate pilot design, implementation, adoption and value-measurement activities.

• Monitor progress against agreed outcomes, milestones and delivery gates.

• Identify and resolve cross-project conflicts, dependencies and delivery constraints.

• Escalate material risks, resource gaps and unresolved decisions.

• Prepare executive updates, governance materials and decision papers.

• Facilitate programme, steering and decision-making forums.

• Manage scope changes and assess their impact on outcomes, schedule, cost, resources and risk.

• Maintain clear records of programme decisions, approvals, actions and delivery evidence.

• Coordinate implementation, hand-offs and transition into sustainable ownership.

• Support benefit tracking, post-implementation reviews and lessons learned.

• Use approved digital and AI-enabled tools to improve programme planning, analysis and reporting while retaining appropriate human accountability.

Scope and Accountability

• Leads a complex programme comprising multiple projects or interconnected workstreams.

• Defines and maintains the programme-management approach, integrated plan and governance structure.

• Operates with a high degree of autonomy within agreed strategic objectives.

• Coordinates stakeholders across business, product, technology, operations and control functions.

• Accountable for consolidated programme visibility, including outcomes, progress, dependencies, risks, resources and decisions.

• Develops options and recommendations where material delivery trade-offs exist.

• Ensures programme-level risks, dependencies and decisions are identified, owned and escalated appropriately.

• Coordinates project and workstream leads without necessarily holding formal line-management responsibility.

• Supports sponsors and governance forums in making timely, evidence-based decisions.

• Does not ordinarily own the underlying business, product or technology functions.

• Has no formal people-management responsibility unless separately assigned.

Skills and Experience

• Strong programme-management experience across complex, cross-functional initiatives.

• Experience leading programmes comprising multiple projects, workstreams or delivery teams.

• Strong integrated-planning, governance and dependency-management capability.

• Experience managing programme risks, resources, costs, forecasts and executive reporting.

• Ability to translate strategic objectives into executable roadmaps and delivery plans.

• Ability to identify critical dependencies, constraints and cross-project impacts.

• Strong senior-stakeholder management, facilitation and influencing skills.

• Ability to develop and present evidence-based options and recommendations.

• Experience supporting governance forums and executive decision-making.

• Working understanding of requirements, testing, controls, implementation and operational readiness.

• Knowledge of Agile, Waterfall and hybrid delivery methods.

• Experience in financial services or another regulated industry is desirable.

• Exposure to artificial intelligence, automation, data, digital or emerging-technology programmes is desirable.

• Specialist technical AI expertise is not required.

Qualifications

• Relevant degree or equivalent professional experience.

• Programme or project-management qualification, such as PMP, MSP, PRINCE2 or an Agile delivery certification, is advantageous.

• Experience using programme-planning, reporting and delivery-management tools is advantageous.

• Preferred qualification - Demonstrated experience establishing and scaling enterprise AI programs, including governance, operating model development, business activation, platform adoption, risk management, and measurable value realization across multiple business units."