Analytic Governance Tooling Product Owner

Who we are

United by a sense of purpose towards our customers – to be a trusted partner for the long-term – and our universal banking platform in EMEA, SMBC Group has an international growth agenda and award-winning products, meaning we provide exciting opportunities to work on a diverse range of projects and initiatives. We deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers as well as investment banking and advisory services, and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets. Read on to find out how you could enhance your skills and gain valuable experience, by joining us to support our clients transition to a sustainable future.

Role Summary

The Analytics Governance Tooling Product Owner is a new role that will help to build out our Analytics Governance Capability within the Data Analytics Function, one of six functions within the EMEA Data Office.

One of our key transformation initiatives is a multi-year programme to ensure compliance with Basel Committee on Banking Supervision's Standard #239 (BCBS239 - Principles for effective risk data aggregation and risk reporting). This global program of work covers several Technology and Data Workstreams and is particularly important to SMBC EMEA which is expected to be subject to ECB Onboarding from FY27 onwards.

This role is responsible for leading the successful introduction, deployment, enhancement, and ongoing governance of tooling that will support our target state Analytics Governance framework. This role ensures the business maximizes value from investment in Analytics Governance tooling by defining requirements, managing the product backlog, coordinating with technical teams, and engaging with stakeholders across Risk, Finance, Operations, and Technology. The Product Owner will develop and maintain the EMEA tooling strategy for managing the governance, control & risk‑management platform for End-User Computing (EUC) tools, including Excel Spreadsheets, Access Databases, Power BI Dashboards, and other applications. They will also work with the Collibra product owner to ensure Analytics Governance are delivered in support of effective Key Data Usage (KDU) management.

The candidate must be willing to challenge the status quo in an empathic manner, while helping the wider Data Office team to have an ethos of openness and transparency that will help us nurture genuine business innovation. If you want to make a real difference, and not just in one team but across the entire bank, we would love to speak to you more.

Background

The EMEA Data Office was established in October 2021. It sits within EMEA Operations in the Operations Planning Department (OPPD), covering all EMEA entities (including Securities and Banking subsidiaries) and all datasets.  The Data Office is responsible for defining and implementing the EMEA Data Strategy, building out its data management capabilities, and focusing on how we exploit data more effectively and innovatively across SMBC.  

We have been formed to really drive data-led transformation through the bank. As part of this work, the EMEA Data Office has established a new framework which encompasses cultural, behavioural, procedural, and system transformation to deliver the new strategy. This initially focused on good governance through improved Data Architecture, Data Management and Data Quality, but as the foundations are established, we are focusing more on how we can use Data to drive new ways of working and improved business outcomes. This is a terrific opportunity to join us on this exciting journey. 

This is a greenfield opportunity where capability needs will be built from scratch. Patience and persistence are key attributes because significant business change is challenging. The ideal candidate will need to evidence a proactive engagement approach. There is limited understanding of the opportunities from new data and analytics capabilities, and therefore good project and communication skills are required

Role Scope

The EMEA Data Office has been established for just three years, the department has seen rapid growth and is currently 100+ people and is expected to grow further over the next year. The Data Analytics Function within the EMEA Data Office has built rapidly over the last year and currently stands at 39 people, a mixture of permanent, contractor and consultant roles. The function is expected to growth further over the next couple of years. As the team grows this role is expected to have responsibility for managing a team of up to five roles, a mixture of permanent, contractor and consultant roles. They would also need to matrix manage roles in other teams.

Accountabilities and Responsibilities

• Own the product vision, roadmap, and strategy for Analytics Governance tooling platform capabilities.
• Align the product roadmap with enterprise risk policies, audit findings, regulatory requirements, and business unit priorities.
• Continuously monitor and assess emerging EUC and KDU related risks and ensure the Analytics Governance tooling remains capable of addressing them and aligned to business needs.
• Gather, interpret, and prioritise business requirements for tooling functionality, configuration, integration, and reporting.
• Lead tooling rollout initiatives, including onboarding new business units, configuring rules, testing workflows, and validating output.
• Coordinate closely with IT, infrastructure teams, and support to resolve issues, optimise performance, and manage upgrades.
• Oversee UAT, troubleshoot issues, and validate feature deployment before production releases.
• Where you are the Product Owner, act as the primary tooling liaison between business users, risk & control teams, compliance, audit, and IT stakeholders. For other tooling products act as the primary contact partnering with the BPO to ensure Analytics Governance requirements are considered.
• Build strong relationships with senior leadership and influence decision making around EUC risk management.
• Design and monitor EUC and KDU inventory processes, approval workflows, validation rules, and controls.
• Ensure accurate audit trails, reporting, and compliance documentation.
• Create and deliver training, onboarding materials, and SME sessions for business users and EUC owners.
• Drive adoption of tooling through communication plans, monitoring usage, and resolving user pain points.
• Analyse system metrics and usage patterns to improve performance and adoption.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience and Qualifications

Essential:

• Proven experience as a Product Owner or Business Analyst preferably in a risk, compliance, data, or technology function.
• Demonstrable experience of change management relating to implementation and adoption of new products and associated processes and ways of working.
• Experience of working in the financial services industry and knowledge of data related regulatory requirements for the financial service sector.
• Strong understanding of KDU and EUC risk and governance, spreadsheet controls, operational risk, and regulatory drivers.
• Experience with platforms supporting risk governance or workflow automation.
• Demonstrable experience of training, mentoring and coaching others in establishing Analytics Governance principles.
• A good understanding of, and experience of applying, project management principles, and approaches like waterfall and agile.
• A good understanding of the full Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and development best practices.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience with Data governance tooling such as Collibra (or similar tooling), working knowledge of Apparity (or similar EUC governance tooling) would be a plus.
• An outstanding problem solver who is has an analytical mindset, is inquisitive and can take a creative approach to solutions.
• Proven experience delivering technology enabled control solutions or workflow platforms.

Desirable: 

• Solid understanding of data management concepts with knowledge of data governance practices, business and technology issues related to management of enterprise data and data related regulatory requirements, including data lineage.
• Experience with using Power BI, Power Automate and/or Tableau.

What we offer

For all the expertise and experience you bring to help us make a difference, it’s only sustainable if we support you to build your career and be your best self so we offer competitive company benefits, centred around promoting positive well-bring and work-life balance. We also believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, where all team members perspectives and contributions are valued. Initiatives in place which promote a diverse and inclusive culture and healthy work life balance include hybrid working, Sport & Social Clubs and Diversity and Inclusion networks.

As an employee of SMBC you have access to a host of both useful and exciting benefit offerings. See below some of the benefits on offer to you:

• Hybrid and flexible working 
• Competitive paid leave days
• Benefits to support your physical wellbeing, including private medical insurance and life and invalidity insurance 
• Various policies to support your mental wellbeing, including a robust behavioural health network with counselling and coaching services  
• Access a wide range of learning and development opportunities and career progression opportunities 
• Ambitious remuneration package

So, if you like a challenge and want to continuously grow and develop in a role where you will be supported along the way by a dynamic and diverse team, apply today!!