Delivery Lead

Job Description

Role title: Delivery Lead

Role Type: Permanent

Location: London or Edinburgh (with blended home working)

Reports to: Head of Corporate Domain

At abrdn we empower our clients to plan, save and invest for their futures.

Through the expertise, insight and innovation of our team, we aim to help clients create more ways for money to make an impact. We set our sights on giving them more confidence to achieve their goals, and more clarity about what they need next. And we focus on delivering outcomes that are more than just financial - by investing sustainably to build a better world.

About the department

About the role

This role owns both the delivery of the change portfolio for the domain (or sub domain) AND the performance of the BAU services in use by the Domain - ensuring that programmes and projects are delivered when needed by the business within their cost envelope and to a high quality, and that operational services are available and performing.

This role predominantly faces a strategic supplier and is responsible for that Supplier’s successful delivery of technology changes and services across the full lifecycle (development, change and operational and retirement) for the scope in question.

Acts as the key decision maker and setter of direction and priority for the areas under her/his control - working closely with Business Consultant and Lead Solution Architect.

Key Outcomes

Business and Stakeholder Management;- Maintain effective internal/external customer, stakeholder and partner relationships to contribute insights and execution of technology’s role in the running/strategic planning that supports the scope in question.- Works across the Stakeholder landscape to identify and balance priorities including, for example, the introduction of new functionality / capability alongside the performance and health of live systems.- In order to fulfil the outcomes above, the role holder will direct and prioritise Supplier activity on a regular basis, acting as a senior point of escalation when conflicts or barriers to progress arise.- Where relevant, actively engages in, performs and/or supports, business change activities - directly and also via Supplier project managers.- Responsible for Supplier Performance Management - monitoring, reporting and correcting performance where necessary, as part of the performance management framework.

Portfolio Management and Delivery of Change;- Develop and maintain a blueprint and strategic change roadmap for the sub-domain - working in tight alignment with Business Consultant and Lead Solution architect.- Develops the portfolio of change for the sub-domain - working with stakeholders and Enterprise Portfolio to ensure a deliverable and affordable change portfolio is in place and dynamically maintained.- Works with Supplier to ensure that forward Demand is understood, and that sufficient capability and capacity is available to fulfil the change portfolio- Owns the Initiation and Mobilisation of a Change initiative - including engaging with supplier as they change moves forward- Oversees the execution and fulfilment of the change portfolio for the sub-domain - ensuring that supplier delivers to time, budget and quality.- Holds overall budgetary and financial accountability for the sub-domain, ensuring that financial processes are followed and that financial targets are met.- Holds overall accountability for the safe and secure delivery of new and changed functionality into service, including the quality of delivery and the readiness of the operational and business teams.

Operational Service Performance;- Active lifecycle management of the services being used to operate the business for the sub-domain in question - including active monitoring of Service Level performance and oversight of improvements to, exploitation of, and retirement of, operational systems- Ensuring that operational services are fulfilling their purpose and working effectively - ensuring suppliers are taking steps to rectify any persistent issues through the established Problem Management mechanisms- Working closely with key stakeholders to ensure that perception and satisfaction with the operational services is good - and working with supplier to rectify where issues arise- Ensure suitable service continuity plans are in place and tested - such that the business can have confidence that it can continue to operate in the event of an unforeseen issue

Skills & Experience;- Proven ability to identify shifting priorities and make interventions dynamically - balancing risk and minimizing wasted investment- Good knowledge of the asset management industry and robust knowledge of the available technology providers and the developing FinTech landscape- Strong understanding of the business processes supported and the business outcomes - specifically those in the sub-domain in question- Exceptional Programme and change delivery experience - particularly when delivery is undertaken by