Senior Data Platform Scrum Squad Lead - Director
London, LND, GB, EC2M 2AT
SMBC: A trusted partner for the long term
Here at SMBC Group, we want to help you find the next step in your career so read on to discover if this opportunity is the one for you. We like to recognise potential in our people, so we welcome your application even when your experience doesn’t perfectly align with the job description. Whilst we’ll always strive to be better, we’re proud of our inclusive culture, and encourage our applicants and colleagues to be their authentic, unique selves.
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
SMBC are seeking a senior, highly experienced and delivery-focused Scrum Squad Lead to provide leadership across a multidisciplinary data platform delivery team within corporate and investment banking IT. This role will act as a senior delivery leader and technical product owner, accountable for shaping priorities, driving execution, enabling agile delivery discipline, and ensuring the squad delivers high-quality outcomes aligned to business, technology, regulatory and data governance objectives. The successful candidate will provide day-to-day leadership to architects, business analysts, engineers, testers, data modellers and governance stakeholders, while influencing senior stakeholders across ITSD, HR, business functions and the wider SMBC group.
Background and Organizational Context
The successful candidate will provide day-to-day leadership to architects, business analysts, engineers, testers, data modellers and governance stakeholders, while influencing senior stakeholders across ITSD, HR, business functions and the wider SMBC group.
Scale and Scope
Provide senior leadership for one or more Software Development Scrums comprising architects, business analysts, developers, testers, physical data modellers, data governance specialists and other delivery stakeholders.
Lead management of global stakeholders dependent on the data platform delivery in the EMEA region.
Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities
- Provide senior leadership for one or more Software Development Scrums comprising architects, business analysts, developers, testers, physical data modellers, data governance specialists and other delivery stakeholders.
- Set clear delivery direction for the squad, ensuring objectives, scope, estimates, dependencies, risks and sprint progress are understood, actively managed and transparently communicated.
- Own and lead product backlog management, working with senior stakeholders to agree priorities, manage trade-offs, and ensure the squad focuses on the highest-value outcomes.
- Proactively identify, unblock and escalate delivery impediments, enabling the squad to maintain momentum and helping team members focus on delivery commitments.
- Act as the senior point of coordination for stakeholder communications, using direct engagement, tailored reporting and JIRA dashboards to provide clear visibility of delivery progress, risks, decisions and outcomes.
- Exercise leadership judgement in escalating material risks to scope, timelines, budget, quality or regulatory commitments, ensuring senior management are engaged early with clear options and recommendations.
- Represent the squad within Scrum of Scrums and wider delivery governance forums, aligning plans, resolving cross-team dependencies and contributing to consistent delivery standards across Data & Analytics Platforms and business-aligned IT teams.
- Provide trusted leadership support to the Head of Data & Analytics Technology for EMEA, escalating key issues with clear analysis, mitigation options and recommended decisions.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Essential
- Significant experience leading technical data platform delivery in large, complex enterprise environments, ideally in a senior squad lead, delivery lead, technical product owner or equivalent leadership role.
- 5+ years of hands-on Agile delivery leadership experience, including Scrum, Scrum of Scrums, backlog management, sprint delivery, dependency management and continuous improvement.
- Proven ability to lead Scrum ceremonies effectively, including Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Reviews and Retrospectives, ensuring they drive clarity, accountability and delivery progress.
- Lead management of global stakeholders dependent on the data platform delivery in the EMEA region.
- Ensures meetings are productive and time-boxed.
- Ability to coach squad members and stakeholders on Agile principles, delivery discipline and pragmatic ways of working that support predictable, high-quality execution.
- Helps the team improve continuously and adopt Agile mindsets.
- Supports the team by removing obstacles and enabling progress.
- Experience with using Atlassian JIRA
- Understanding of Data Governance practises and subsequent requirements on IT delivery.
- Strong senior stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate clearly with business, technology, governance and leadership audiences and influence delivery decisions across organisational boundaries.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
- Demonstrable leadership capability, including motivating multidisciplinary teams, creating accountability, managing ambiguity and maintaining delivery focus under pressure.
- Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment, share ideas, and contribute to group discussions.
- Attention to detail and a commitment to producing high-quality work with a focus on accuracy and precision.
- Proven ability to work independently on large scale projects while contributing effectively in a collaborative team environment.
Desirable
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. Or equivalent.
- Exposure to concepts like Data Lakehouse and Medallion Architecture, especially with Databricks as the underlying technology.
- Capital markets, asset management, or corporate banking financial institutions.
- Familiarity with data governance and compliance regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, DORA).
- Knowledge of HR data and the sensitivities of how it should be managed and used across the enterprise.
Challenges
- Exercise leadership judgement in escalating material risks to scope, timelines, budget, quality or regulatory commitments, ensuring senior management are engaged early with clear options and recommendations.
- Proactively identify, unblock and escalate delivery impediments, enabling the squad to maintain momentum and helping team members focus on delivery commitments.
- Demonstrable leadership capability, including motivating multidisciplinary teams, creating accountability, managing ambiguity and maintaining delivery focus under pressure.
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!!
We recognise our role as a bank to support social change and welcome all applications, including those from groups often under-represented in financial services. We value the uniqueness of professional and personal, backgrounds and perspectives as they play a vital role in continuing the sustainable growth of our organisation. We’ll ensure reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process are offered due to a disability or long-term condition whenever requested.
We are committed to transparent and equitable pay practices. Compensation is determined using objective criteria, including skills, experience, and role responsibilities, and applied consistently throughout our recruitment processes. We do not request candidates' pay history and are committed to preventing unjustified pay disparities.