Financial Regulatory Technology Director

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.

Purpose of the Role

The Financial Regulatory Technology Director is accountable for setting the strategic direction and leading the delivery, operation and continued evolution of technology capabilities supporting Financial Risk and Regulatory Reporting across EMEA. The role provides senior technology leadership across both run-the-bank and change-the-bank portfolios, ensuring that regulatory obligations, audit commitments and business priorities are translated into resilient, scalable and well-governed technology outcomes.
Operating as a trusted adviser to senior stakeholders across Risk, Finance, Technology and regulatory reporting functions, the Director will shape platform strategy, influence investment decisions, lead complex transformation and establish clear accountability for delivery, service quality, operational resilience and control effectiveness.

The anticipated salary range for this role is £108,000 - £162,000, with the final offer determined based on the candidate’s skills, experience, role scope, location, and relevant market factors. In addition to base salary, the role may be eligible for a discretionary incentive award and a competitive benefits package, including core benefits such as pension provision.

Background and Organizational Context

The Cross-Product Platforms is part of the Information Technology and Security Department. This group serves Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation by developing and maintaining integrated technology solutions that transcend individual product lines, fostering interoperability, scalability, and efficiency across various banking operations.

Financial Risk and Regulatory Reporting technology across EMEA, with coordination across relevant regional delivery teams

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities 1/2

Strategy and technology leadership
•    Own and articulate the EMEA Financial Regulatory Technology strategy, aligned to business priorities, regulatory obligations and the wider Cross-Product Platforms technology direction.
•    Shape the target-state architecture, platform roadmap and investment priorities for Financial Regulatory Technology, balancing strategic transformation with operational stability and regulatory deadlines.
•    Provide senior leadership and informed challenges on technology choices, sourcing models, platform lifecycle, technical debt and opportunities for simplification, standardisation and reuse.
•    Represent Financial Regulatory Technology in senior governance forums and provide clear, evidence-based recommendations to executive stakeholders.
Regulatory and domain leadership
•    Act as the senior technology authority for Financial Risk and Regulatory Reporting, with a strong understanding of how complex regulatory requirements are translated into data, process, control and technology capabilities.
•    Maintain effective engagement with regulatory reporting process owners across Risk, Finance and other relevant functions to ensure technology priorities remain aligned to business and regulatory outcomes.
•    Lead the technology response to regulatory change, internal audit, external audit and control remediation requirements, ensuring clear ownership, traceability and sustainable resolution.
•    Identify cross-regime and cross-entity dependencies and promote coherent solutions that reduce duplication and strengthen controls across EMEA.
Delivery and transformation
•    Provide end-to-end executive accountability for the Financial Regulatory Technology portfolio, spanning analysis, solution design, engineering, testing, implementation and transition to service.
•    Lead delivery across third parties and associated regional or global teams, establishing effective governance, decision-making and escalation mechanisms.
•    Ensure major programmes and regulatory initiatives are delivered with appropriate control of scope, cost, quality, risk, dependencies and business impact.
•    Drive strategic transformation of FinReg platforms, including modernisation, simplification, resilience improvement and the adoption of fit-for-purpose engineering and delivery practices.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities 2/2

Operational resilience, risk and control
•    Be accountable for the reliability, supportability and operational resilience of Financial Regulatory Technology services, with clear performance measures and service improvement priorities.
•    Ensure technology risks, incidents, control weaknesses and recurring service issues are identified, transparently reported and addressed through sustainable remediation.
•    Embed effective technology governance, security, change control, service management and audit evidence practices across the portfolio.
•    Promote a strong risk and control culture in which regulatory impact, data integrity and customer or business consequences are considered in all material decisions.
Stakeholder and commercial management
•    Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across Risk, Finance, ITSD, business operations and relevant group entities, communicating complex technology matters in clear business terms.
•    Lead engagement with strategic vendors and delivery partners, setting expectations for performance, quality, accountability and value.
•    Influence across organisational boundaries to resolve competing priorities, secure decisions and maintain alignment on critical regulatory outcomes.
•    Provide concise and transparent portfolio reporting, highlighting progress, decisions, risks, dependencies and required executive actions.
People and capability leadership
•    Lead, coach and develop the Financial Regulatory Technology team, creating a high-performing, inclusive and accountable organisation.
•    Establish clear organisational capability requirements across leadership, architecture, engineering, analysis, delivery and service management.
•    Develop succession, talent and workforce plans that strengthen domain knowledge, technical capability and leadership depth.
•    Set high standards for professional conduct, collaboration, delivery discipline and continuous improvement.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Experience and knowledge
•    Significant senior leadership experience in technology delivery within commercial, corporate, investment or wholesale banking.
•    Demonstrable leadership of complex Risk, Finance, regulatory reporting (e.g. CoRep, FinRep, CRR/Basel, MIFIDPRU, RUBA, Schema A, Anacredit…) governance, risk and compliance, or closely related technology portfolios.
•    Strong understanding of regulatory reporting operating models, data flows, technology architecture, controls and the implications of regulatory change.
•    Proven experience leading major transformation (e.g. implementing AxiomSL, OneSumX, Abacus, Moody’s Analytics...)and regulatory delivery across multiple teams, legal entities, geographies and third-party partners 
•    Experience managing technology services in a highly controlled environment, including operational resilience, incident management, audit and risk remediation.
•    Commercial and financial acumen, with experience shaping investment cases, managing delivery capacity and holding vendors accountable for outcomes.
•    Ability to communicate credibly with executive, business, technology, audit and regulatory stakeholders.
•    Strong understanding of Agile delivery methodology
Leadership capabilities
•    Strategic and visionary leadership, with the ability to translate EMEA business and regulatory objectives into a realistic technology agenda.
•    Strategic judgement and decision-making, particularly where regulatory outcomes, operational risk and delivery constraints must be balanced.
•    Transformational leadership that mobilises diverse teams and creates sustained ownership for results.
•    Executive stakeholder management and influence, including the ability to explain complex technology issues to non-technical audiences.
•    Strong risk management, integrity and personal accountability.
•    Customer and business focus, with a commitment to measurable outcomes rather than technology delivery in isolation.
•    Inclusive people leadership that develops talent, encourages constructive challenges and builds high-performing teams.
Values and behaviours
•   The role holder is expected to demonstrate customer focus, strategic technology leadership, sound judgement, strategic thinking, delivery discipline, risk awareness, trust and integrity. They will actively support an inclusive working environment in which different perspectives are valued and colleagues are enabled to perform at their best.

Challenges

Expected measures of success
•    A clear, agreed and actively governed Financial Regulatory Technology strategy and roadmap.
•    Regulatory and audit commitments delivered sustainably, with transparent ownership and effective evidence of control.
•    Improved platform resilience, service quality, delivery predictability and reduction of recurring operational issues.
•    Effective prioritisation of investment and capacity across strategic change and business-as-usual obligations.
•    High levels of stakeholder confidence in the function's advice, transparency and delivery performance.
•    A strong, engaged leadership team with improved capability, succession depth and accountability.

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!!