Head of Automation - Director

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.

Role Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced, strategic and dynamic Head of Automation (Director) to partner with key departments across the EMEA region to lead and drive test and process automation across the Architecture & Engineering department, covering the full EMEA region. This is a technical leadership role that blends hands-on automation expertise with strategic vision, governance, stakeholder engagement, and programme delivery oversight in driving the automation strategy.

This pivotal role is accountable for the successful delivery of key vertical cross functional automation programmes covering Test Automation, Robotics Process Automation (RPA), Process Automation (BPM/Workflow), Infrastructure Automation, Data Automation, CI/CD & DevOps Automation, Monitoring & Alerting Automation and AI/ML Automation, effective team management, and comprehensive stakeholder engagement. The Head of Automation role will work closely with the bank’s senior management team to drive strategic initiatives and ensure alignment with organizational goals.

The successful candidate will be responsible for building, executing, and evolving the bank’s automation strategy across functional and non-functional testing covering UI, API, data, performance, and process automation, guiding teams in transitioning from manual testing to automation-led quality practices. The role spans building out frameworks, managing automation delivery workstreams, overseeing tool evaluation pilots, embedding governance, and defining the automation roadmap and metrics to maximise ROI.

Business Area

This role will sit within the Architecture & Engineering area of our Information Technology and Security Department.

Reporting to the EMEA Head of Architecture & Engineering, the role requires constant communication with business partners, engineering, infrastructure, security teams, external parties, intra-group outsourcing partners, global teams to deliver scalable, secure, and future-ready technology platforms.

Position Description

The Head of Automation function plays a critical role by ensuring that large scale multi region Architecture & Engineering automation projects are efficiently managed, ensuring programme health, managing risk, aligning strategic goals with delivery milestones, and reporting to senior leadership. You will collaborate with automation architects, automation engineers, developers, QA team, business sponsors, and global programme leads to ensure on-time, in-scope, and on-budget execution and delivery.

This role will drive successful implementation of Architecture & Engineering project contributions towards SMBC EMEA’s, Automation strategy, and QA related automation initiatives.

The role requires working without supervision and with limited guidance and has overall responsibility for all automation project outcomes. The incumbent should monitor the automation book of work for issues and risks and attempt to resolve, innovating to support the overall project mission and escalating when appropriate. Providing accurate and detailed reporting to management, the Head of Automation understands the key business drivers and uses this knowledge to ensure project quality.

• Lead and support various EMEA Division strategic automation Projects and Programmes
• Influence, motivate and manage diverse teams across the EMEA organization, including representatives
• from a wide variety of departments across a range of corporate grades to ensure timely delivery of required
• results with least possible impact on the bank’s business and customers.
• Plan and drive completion of all outcomes and/or deliverables including the business case, regulatory
• requirements, programme/project roadmap, benefits baseline, budget, development, testing, deliverables implementation and handover into business as usual.
• Identify and then judge when to escalate risks and issues and their associated mitigation plans to the C-level Sponsors and appropriate committees in order to prevent impact or additional risk.
• Ensure that all deliverables achieve compliance for the organisation, are firmly within current market practise and can withstand formal regulatory scrutiny.
• Leads delivery of large-scale implementation of multi region impacting projects and programmes. Usually with an IT Investment budget in excess of $1M.
• Drives Architecture & Engineering automation workstream for EMEA region
• Works autonomously, steering automation projects through issues but maintaining an open dialogue with management and escalating as appropriate

Responsibilities include:

1. Strategic Leadership & Governance
2. Technical Strategy & Frameworks
3. Automation Delivery Management
4. Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
5. People Leadership
6. Resource & Vendor Management
7. Risk & Issue Management
8. Financial Management & Budget Oversight
9. Metrics, KPIs, Reporting & Documentation

Experience and Skills

Knowledge & Experience:

• Significant experience within Automation, with proven experience in leadership roles within global investment banks.
• Proven expertise in designing test automation frameworks using C# and Java across UI, API, and data layers.
• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines, Gitlab, containerisation (Docker/Kubernetes), Bamboo/Azure DevOps.
• Experience leading automation (Centre of Excellence) CoE
• Expertise in UiPath and Tungsten Automation
• Experience leading automation tooling evaluations, and vendor negotiations.
• Deep experience in establishing automation KPIs and reporting dashboards using tools like JIRA
• Familiar with regulatory and audit expectations such as FCA/PRA, EBA, DORA, ECB and SOX.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and presentation skills up to MD/Board level.
• Exposure to RPA platforms (e.g., UiPath) and process automation design.
• Understanding of data quality automation, test data management, and synthetic data generation.
• ISTQB Advanced Test Automation Engineer or equivalent certifications.
• Experience with enterprise test management tools such as Xray, JIRA, Gitlab, Azure Cloud etc.

Education & Qualifications:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent working experience.
• ISTQB Advanced Test Automation Engineer or equivalent certifications.
• Certified Advanced RPA Professional or equivalent certifications
• Lean Six Sigma

Soft Skills:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate appropriate, concise, and accurate information.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, in particular service orientation, organisational awareness, and people empathy.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Ability to operate sensitively and effectively in a multicultural environment.
• Results driven, with a strong sense of accountability.
• The ability to manage large workloads and tight deadlines.
• The ability to operate with urgency and prioritise work accordingly.

Competencies

Customer Focus

Driving Change

Driving Results

Embraces Diversity

Enterprise Leadership

Judgement and Decision Making

Risk Management

Strategic and Visionary

Trust and Integrity

What we offer

For all the expertise and experience you bring to help us make a difference, it’s only sustainable if we support you to build your career and be your best self so we offer competitive company benefits, centred around promoting positive well-bring and work-life balance. We also believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, where all team members perspectives and contributions are valued. Initiatives in place which promote a diverse and inclusive culture and healthy work life balance include hybrid working, Sport & Social Clubs and Diversity and Inclusion networks

As an employee of SMBC you have access to a host of both useful and exciting benefit offerings. See below some of the benefits on offer to you:

• Hybrid and flexible working
• Competitive paid leave days
• Benefits to support your physical wellbeing, including private medical insurance and life and invalidity insurance
• Various policies to support your mental wellbeing, including a robust behavioural health network with counselling and coaching services
• Access a wide range of learning and development opportunities and career progression opportunities
• Ambitious remuneration package

So, if you like a challenge and want to continuously grow and develop in a role where you will be supported along the way by a dynamic and diverse team, apply today!!

We recognise our role as a bank to support social change and welcome all applications, including those from groups often under-represented in financial services. We value the uniqueness of professional and personal, backgrounds and perspectives as they play a vital role in continuing the sustainable growth of our organisation. We’ll ensure reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process are offered due to a disability or long-term condition whenever requested.