Senior Director, Head of Strategy & Execution

WHO WE ARE

For over 50 years, we have worked closely with investment and asset managers to become the world's leading provider of integrated investment management solutions. We are 3,000 colleagues with a broad range of nationalities, education, professional experience, and backgrounds. SimCorp is an independent subsidiary of Deutsche Börse Group. SimCorp is an equal opportunity employer committed to cultivating a culture where diverse perspectives and expertise are integrated in our everyday work.

ABOUT POSITION

Product Development ( PD ) at SimCorp is being sharpened. We are a 3,000-person fintech on a mission to be the world's leading investment management platform, and our Product Development organisation is at the centre of that journey. Strategic programme management, the discipline of running complex cross-functional initiatives with rigour , clear ownership, and disciplined delivery, does not yet exist as a dedicated capability in PD. We are hiring a Senior Director to build it.

This role sits on the Strategy & Transformation leadership team, reporting to and working in close partnership with the VP of Strategy & Transformation . You will build the programme management muscle in PD from the ground up: defining how it operates, proving the model by personally leading programmes in the near term, and then scaling it by hiring and developing a team of 2 to 3 programme and project managers.

If you are a senior operator who has built something from scratch and wants to do it again inside a scaled global organisation , we need to talk.

WHY THIS ROLE IS IMPORTANT TO US

PD has strategic direction and strong consulting capability. What it is missing is the operating infrastructure to run its most important cross-functional initiatives with the rigour they demand.

This role closes that gap. You will establish strategic programme management as a recognised and trusted capability within PD, working hand in hand with the VP of Strategy & Transformation to ensure the highest-priority cross-PD initiatives have clear outcomes, accountable ownership, and disciplined execution from start to finish across a 1 , 600- person organization.

The impact is organisation -wide. The team starts small and grows with you.

WHAT YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

• Build the Strategic Programme Management capability in PD from the ground up: operating model, standards, tools, and ways of working.

• Hire and develop a small but powerful team of 2 to 3 programme / project managers; set the standard and grow the function.

• Personally lead and be accountable for selected high-impact, cross-functional PD initiatives in the near term, with full accountability for outcomes, milestones, risks, and delivery.

• Work in close partnership with the VP of Strategy & Transformation on the overall PD strategy and execution agenda.

• Establish governance structures for strategic programmes : clear owners, dependencies, escalation paths, and progress reporting to PD senior leadership.

• Coordinate across Product Management, Platform, and Application Engineering to drive alignment and resolve cross-functional trade-offs.

• Contribute to the PD Management System, including transparency, reporting, and decision forums.

• Partner with Change & Organisational Development where programmes require shifts in ways of working or organisational behaviour .

• Represent programme progress and risks in PD senior leadership forums and, where relevant, at ExCo and governing body level.
  

WHO YOU ARE

You have built things before. Not managed an existing function, but started from a blank page, made the case, hired the people, and proven the value. You understand that the first phase is hands-on: you will be in the programmes yourself, doing the work while simultaneously designing the capability around it.

You are a natural partner to senior leaders. You are direct, structured, and credible in rooms where the stakes are high. You know how to earn trust across a matrixed organisation without relying on positional authority.

The ambiguity of standing up something new does not unsettle you. It motivates you.

WHAT WE VALUE

• 12 or more years in transformation, programme leadership, strategy, or chief-of-staff roles; experience inside a large technology or fintech organisation is a strong advantage.

• Demonstrated track record of building or scaling a programme management capability, not just operating within one.

• Hands-on delivery experience on complex, cross-functional strategic initiatives with senior stakeholder engagement.

• Strong people leadership and hiring track record ; you attract high- calibre talent and develop it.

• Ability to design governance and operating models that senior leaders actually use.

• Experience preparing and presenting at senior governing forums ( PDSMT, ExCo , o r equivalent).

• Outstanding written and verbal communication; you produce crisp executive material and facilitate senior leadership discussions with equal confidence.

• A direct and collaborative working style; you build alignment without softening the hard conversations.

• Degree in business, economics, engineering, or a related field; MBA or equivalent is a plus.
  

WHY JOIN US

This is a builder role inside a global, scaled organisation . The Strategic Programme Management capability you establish will become a permanent part of how Product Development governs and delivers its most important work. That kind of build-ownership at senior level is rare.

You will work in close partnership with the VP of Strategy & Transformation , with direct access to PD senior leadership and real influence over how a world-class product and engineering organisation executes against its strategy.

A culture of trust, directness, and high standards . Work that is visible. Impact that compounds.

NEXT STEPS

Please send us your application in English via our career site as soon as possible, we process incoming applications continually . Please note that only applications sent through our system will be processed. At SimCorp, we recognize that bias can unintentionally occur in the recruitment process. To uphold fairness and equal opportunities for all applicants, we kindly ask you to exclude personal data such as photos, age, or any non-professional information from your application. Thank you for aiding us in our endeavor to mitigate biases in our recruitment process.

If you are interested in being a part of SimCorp but are not sure this role is suitable, submit your CV anyway. SimCorp is on a positive growth journey, and our Talent Acquisition Team is ready to assist you discover the right role for you. The approximate time to consider your CV is three weeks.

We are focused on continually improving our talent acquisition process and making everyone’s experience positive and valuable. Therefore, during the process we will ask you to provide your feedback, which is highly appreciated.

#Li-Hybrid