Project Manager

Purpose

Working closely with Project Leaders, Heads of the Business Services Units and Stakeholders and under the direction of Transitions Sr. Manager, the incumbent is responsible for the management of multi-disciplinary projects & initiatives inside of GSG & ScotiaGBS. The Project Manager (PM) is accountable for the overall planning, monitoring and control of activities, financials and deliverables for several assigned projects/initiatives. The mandate includes managing multi-disciplinary projects/initiatives of low to medium complexity, ensuring that deadlines are met and processes are properly defined, introduced and implemented with appropriate training, support, control and quality. The PM will support the Transition Sr. Manager to ensure the outcomes of the project are defined, satisfied and costs identified while working with a multi-disciplinary team to onboard, plan and execute engagements with GSG & ScotiaGBS. He/she serves as the key coordinator of all the activities required to be carried out projects/initiatives.

Accountabilities

1. Deliver projects/initiatives, ensuring outcomes for each project are achieved in accordance with the Scope, Time and Budget, by:
   1. Direct planning, scheduling, resourcing, risk assessment, cost/benefit analysis, milestones determination, and final deliverables definition within the project.
   2. Planning, securing and scheduling resources, development of detailed project plans, monitoring progress against planned objectives, conducting financial reviews and securing consensus and co-operation from stakeholders, project team members and senior management.
   3. Understanding associated impacts to the local regulatory of each country to be served.
   4. Proactively identify dependencies, issues and risks, and recommend corrective actions to mitigate.
   5. Facilitating and chairing project meetings and committees.
   6. Preparing high-quality, timely and accurate progress reporting. Accountable for all project-level status and risks/issues reporting, decision collection, change analysis, and project plan updates.
   7. Working with finance resources to maintain the project benefit model - tracking and reporting.
   8. Negotiating with those responsible in order to finalize all recommendations, scope, directions and project plans.

1. Be accountable for the achievement of key milestones for each project/initiative by:
   1. Ensuring plans, actions and recommendations are aligned to the overall business and operational goals.
   2. Analyzing, defining and working with Process Owners and Project Leaders to implement Scotiabank business policies and procedures in processes and services to be provided.
   3. Identifying risks to implementation and ensures that mitigation plans are in place.

1. Implementation of the transition planning and follow-up methodology by:
   1. Leading the initial planning process and project plan.
   2. Developing/maintaining a consolidated project plan which incorporates all business, technology and operational aspects of the projects/initiatives.
   3. Creating and maintain all project documentation.
   4. Ensuring that links between Processes, Products, Service Level Agreements, Technology, Operations and HR are identified and fits into the overall business/operational goals of the projects/initiatives.
   5. Assisting in the development of supplemental business cases as required.

1. Lead each project/initiative by:
   1. Resolving multi-faceted problems, which are often unstructured and without precedent, to meet the business needs.
   2. Communication of key decisions to management.
   3. Effectively tracking/monitoring/managing all transition/project budgets.
   4. Escalating and coordinating issues as required.
   5. Create project plans and manage dependencies in accordance with project team needs.
   6. Conduct appropriate status review sessions and escalate issues as necessary.

Champions a customer focused culture to deepen client relationships and leverage broader Bank relationships, systems and knowledge. Understand how the Bank's risk appetite and risk culture should be considered in day-to-day activities and decisions. Actively pursues effective and efficient operations of his/her respective areas in accordance with Scotiabank's Values, its Code of Conduct and the Global Sales Principles, while ensuring the adequacy, adherence to and effectiveness of day-to-day business controls to meet obligations with respect to operational, compliance, AML/ATF/sanctions and conduct risk. Champions a high performance environment and contributes to an inclusive work environment.

Competences: To be successful, the following competencies must be demonstrated on the job:

1. Ability to build and leverage strategic working relationships. Demonstrated ability to strategically think, influence and communicate throughout all levels of the organization in a fast-paced environment.
2. Leadership: leading teams of project members in a matrix structure to achieve overall project-level goals. Ability to build relationships and influence across all stakeholders through strong interpersonal skills and consensus building.
3. Ability to work in a high performance environment.
4. Results oriented with a proactive approach.

Dimensions:

The GSG Transitions Management Office (TMO, leaded by Transitions Sr. Manager) leads, governs and supports the planning, execution and implementation of multiple projects/initiatives operational and with various lines of business. The TMO manages across multiple work streams, proactively drives risk, issue, and decision management, and tracks program delivery and benefit objectives. The PM acts as the GSG project lead, coordinating with counterparts multiple projects/initiatives and prepares project status reports, creates and maintains the budget and benefit model / tracking / reporting - as required. The incumbent is required to have previous experience managing and leading initiatives across business and support units, and handling medium size projects; and as such, must be flexible and comfortable dealing with change/ambiguity. Budgets are different for each initiative, as per agreed plan or business case. The incumbent is evaluated based on the success of achieving each project/initiative on time, on budget and in scope.

Education / Experience / Other Information

The following skills, education and experiences are desired:

Skills:

1. Project Management and Execution: success in leading and managing complex projects, demonstrating PMO methodologies for plan, risk, issue, and decision management and reporting.
2. Executive Communications: strong content creation and presentation skills, to clearly capture, shape, and convey messages to an executive audience. High degree of bilingual Spanish/English proficiency. Excellent written/verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
3. Problem Solving Facilitation: ability to facilitate problem solving sessions and lead project team through a methodical approach to identifying, clarifying, and scoping issues, followed by solution definition and planning; strong analytical capabilities to model and solve problems individually.
4. Business Finance / Modeling Foundations: demonstrated understanding and application of fundamental finance knowledge; ability to create and/or manage basic financial or forecasting models for project planning and benefit tracking and reporting.
5. Self-starter with ability to balance competing/ conflicting goals of various stakeholders, requiring a mature, diplomatic approach and highly developed negotiation and influencing skills.
6. Advance English is preferable.

Education & Experiences:

1. Degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, Processes or related field. PMP or related certification not required but considered an asset.
2. Experienced in leading multi-disciplined projects, preferably in banking processes or financial sector.
3. 3-4 years as Project Manager working experience. Implementation/merger/integration projects and/or divesture would be an asset.

Working Conditions

Work in a standard office-based environment; non-standard hours could be a common occurrence. The incumbent must work under tight deadlines, conflicting priorities, and changing project requirements. Must be able to react quickly to resolve problems and work overtime on many occasions to meet project deadlines. The incumbent requires a high degree of adaptability for both meeting attendance and frequent "informal" checking on progress and "reality". Unplanned delays can cause disruption in personal lifestyle. Cultural differences and language barriers can add to mental stress and fatigue.