Services Onboarding Transformation Program Manager

About the Role: Services Onboarding Transformation Program Manager at Citi

The Investor Services Onboarding Transformation initiative aims to establish a standardized, scalable, and efficient onboarding model across Custody, Funds, Securities Finance, CitiService, and Coverage teams. This transformation focuses on simplifying processes, clarifying ownership through well-defined roles and responsibilities, strengthening governance, enhancing tooling, and improving the overall client experience.

A dedicated Program Manager (PM) is crucial for the successful delivery of this transformation due to its scale, complexity, and cross-functional nature. The Program Manager will provide structured oversight, ensure alignment across stakeholders, and maintain delivery discipline across the program’s many interdependent workstreams.

This Director (C15) role is responsible for leading day-to-day program execution, driving governance and decision cadence, managing cross-workstream dependencies, and ensuring successful adoption and global rollout while safeguarding Business-as-Usual (BAU) onboarding delivery.

Core Competencies

• Program & Portfolio Leadership: Leads complex, multi-year transformation programs involving multiple workstreams, vendors, and technology dependencies; establishes disciplined delivery, planning, and reporting.
• Operating Model Design: Shapes and implements end-to-end Target Operating Models (TOM), including RACI, process taxonomy, standard operating procedures, and control alignment.
• Governance & Executive Communication: Builds and runs effective governance across ExCo/Steering/Operating Committees; produces concise materials, escalations, and decision logs.
• Stakeholder Management & Influence: Aligns senior stakeholders across Sales, Product, Onboarding, Operations, Technology, and Utilities; drives outcomes through influence and credible challenge.
• Change & Adoption Management: Drives change impact assessment, communications, training, readiness, and phased rollout to BAU.
• Risk, Controls & Issue Management: Maintains a strong control mindset; anticipates risks and manages issues, mitigations, and dependency blockers with transparency.
• Data & Process Standardization: Promotes standard definitions, product catalogues, and KPI frameworks to improve accuracy, reduce ambiguity, and enable scalability.
• Tooling & Workflow Enablement: Partners with Technology to deliver workflow automation, intake/deal tracking, reporting dashboards, and testing frameworks.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the integrated program plan across Operating Model, Tooling, Functional Execution, Operational Readiness, and KPI/Reporting workstreams; manage milestones, interdependencies, critical path, and resourcing.
• Coordinate across global functions (Sales, Product, Services Onboarding, Custody, Funds, Securities Finance, CitiService/Coverage, Technology, and Utilities) to ensure synchronized design and implementation.
• Establish and run the governance cadence: prepare materials for ExCo, Steering Committee, Operating Committee, and workstream forums; maintain RAID, decision logs, action tracking, and escalation pathways.
• Drive delivery of a unified Target Operating Model (TOM) and supporting SOPs, RACI, process maps, and controls; ensure consistent sign-offs and auditability.
• Lead implementation of Single Intake & Deal Management, including landing slots, triage/prioritization mechanisms, and standardized mobilization practices.
• Oversee development and adoption of standardized product catalogues detailing services, platforms, reporting formats, data requirements, and transfer mechanisms.
• Partner with Technology to deliver integrated workflow and tooling improvements, including automation, data/process quality controls, status tracking, and reporting dashboards.
• Ensure operational readiness: training, procedure rewrites, readiness criteria, test frameworks, connectivity/migration coordination, and cutover planning with minimal BAU disruption.
• Implement a harmonized change management framework to manage analysis, delivery, testing, documentation, and transition to BAU across Investor Services lines.
• Own the central KPI & reporting framework: define metrics, deliver dashboards and thematic insights, and enable continuous improvement across onboarding performance and lifecycle.
• Drive the adoption and implementation roadmap, including phased rollout, resource planning, risk/control updates, and post-implementation stabilization.
• Appropriately assess risk when business decisions are made, demonstrating particular consideration for the firm's reputation and safeguarding Citi, its clients and assets, by driving compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, adhering to Policy, applying sound ethical judgment, and escalating, managing and reporting control issues with transparency.

Key Focus Areas

• Unified Target Operating Model (TOM): Implement an end-to-end TOM across onboarding functions, standardizing activities, ownership, and process flows. Benefit: Eliminates fragmentation; provides transparency, clear accountability, and a repeatable, scalable model.
• Strengthened Governance Structure: Formalize governance across ExCo, Steering, Operating Committees, and workstreams for consistent oversight and rapid decision-making. Benefit: Enhances alignment, accountability, and transparency.
• Single Intake & Deal Management Process: Establish a unified intake mechanism to centrally log deals, assess against TOM and Product Catalogue, and mobilize through a standard landing slot process. Benefit: Improves forecasting, prioritization, and workload planning.
• Standardized Product Catalogues: Define granular catalogues covering services, platforms, reporting formats, data requirements, and transfer mechanisms. Benefit: Reduces ambiguity, accelerates setup, and removes interpretation errors.
• Integrated Workflow & Tooling: Deliver enhanced tooling and automated workflows to improve data/process quality, tracking, and delivery consistency. Benefit: Increases accuracy, reduces manual effort, and shortens cycle times.
• Operational Readiness Enhancements: Strengthen readiness across people, processes, controls, and testing to ensure stable execution. Benefit: Reduces operational risk and improves client experience.
• End-to-End Client Orchestration: Standardize orchestration across client instructions, migrations, testing, connectivity, and service readiness. Benefit: Creates a seamless onboarding journey across Investor Services.
• Harmonized Change Management Framework: Adopt a unified change model for analysis, delivery, testing, documentation, and BAU transition. Benefit: Provides predictable delivery, reduces rework, and improves cross-product alignment.
• Central KPI & Reporting Framework: Implement consistent metrics, dashboards, and thematic analysis across onboarding performance. Benefit: Enables data-driven decisions and continuous improvement.
• Adoption & Implementation Roadmap: Create a structured roadmap for resources, procedures, risk/control changes, and timelines for TOM deployment. Benefit: Ensures controlled, phased implementation with clear ownership.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of relevant experience in program management, transformation, operations, or product delivery within Services, TTS / Investor Services, Custody, Funds, or Securities Finance.
• Demonstrated experience leading global, cross-functional transformation programs with complex governance, technology delivery, and operational change components.
• Strong understanding of onboarding lifecycle, client implementation, service readiness, and associated risk and control considerations.
• Proven ability to define and implement Target Operating Models, standard processes/SOPs, and performance management/KPI frameworks.
• Experience partnering with Technology on workflow/tooling delivery (requirements, roadmap, testing, rollout) and data/process standardization.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills; ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive timely decisions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; comfortable with ambiguity and able to drive structured execution.
• People leadership capability (direct and/or matrix), including coaching, performance management, and team development as applicable.

Education

• Bachelor’s/University degree or equivalent experience; Master’s degree preferred.

Key skills/competency

• Program Management
• Transformation Leadership
• Operating Model Design
• Governance & Oversight
• Stakeholder Management
• Change Management
• Risk & Control
• Process Standardization
• Workflow Automation
• Client Experience