Role Overview
* The Data Strategy Lead / Data Product Manager is accountable for defining and driving the strategic direction of a specific data domain or capability within corporate banking. Acting as the strategic owner, this role ensures alignment with enterprise architecture, governance frameworks, and business priorities. It serves as a critical bridge between strategy and execution, empowering Agile delivery teams to build scalable, compliant, and high-quality data products that support business operations, regulatory obligations, and analytical needs.
* This role operates horizontally across delivery verticals under the ITGPST Data Strategy and Delivery organization, enabling consistent end-to-end data flow design patterns, reducing rework, and embedding modernization opportunities such as cloud migration, AI adoption, and data-as-a-product principles.
Required Skills & Experience
* Strategic Leadership: Proven ability to define and execute domain-level strategies in complex organizations.
* Global Payments Expertise: Deep understanding of payment rails, clearing/settlement, cross-border flows, correspondent banking, treasury/payments operations; ISO 20022, SWIFT MT/MX.
* Regulatory & Reporting Knowledge: PSD2/Open Banking, AML/Sanctions (GFCC), NFRR/FRR reporting controls, audit readiness; data retention/lineage requirements.
* Data Management Expertise: Canonical data modeling, shared contracts/APIs, event-driven and batch patterns, lineage/metadata, reference/master data, data quality controls.
* Governance Leadership: Design-pattern stewardship, control frameworks, standards enforcement, policy-to-implementation traceability.
* Enterprise Alignment: Collaboration with Enterprise Architects; blueprint adherence; PI Planning of strategic enablers (SAFe or similar).
* Product Management: Roadmap definition, value hypothesis, backlog curation, Epic/Feature acceptance criteria; use-case capture and prioritization for reuse and measurable value.
* Portfolio Intake & Discovery: Ability to challenge scope for simplification/modernization; dependency and risk management across CDPO verticals.
* Communication & Stakeholder Management: Executive-level storytelling, cross-functional influence, multi-location collaboration across EMEA and global teams.
* Experience: Typically 10+ years in data/architecture/product roles, including 5+ years in Payments/Treasury or banking; proven delivery in regulated environments.
About Us:
Ascendion is a leading provider of AI-first software engineering services. Our applied AI, software engineering, cloud, data, experience design, and talent transformation capabilities accelerate innovation for Global 2000 clients. Ascendion is headquartered in New Jersey. In addition to our remote/hybrid workforce, we have 30+ offices across the U.S., UK, Poland, Romania, India, Australia and Mexico. We are committed to building technology powered by Generative AI with an inclusive workforce, service to our communities, and a vibrant culture. For more information, please go to www.ascendion.com.
Please let me know the best time and number to connect with you or please give me a call on +44 20 3965 3724 or send your resume on (dhruti.ajmeri@ascendion.com) to discuss this further. Also, if you happen to know anyone who fits this role, please send us their resume. We do have a referral policy.