Operations Planning Department - Business Architect - Vice President - SMBC

SMBC: A trusted partner for the long term
Here at SMBC Group, we want to help you find the next step in your career so read on to discover if this opportunity is the one for you. We like to recognise potential in our people, so we welcome your application even when your experience doesn't perfectly align with the job description. Whilst we'll always strive to be better, we're proud of our inclusive culture, and encourage our applicants and colleagues to be their authentic, unique selves.
Who we are
United by a sense of purpose towards our customers - to be a trusted partner for the long-term - and our universal banking platform in EMEA, SMBC Group has an international growth agenda and award-winning products, meaning we provide exciting opportunities to work on a diverse range of projects and initiatives. We deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers as well as investment banking and advisory services, and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets. Read on to find out how you could enhance your skills and gain valuable experience, by joining us to support our clients transition to a sustainable future.
Purpose of Job

• This role will be responsible for:
  • Designing the Target State Business Architecture (capability map, operating model, value streams, business services model etc.) for SMBC EMEA (all departments and functions; all legal entities and branches).
  • Collaborating with the Technology, Data Architects, Compliance and Risk SMEs, Business stakeholders etc. to develop a holistic Target State design (encompassing business architecture, technical architecture and data architecture) that enables the business strategy of SMBC EMEA.
  • Recommending a roadmap to implement the Target State Business Architecture (i.e., sequencing the work to deliver the target state whilst balancing the competing requirements to maximise business outcomes and minimise cost, delivery time and project risks).
  • Supporting the project and programme teams in ensuring that their design is consistent with the Target State Business Architecture and Roadmap.
  • Developing, maintaining and driving best practice across business design and process engineering.

• This role requires close collaboration with senior stakeholders across all Departments within EMEA.

Background

• S&T is a significant part of the business growth strategy, with various projects across operating model, new products, infrastructure and processes with multi-year coverage
• The Transformation and Change Management Group has been established to drive and govern the prioritisation and governance of transformation initiatives and ensure that change investment in EMEA enables the EMEA business strategy and delivers the specified transformational business outcomes.
• The Business Design team are a key part of the Transformation and Change Management Group lead the work to support target state design and then lead the work to design the Target State Business Architecture with a focus on near term priorities for 2025/26 delivery and then evolve this to give a multi-year view.
• The Business Design team also support more detailed work for Transformation projects and programmes on an ongoing basis to ensure that their design solutions align with the Target State Business Architecture and Roadmap.

Facts and Scale

• Successful design and delivery of the Target State Business Architecture and associated artefacts is a business-critical activity and key to delivering the strategic objectives of SMBC EMEA.
• The scale of the Transformation activity will vary over time, however it is expected to require a budget of greater than USD 100 million per annum.

Accountabilities and Responsibilities

• The Business Architect in the Business Design team will be responsible for:
  • Design of the EMEA Target State Business Architecture (capability map, operating model, value streams, business services model etc.). This will be done in collaboration with other departments and functions in EMEA and in collaboration with other regions and will require orchestrating and co-ordinating work across these areas. This is also likely to require assisting departments and functions to clarify their business strategy in order to provide sufficient detail to support the target state design.
  • Development of the Roadmap to deliver the Target State Business Architecture.
  • Development and maintenance of the Current State Business Architecture to a level of detail sufficient to inform the target state design and the development of the Roadmap.
  • Collaboration with the Technology, Data, Compliance and Risk to develop a holistic target state design (encompassing business architecture, technical architecture and data architecture) that enables the business strategy of SMBC EMEA.

• A key feature of the role will be to participate in development and maturing a sustainable business architecture capability.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience and Qualifications

• Business Architecture Design. Experience of designing organisation-wide, multi-entity, target state business architecture (capability map, operating model, value streams, business services model etc.) that is informed by, and aligned with, macro business strategy.
• Business Analysis. Experience of how to best gather requirements and build business process designs to support lower level design and delivery activities.
• Strategic thinking. Evidence of the ability to understand and influence business strategy and the ability to create strategic transformation strategies and design target state business architecture. Experience of doing this in Financial Services (ideally at a significant, multi-entity, wholesale/universal bank).
• Senior Stakeholder Management. Proven ability to build positive working relationships with senior stakeholders and capable of influencing to gain agreement and resolve conflicting priorities in ambiguous environments.
• Communication. Excellent communication skills. Able to communicate effectively at all levels of the organisation. Able to convey complex topics simply and to articulate issues in a way that eases decision making and drives action.
• Influence. Able to influence at all levels of the organisation. Able to mobilise and align resources across the organisation- especially in teams outside of the direct reporting line.
• Industry Knowledge. In-depth knowledge of best practice across the financial services industry (and beyond) and an ability to utilise that knowledge to enhance the capability at SMBC.

Challenges