Program Director in England

AJ Bell is a FTSE 250 investment platform and asset management business with strong momentum in its advised market. We are seeking an exceptional Program Director to take end-to-end ownership of a complex, multi-year transformation programme across our advised platform estate. This is a senior leadership role with full accountability for delivering the AJ Bell strategic vision, including the Single Core Wealth Platform ambition. You will unify our advised capabilities into a modular, best-of-breed platform designed to support long-term growth, regulatory compliance, operational resilience, and strong customer outcomes. The role sits at the intersection of strategy, product, technology, governance, and regulation, with Executive and Board-level visibility.

What you will be responsible for:

• Provide senior leadership and full accountability for the planning, governance, and delivery of a five-year, enterprise-wide programme of work across the AJ Bell advised platform estate.
• Own delivery of the AJ Bell strategy for the advised channel, including the design and implementation of the Single Core Wealth Platform, integrating Investcentre, Custody Solutions, and Touch into a coherent, modular platform capability.
• Report on programme progress in alignment with strategic priorities to stakeholders at all levels, including Executive Committee and Board.
• Work in close partnership with the Product Director, Distribution and Marketing Directors, Advised MD, Technology leadership, and Executive stakeholders to ensure strategic alignment, prioritisation, and investment discipline.
• Establish and maintain robust programme governance, delivery assurance, risk management, and reporting frameworks appropriate for a director-level role.
• Ensure all programme activity delivers compliant, resilient, and scalable solutions aligned to FCA requirements, Consumer Duty obligations, and operational resilience standards.
• Embed Consumer Duty principles across all platform and product change, ensuring design decisions, delivery outcomes, and adviser communications demonstrably support fair value, customer understanding, and positive customer and adviser outcomes.
• Act as a senior point of accountability for engagement with Compliance, Risk, CASS, Operations, and Legal to proactively manage regulatory, conduct, and reputational risk.
• Oversee the full implementation lifecycle for major platform and product change, from design and build through testing, UAT, business readiness, and controlled release.
• Provide strategic oversight of go-to-market readiness, ensuring platform changes are supported by clear propositions, adviser communications, and operational readiness across the business.

What you will bring:

• Extensive senior-level experience leading large-scale, multi-year transformation programmes within a regulated financial services environment.
• Deep understanding of the UK advised wealth management market, including platform operating models, custody, distribution, and regulatory frameworks.
• A proven track record of delivering complex, cross-product and cross-technology programmes with Executive-level accountability.
• Strong working knowledge of FCA regulation, Consumer Duty, and operational resilience requirements, and how these shape platform and product design.
• Excellent senior stakeholder management and influencing capability, with credibility at Executive Committee and Board level.
• Strong commercial judgement, balancing strategic ambition, delivery risk, regulatory compliance, and customer outcomes.

In addition to programme leadership, you will:

• Hold line management responsibility for the Head of Business Analysis.
• Be accountable for the deployment, prioritisation, and effectiveness of Business Analysis capability across the advised platform programme.
• Ensure BA resources are aligned to strategic priorities and that product, regulatory, technology, and Consumer Duty requirements are captured, structured, and delivered in a timely and resilient manner.
• Develop a high-performing, sustainable BA and programme delivery capability that supports long-term platform evolution and continuous improvement.
• Ensure Consumer Duty considerations are embedded within business analysis frameworks, requirements gathering, and change governance processes, with clear auditability and demonstrable customer outcome alignment.

About us:

AJ Bell is one of the fastest-growing investment platform businesses in the UK offering an award-winning range of solutions that caters for everyone, from professional financial advisers to DIY investors with little to no experience. We have over 644,000 customers using our award-winning platform propositions to manage assets totalling more than £ billion. Our customers trust us with their investments, and by continuously striving to make investing easier, we aim to help even more people take control of their financial futures. Having listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in December, AJ Bell is now a FTSE 250 company. Headquartered in Manchester with offices in central London and Bristol, we now have over 1,500 employees and have been named one of the UK's 'Best 100 Companies to Work For' for six consecutive years and in named a Great Place to Work.

Our perks and benefits:

• Starting holiday entitlement of 28 days, increasing up to 31 days with length of service plus a holiday buy and sell scheme.
• A choice of pension schemes with matched contributions up to 8%.
• Discretionary bonus scheme.
• Buy As You Earn (BAYE) Scheme.
• PMI Health Cash Plan – provided by SimplyHealth.
• Discounted private healthcare scheme and dental plan.
• Free gym membership.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Bike loan scheme.
• Sick pay+ pledge.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave.
• Loans for travel season tickets.
• Death in service scheme.
• Paid time off for volunteer work.
• Charitable giving opportunities through salary sacrifice.
• Calendar of social events, including monthly payday drinks, annual Christmas party, summer party and much more.
• Ongoing technical training.
• Professional qualification support.
• Talent development programmes.
• Peer recognition scheme, with rewards including restaurant and shopping vouchers or time off.
• Monthly leadership breakfasts and lunches.
• Casual dress code.
• Access to a range of benefits from our sponsorship deals.

Hybrid working:

At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That's why we offer a hybrid working model, where you'll spend a minimum of 50% of your working time per month in the Manchester office. For new team members, an initial period will be full-time in the office to help you immerse yourself in our business and build valuable relationships with your colleagues. AJ Bell is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and all employees are empowered to bring their whole self to work. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, religion, physical and mental disability, marital status and any other characteristics protected by the Equality Act. All decisions to hire are based on qualifications, merit and business need.

If you like the sound of the above, or just want to know more about the company and the role, we'd love to speak to you.