Manager - Strategy

The Manager – Strategy will act as a senior Agile lead and transformation driver within ADSS, responsible for implementing scalable project management frameworks, embedding Agile delivery practices, and ensuring cross-functional execution discipline across business and technology initiatives. This role combines strategic program management with operational delivery leadership, driving alignment across product, commercial, compliance, operations, and technology functions to ensure initiatives are delivered on time, on budget, and with measurable impact. The role is pivotal in institutionalizing governance, visibility, and agility across ADSS's transformation portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Delivery & Transformation

• Lead end-to-end delivery of multi-departmental strategic initiatives under the company's transformation roadmap.

• Act as the Agile process owner, defining and embedding sprint structures, backlog management, and retrospectives across all project teams.

• Partner with Product, Commercial, and Technology heads to align project objectives with strategic business outcomes.

• Facilitate portfolio-level planning and prioritization — translating strategic goals into executable initiatives with clear KPIs, dependencies, and milestones.

• Track and report program performance, risk, and progress to executive leadership (CIO, CCO, and Transformation Committee).

Agile & Delivery Process Implementation

• Design and implement a hybrid delivery framework combining Agile, Scrum, and Lean principles adapted to different project types (tech, commercial, regulatory, and operational).

• Lead sprint planning, quarterly increment (PI) planning, retrospectives, and cross-functional syncs to maintain delivery momentum.

• Develop and maintain delivery of artifacts including roadmaps, RAID logs, dependency trackers, and dashboards in JIRA and Confluence.

• Support continuous process improvement — streamline project reporting, reduce bottlenecks, and strengthen ownership across squads.

• Build reusable SOPs for governance, issue management, and change control.

Governance & Oversight

• Establish standardized reporting cadence for executive and steering committees.

• Ensure all strategic programs follow defined lifecycle stages — initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure.

• Drive compliance with documentation standards, ensuring all business cases, change requests, and closure reports are stored in Confluence.

• Champion transparency, accountability, and collaboration across functions.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the liaison between strategy, technology, and business units, ensuring consistent communication and alignment.

• Manage key stakeholders including C-suite, Product Directors, and Heads of Department to ensure alignment on priorities and resource allocation.

• Drive organizational change by supporting teams transitioning from traditional waterfall to Agile or hybrid delivery models.

• Lead quarterly Ways of Working workshops to embed Agile culture and delivery discipline across the business.

Data, Metrics, and Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain delivery dashboards in Power BI or JIRA to visualize initiative status, KPIs, and resource utilization.

• Track metrics such as delivery velocity, cycle time, predictability, and value realization.

• Use insights to proactively identify risks and recommend process optimizations to leadership.

• Support PMO maturity growth — from reactive tracking to predictive planning and decision support.

Qualifications & Experience

• 8–10 years of experience managing large-scale, cross-functional programs, preferably within fintech, financial services, or regulated environments.

• Proven success leading Agile or hybrid delivery transformations.

• Deep understanding of Scrum, Kanban, and Lean principles, and experience adapting them across technical and non-technical teams.

• Experience using JIRA, Confluence, and project portfolio management tools to manage multi-squad initiatives.

• PMP, Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), or SAFe certification preferred.

• Strong stakeholder management skills with executive-level communication capabilities.

• Demonstrated experience setting up PMO frameworks and governance models.

Core Competencies

• Leadership & Influence: Ability to lead cross-functional teams and inspire delivery excellence without direct authority.

• Agility & Adaptability: Navigates uncertainty, continuously improving processes and team performance.

• Strategic Thinking: Connects project execution to organizational goals and market strategy.

• Communication & Facilitation: Runs high-impact standups, retrospectives, and steering meetings.

• Problem Solving: Anticipates risks and proactively develops mitigation plans.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Uses metrics to evaluate success and improve delivery cycles.