Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation

SMBC Group is a top-tier global financial group. Headquartered in Tokyo and with a 400-year history, SMBC Group offers a diverse range of financial services, including banking, leasing, securities, credit cards, and consumer finance. The Group has more than 130 offices and 80,000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (SMFG) is the holding company of SMBC Group, which is one of the three largest banking groups in Japan. SMFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York (NYSE: SMFG) stock exchanges.

In the Americas, SMBC Group has a presence in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Backed by the capital strength of SMBC Group and the value of its relationships in Asia, the Group offers a range of commercial and investment banking services to its corporate, institutional, and municipal clients. It connects a diverse client base to local markets and the organization’s extensive global network. The Group’s operating companies in the Americas include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC), SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., SMBC Capital Markets, Inc., SMBC MANUBANK, JRI America, Inc., SMBC Leasing and Finance, Inc., Banco Sumitomo Mitsui Brasileiro S.A., and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co., Ltd.

The anticipated salary range for this role is between $179,000.00 and $190,000.00. The specific salary offered to an applicant will be based on their individual qualifications, experiences, and an analysis of the current compensation paid in their geography and the market for similar roles at the time of hire. The role may also be eligible for an annual discretionary incentive award. In addition to cash compensation, SMBC offers a competitive portfolio of benefits to its employees.

Role Description

As part of SMBC Americas' strategy to build a commercially competitive, U.S. regulatory-based Commercial and Investment Bank, SMBC Americas Division has launched an organizational transformation initiative aligning all end-to-end efforts across the organization.

As part of SMBC Americas' strategic transformation, we are seeking a Senior Program Manager for delivering enterprise-wide Artificial Intelligence governance and enablement initiatives. This role will oversee end to end delivery of a portfolio of complex, cross-functional data and AI programs spanning strategy, governance, data management, risk assessments, training, and policy implementation. The ideal candidate will bring experience in AI governance, data management, regulatory compliance, and program delivery, with a proven ability to lead high-performing teams and drive strategic outcomes.

Role Objectives: Delivery

• Demonstrated ability to manage complex programs and projects end-to-end to drive strategic business outcomes in a cross-functional environment ensuring alignment to timelines, proactively addressing risks, and escalating issues to the right stakeholders at the right time
• Drive and maintain strategic roadmaps for AI Transformation, ensuring consistent program management practices including planning, budgeting, execution, risk mitigation, and stakeholder engagement
• Coordinate deliverables with cross-functional teams, manage interdependencies, and drive accountability and performance across the program team
• Serve as a senior liaison between business, technology, compliance, and risk teams to ensure alignment on project priorities
• Develop and maintain key project artifacts, including charters, business cases, status and governance materials to support effective program execution
• Champion AI governance and responsible AI principles and support the operationalization of enterprise AI capabilities across the organization
• Provide executive-level reporting and updates to senior leadership, including program progress, risks, and mitigation strategies
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to streamline processes, enhance controls, and improve quality and delivery efficiency
• Manage vendor relationships and external consultants supporting transformation and governance efforts
• Lead the coordination and execution of remediation activities related to regulatory findings and audit observations, ensuring timely closure, documentation, and sustainable control implementation
• Ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks such as BCBS 239, GDPR, OCC/SEC expectations, and internal audit standards
• Conduct governance reviews and ensure accurate project reporting, maintaining up-to-date data suitable for senior management oversight

Qualifications and Skills

• 12+ years of experience in program or portfolio management, with experience in regulatory compliance, and enterprise transformation.
• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams of program/project managers.
• Experience with AI governance and AI enablement.
• Knowledge of regulatory and audit-driven data requirements in financial services.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with experience presenting to executive leadership.
• PMP certification required; Agile/SAFe certification preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree in Business, Data Management, or related field preferred.

Additional Requirements

SMBC’s employees participate in a Hybrid workforce model that provides employees with an opportunity to work from home, as well as, from an SMBC office. SMBC requires that employees live within a reasonable commuting distance of their office location. Prospective candidates will learn more about their specific hybrid work schedule during their interview process. Hybrid work may not be permitted for certain roles, including, for example, certain FINRA-registered roles for which in-office attendance for the entire workweek is required.

SMBC provides reasonable accommodations during candidacy for applicants with disabilities consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please let us know at accommodations@smbcgroup.com.