IBC Project Manager - contract in London

CLS helps clients navigate the changing FX marketplace – reducing risk and creating efficiencies. Our extensive network and deep market intelligence enable CLS specialists to lead the development of standardized solutions to real market problems. Our innovative, forward-looking products make the trading process faster, easier, safer and more cost-effective – empowering our clients’ success.

The Project Manager will lead a series of projects/initiatives within the CLS Internal Business Change ("IBC") Portfolio. The PM will be responsible for the successful delivery to time, budget and quality and will be required to work on projects simultaneously. These projects/initiatives cover system upgrades, replacements, and new system installations for CLS's internal divisions (e.g. HR, Compliance, Finance etc.). The portfolio is predominantly composed of cloud system deliveries (SaaS) of commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) and cross-divisional transformations.

The role will include liaising on a day-to-day basis with a series of senior CLS stakeholders (onshore and offshore), CLS's project management office, technical teams, and external delivery partners. Chairing periodic project meetings across a range of stakeholders and drafting project materials.

The Project Manager will lead project teams of approximately 10 to 12 people composed of technical and non-technical resources and report to the Head of CLS’s Internal Business Change Portfolio. The Project Manager will also be expected to provide project cover to team members within the Internal Business Change portfolio.

• Scope: Lead cross-divisional workshops and, with support of business analysts, ensure both functional and non-functional requirements are gathered and maintained throughout the life of the project.
• Time: Liaise with 3rd party suppliers and internal divisions to develop and maintain a consolidated project plan for all stages of the project's lifecycle.
• Cost: Manage budgets for projects including creating and maintaining finance tracking spreadsheets, and managing the associated purchase order and invoicing processes.
• Project Governance: Work with CLS's Project Management Office to ensure that the project adheres to CLS's delivery framework. Ensuring all documents on the project are kept up to date and to the expected quality (for example: business requirement documents, high level designs, test strategies, business cases, etc.). Additionally, provide progress updates within the relevant PMO tooling (e.g. SharePoint).
• Test Coordination: Liaise with CLS's test teams to coordinate all stages of testing on the project (including ST, SIT, UAT, NFT, and Penetration Testing).
• Communications: Run periodic project meetings (e.g. project boards, team meeting, etc.), communicating with teams and stakeholders both in the UK and offshore.
• Stakeholder Management: Work with the project’s sponsor and other senior stakeholders to keep them effectively informed and communicate any messages they have to the project team. Managing day-to-day decisions on the sponsor's behalf, and knowing when to escalate.
• Vendor Management: Manage vendor teams on a day-to-day basis (onshore and offshore) to enable them to complete their relevant elements of the project. Monitoring and controlling vendor performance and commercials as required.
• Risk and Issue Management: Monitor, record (via RAID logs), and appropriately escalate any risks, issues, and assumptions on the project.
• Technical Coordination: Liaise day-to-day with the relevant CLS technical teams, to ensure the systems development is completed from all areas (e.g. Architecture, IT Engineering, InfoSec, compliance, etc.).

Essential Experience:

• 7 years+ experience of leading projects from end-to-end, particularly implementation of SaaS products.
• In-depth knowledge of the software development lifecycle (including associated artefacts).
• Strong understanding of IT Security control requirements for SaaS product implementations.
• Experience working within financial services.
• Experience of working in a highly procedural project environment.
• Experience working directly with senior stakeholders at a C Suite level.
• Proficient in Microsoft: Project, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.
• Experience of working on a project with data migration elements.
• Experience of working on a project with integration elements.
• Experience in working with offshore teams or stakeholders.
• Experience of working on multiple projects concurrently.

Desirable Experience:

• APM, PMI, or Prince 2 qualified.
• Knowledge and experience of both waterfall and agile methodologies.
• Basic knowledge of business analysis e.g. how to write and manage user stories, etc.

• Ability to work autonomously.
• Enthusiastic and self-motivated.
• Expert communicator with strong presentation skills.
• Strong team leadership and interpersonal skills.
• Good decision maker with strong problem-solving capabilities.
• Strategic thinker.