Industry Vice President, Financial Services

Here at Appian, our core values of Respect, Work to Impact, Ambition, and Constructive Dissent & Resolution define who we are. In short, this means we constantly seek to understand the best for our customers, we go beyond completion in our work, we strive for excellence with intensity, and we embrace candid communication. These values guide our actions and shape our culture every day.

We are seeking a Strategic Industry Expert in Financial Services to join our growing Industry Leads team. In this high-impact role, you will leverage your deep Financial Services expertise to drive digital transformation value for clients. You will collaborate across internal teams (sales, marketing, partners, and product) to develop industry-specific go to market strategies and plays, and engage with senior financial services leaders to expand Appian’s presence in the market. This role has a significant strategic and customer-centric focus – you will help shape go-to-market plans and ensure our offerings align with key industry trends and client needs.

Travel: Approximately 40% travel is required to client sites and industry events.

Key Responsibilities

• Client Engagement & Evangelism: Spend substantial time with Financial Services clients to identify opportunities for Appian’s AI in Process automation software. Evangelize new use cases, provide strategic guidance on digital transformation, and serve as a trusted advisor. You will also coach internal teams (Account Executives, Customer Engagement PoDs, Customer Success) on industry strategy and client engagement best practices.
• Thought Leadership & Market Awareness: Design and support programs with Account Executives to penetrate new target accounts. Deliver thought leadership content (e.g. webinars, whitepapers, conference presentations) that generates prospect interest and raises Appian’s profile in the financial services industry. Help secure broader market awareness of Appian’s value proposition in this sector.
• Strategic Sales Support: Provide market knowledge and industry insight to Appian’s Sales and Partner organizations. Guide the development of target account strategies and tailored solution roadmaps within the Financial Services vertical. Influence how we position Appian’s platform to address banking, capital markets and financial intermediaries challenges, ensuring alignment with major industry drivers.
• Go To Market Presentations & Enablement: Lead and participate in high-stakes sales presentations, demos, and follow-up educational workshops for prospects and customers. Your expertise will help articulate Appian’s value to various executive stakeholders and ensure their requirements are addressed throughout the sales process.
• Marketing & Industry Events: Support Appian’s marketing strategy by representing the company at key industry events and trade shows e.g. Sibos. Provide insights for webinars, blog posts, and other content marketing efforts. Act as an industry ambassador, sharing trends and feedback that can influence Appian’s product pillars and financial services solution roadmap.
• Bid & Proposal Collaboration: Play an active role in the RFP/bid and proposal process. Work closely with internal bid teams and partner organizations to craft compelling, industry-relevant proposals that address prospective clients’ regulatory, customer experience, and operational needs.

Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s degree required (MBA or other advanced degree is preferred).
• Industry Experience: 15+ years of experience in the financial services sector, with leadership roles in banking or capital markets. Deep understanding of the major business drivers and challenges in the Financial Services industry is essential.
• Transformation Track Record: Proven experience leading innovation or change initiatives that delivered new solutions – focusing on improved customer experience, regulatory compliance/effectiveness, and operational efficiency. You should be comfortable driving change and introducing new technologies or processes in large organizations. Appian experience is a plus.
• Industry Insight: Strong grasp of digital transformation trends in Financial Services, including the evolving role of FinTech/RegTech and other emerging innovations including AI. You stay up-to-date on industry developments and can translate these insights into actionable strategies for Appian and our clients.
• Technical Aptitude: Ability to bridge the gap between business and technology. You should have enough technical acumen to understand Appian’s platform and effectively communicate its benefits, while also speaking the language of business leaders.
• Travel Ability: Willingness and ability to travel approximately 40% of the time to client sites and industry events (domestically and internationally, as required).
• Location: Must be based in (or willing to relocate to) one of the following: United States, United Kingdom, Frankfurt (Germany), Zurich (Switzerland), or Madrid (Spain), to align with our teams and client base in those regions.

Join Appian’s Industry team and be at the forefront of transforming the Financial Services industry through technology innovation. If you are passionate about helping financial institutions achieve new levels of agility and efficiency, we encourage you to apply and become a key driver of our clients’ digital transformation success.

Tools and Resources

• Training and Development: During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian, with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires.
• Growth Opportunities: Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities, including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers, a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University, skills based training, and tuition reimbursement for those aiming to advance their education. This commitment ensures that employees have access to a holistic range of development opportunities.
• Community: We’ll immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee-led affinity groups. These groups help employees build stronger internal and external networks by planning social, educational, and outreach activities to connect with Appianites and larger initiatives throughout the company.

About Appian

Appian is a software company that automates business processes. The Appian AI-Powered Process Platform includes everything you need to design, automate, and optimize even the most complex processes, from start to finish. The world's most innovative organizations trust Appian to improve their workflows, unify data, and optimize operations—resulting in better growth and superior customer experiences.

Appian is an equal opportunity employer that strives to attract and retain the best talent. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Appian provides reasonable accommodations to applicants in accordance with all applicable laws. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at ReasonableAccommodations@appian.com. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.