Data Migration & Transformation

Who we are

The Executive Director of Data Migration & Transformation is a critical role as we advance our data capabilities in EMEA.  This experienced individual will define and lead the enterprise-wide migration, data transformation, and onboarding strategy, ensuring seamless execution of complex, large-scale programmes across the organisation. Working with IT and programme teams, the role holder will leverage their knowledge and expertise to drive the delivery of all EMEA data migration and data transformation activities.

The role holder will be accountable for ensuring the organisation advances its data migration strategy and provides fit-for-purpose migration services, new core capabilities and tools. In addition, they will ensure that the data management framework is applied to data impacted by change activities, ensuring data management by design.  The role requires an ability to educate and convince stakeholders at all levels and data knowledge/experience across the organisation on the essential nature of good data migration, as well as a clear understanding and articulation of any dependencies across the change portfolio.

This is a senior role, with full accountability for strategic direction, delivery outcomes, risk management, and value realisation across all migration and data transformation activities. It underpins regulatory alignment, including ECB, BCBS239, CRR3/Basel 3.1 GDPR and operational resilience requirements.

The role will primarily work with our IT, Data and Programme Office functions to deliver:

• Data Management by design so that data management requirements are adhered to as part and parcel of  change programmes
• Coordinate across the Data Office Pillars (Data Product Management & Architecture, Data Analytics, Information Governance and Data Governance) to ensure that all Data impacts are considered and managed in the programmes so that the data can be relied on post CTB into RTB.
• An agreed Data Migration approach for data migrations across a range of programme and project deliveries.
• Management of dependencies with regards to data quality, both before migrations and afterwards.
• Collaboration with IT to detail and build the scripts/ tools required to deliver migrations. This includes any monitoring and quality assurance scripts to provide confidence migrations will be successful.
• Deliver new migration tools and their use to improve efficiency and effectiveness of our data migrations.

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 real 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.

Role Summary

The Executive Director of Data Migration & Transformation is a critical role as we advance our data capabilities in EMEA.  This experienced individual will define and lead the enterprise-wide migration, data transformation, and onboarding strategy, ensuring seamless execution of complex, large-scale programmes across the organisation. Working with IT and programme teams, the role holder will leverage their knowledge and expertise to drive the delivery of all EMEA data migration and data transformation activities.

The role holder will be accountable for ensuring the organisation advances its data migration strategy and provides fit-for-purpose migration services, new core capabilities and tools. In addition, they will ensure that the data management framework is applied to data impacted by change activities, ensuring data management by design.  The role requires an ability to educate and convince stakeholders at all levels and data knowledge/experience across the organisation on the essential nature of good data migration, as well as a clear understanding and articulation of any dependencies across the change portfolio.

This is a senior role, with full accountability for strategic direction, delivery outcomes, risk management, and value realisation across all migration and data transformation activities. It underpins regulatory alignment, including ECB, BCBS239, CRR3/Basel 3.1 GDPR and operational resilience requirements.

The role will primarily work with our IT, Data and Programme Office functions to deliver:

• Data Management by design so that data management requirements are adhered to as part and parcel of  change programmes
• Coordinate across the Data Office Pillars (Data Product Management & Architecture, Data Analytics, Information Governance and Data Governance) to ensure that all Data impacts are considered and managed in the programmes so that the data can be relied on post CTB into RTB.
• An agreed Data Migration approach for data migrations across a range of programme and project deliveries.
• Management of dependencies with regards to data quality, both before migrations and afterwards.
• Collaboration with IT to detail and build the scripts/ tools required to deliver migrations. This includes any monitoring and quality assurance scripts to provide confidence migrations will be successful.
• Deliver new migration tools and their use to improve efficiency and effectiveness of our data migrations.

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 real 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.

Accountability & Responsibility

1. Enterprise Strategy & Transformation Leadership

• Define and own the enterprise-wide migration and transformation strategy, aligned with business growth, regulatory requirements, and transformation priorities.
• Lead multi-year strategic roadmaps delivering data transformation and migration where required for large scale transformations and change initiatives.
• Advise senior leadership on strategic trade-offs, sequencing, and investment decisions.
• Ensure migrations and data management by design are positioned as value-creating initiatives, not just operational exercises.

2. Executive Stakeholder Engagement & Influence

• Build and maintain deep relationships at senior level across the business, operations, technology, and risk.
• Act as the senior escalation point for critical or high-impact migration and transition issues.
• Lead executive-level governance forums, ensuring clear decision-making, accountability, and alignment.
• Provide credible challenge and thought leadership to ensure optimal outcomes.
• Act as Senior Data Migration and Data Transofrmation trusted adviser to CDAO, COO, CIO and other stakeholders
• Partner with IT on vendor selection and integration of data observability tools and cloud native transformation platforms

3. End-to-End Delivery Accountability

• Hold ultimate accountability for successful delivery of all migration and transition programmes.
• Ensure delivery is aligned to strategic outcomes, timelines, and budget, with clear ownership of benefits realisation.
• Oversee a portfolio of programmes through senior leaders, ensuring consistency, quality, and pace of execution.
• Intervene decisively to address delivery risk, complexity, or underperformance.
• Own the full lifecycle of data migration and transformation delivery in readiness for cutover and implementations
• Lead transition to  root-cause resolution for post-migration and ensure long term remediation and control integration

4. Governance, Risk & Regulatory Oversight

• Establish and oversee robust governance frameworks for all data migration and transformation activities.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, operational resilience standards, and risk frameworks.
• Maintain executive oversight of key risks, dependencies, and control effectiveness.
• Lead engagement with audit, risk and senior governance committees as required.

5. Operating Model & Capability Build

• Define and implement a scalable enterprise migration and transformation operating model, including standards, tooling, and methodologies.
• Drive process optimisation and industrialisation of migration capabilities across the organisation.
• Ensure alignment across business, technology, operations, and third-party providers.

6. Data Migration Service & Commercial Impact

• Oversee the migration experience, ensuring minimal disruption and high levels of satisfaction.
• Ensure migrations contribute to revenue growth, cost optimisation, and strategic outcomes.

7. Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead a team responsible for delivery across multiple domains.
• Build a high-performing, globally aligned organisation with strong accountability and execution discipline.
• Develop talent and ensure a robust talent pipeline and succession planning.

Champion a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Skill and Knowledge

Essential:

• Extensive experience leading large-scale, complex migration and transition programmes in a global, regulated environment.
• Proven ability to operate at a senior level, influencing senior stakeholders and shaping strategy.
• Strong track record of delivering transformation with measurable business outcomes.
• Exceptional leadership capability, managing multi-layered organisations and senior stakeholders
• Experience leading a team in the delivery of data migration projects or programmes and leading Data Workstreams within complex change initiatives.
• Executive level experience leading or owning major data migration and transformation programmes in global banking
• Deep understanding of data migration tool suites and developing new monitoring and reporting to provide the relevant levels of assurance.
• Highly effective written and verbal communication skills, with skills in writing board and committee submissions and the ability describe technical solutions to non-technical colleagues.
• A good understanding of, and experience applying, project management principles to data migration deliveries.
• Experience managing complex stakeholder networks across stakeholders

Desirable:

• Knowledge of data related regulatory requirements
• Knowledge of emerging trends and issues within the data landscape

Experience working in regulated frameworks, ideally financial services

Competencies

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!!