Project Manager - Capital Markets

We are seeking an experienced Payments Technical Project Manager to support a major ISO 20022 initiative within a Global Markets environment.

The successful candidate will lead complex payments technology initiatives from initial planning through implementation and post-production stabilization. This role will work closely with business, technology, operations, architecture, risk, compliance, security and third-party teams to deliver secure, resilient and reliable payment solutions.

The ideal candidate combines strong project management and delivery leadership skills with a practical understanding of payments technology, systems integration, testing, operational readiness and regulatory controls.

Key Responsibilities

Project & Delivery Leadership

• Own end-to-end project delivery, including scope, timelines, milestones, dependencies, resources and budgets.
• Establish project governance, reporting and decision-making processes.
• Manage risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies, escalating and resolving challenges as required.
• Coordinate delivery across business, technology, operations, architecture, testing, security and control teams.
• Track project progress against timelines, quality standards and agreed outcomes.
• Manage scope and change control throughout the project lifecycle.

Payments Technology Delivery

• Lead technology projects involving payment processing, clearing and settlement, payment platforms, APIs, messaging, reconciliation and operational tools.
• Work with architects and engineering teams to understand system interfaces, integration patterns and technical dependencies.
• Support initiatives involving domestic, cross-border, real-time and account-to-account payments.
• Coordinate technology changes involving payment gateways, fraud and sanctions screening, customer channels, data platforms and third-party providers.
• Ensure payment exceptions, investigations, returns, repairs and reconciliation requirements are addressed as part of solution delivery.

Testing & Implementation

• Develop and manage comprehensive test strategies covering system integration, end-to-end, performance, resilience, security and UAT.
• Coordinate test environments, test data, defect management and business sign-off.
• Ensure payment volumes, message formats, settlement behavior and reconciliation processes are appropriately tested.
• Lead implementation planning, including cutover, communications, rollback and contingency plans.
• Manage post-implementation reviews, hypercare and transition to business-as-usual support.

Stakeholder & Vendor Management

• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders and cross-functional delivery teams.
• Translate complex technical information into clear business impacts, options and recommendations.
• Manage vendors and third-party partners, including deliverables, milestones, risks and dependencies.
• Facilitate workshops and help resolve competing priorities.
• Provide clear, concise and timely project status reporting.

Required Qualifications & Experience

Must Have

• 10+ years of project or program management experience, preferably within financial services or payments.
• Proven experience delivering complex technology projects from initiation through implementation.
• Strong experience managing cross-functional teams and delivery partners without direct reporting authority.
• Demonstrated experience managing project risks, issues, dependencies, governance and senior stakeholder reporting.
• Strong understanding of production implementation, operational readiness and post-release support.
• Experience working with Agile, Waterfall or hybrid delivery methodologies.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize competing demands, make clear recommendations and drive issues through to resolution.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with domestic or cross-border payments.
• Knowledge of ISO 20022, SWIFT, real-time payments, payment gateways or account-to-account payments.
• Experience with clearing and settlement processes.
• Exposure to fraud detection, sanctions screening, payment reconciliation or payment investigations.
• Experience with cloud platforms, microservices, APIs or event-driven architectures.
• Experience working with major technology vendors or payment processors.
• PMP, PRINCE2, AgilePM, Scrum or similar project/delivery certification.