Finance Program Manager Lead

We are seeking an accomplished Executive Director to lead complex programs within the Finance organization. The Executive Director will join our Centralized Management team as a Finance Program Manager Lead, overseeing other Program Managers, in the Centralized Finance Change team. You will serve as the primary point of contact across Finance functional groups (e.g. Product Control, Regulatory Reporting, Treasury, Financial Planning & Analysis) and partner with line of businesses (e.g. ISG, Wealth Management, Investment Management) and supporting functions (e.g. Operations, Technology, Risk, Legal and Compliance) during all phases of the program lifecycle. This role requires a blend of strategic oversight, disciplined execution, and a proactive approach to drive alignment, manage complex dependencies, and ensure successful delivery of multi-workstream regulatory and strategic initiatives impacting the Finance Division. The ideal candidate has program management skills with deep experience in Finance projects and a proven ability to drive transformation initiatives across diverse stakeholders.

In the Finance division, we act as a partner to business units around the globe by providing management, review, analysis and advisory services of the Firm's financial and capital resources. This is an Executive Director level position within the Portfolio & Change Management job family which manages strategic change management, process re-engineering, and establishment of control procedures for projects. Focus on milestone delivery across projects, manage risks and issues that impact program objectives, and facilitate communication across related projects and impacted stakeholders to keep programs on track.

Since 1935, Morgan Stanley is known as a global leader in financial services, always evolving and innovating to better serve our clients and our communities in more than 40 countries around the world.

What you'll do in the role:
- Serve as the primary point of contact for Finance leadership and cross-functional partners
- Collaborate with a varied group of colleagues in Finance and across the Firm
- Lead end-to-end processes and/or programs that require complex decision making, advanced understanding of client and stakeholder needs and subject matter expertise
- Understand and adhere to the Firm's risk and regulatory standards, policies and controls; own risk and contingency plans for business area
- Act as a role model and culture carrier; embody and set an example of the Firm's values and hold yourself and team accountable to Firm standards
- Align and coordinate activities across Finance functions (e.g. Product Control, Legal Entity Control, Regulatory Reporting, Treasury) and partner with impacted key stakeholders to ensure initiatives align with Finance strategic priorities and regulatory commitments
- Ensure dependencies and deliverables are clearly defined and managed
- Establish and chair cross-functional program governance forums (e.g. Steering Committees); preparing agendas, materials, and key updates to ensure updates, decisions, risks, and dependencies are effectively documented, tracked, and communicated
- Communicate program objectives, risks, and outcomes effectively
- Facilitate decision-making across stakeholders/leadership and escalate issues as needed
- Oversee project execution across all workstreams, ensuring adherence to agreed milestones, timelines, scope, and budget, with a focus on outcomes and business readiness
- Implement and maintain a comprehensive risk and issue management process, ensuring timely escalation and mitigation to senior governance bodies while adhering to the Firm's risk and regulatory standards, policies, and controls
- Implement reporting tools and dashboards for visibility into project health (e.g. structured program updates, dashboards, and executive summaries for Finance Leadership, Steering Committees, and C-suite stakeholders)
- Provide PMO Leadership and support to Project Managers by defining

What you'll bring to the role:
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, or related field; MBA preferred
- Expertise in program management methodologies (PMP, Agile)
- Excellent communication and facilitation skills
- Advanced understanding of Finance functional area, industry, and competitive environment and technical skills, including risks and key regulations relevant to the division
- Strong technical skills
- Ability to inspire and support others by providing positive and constructive feedback and to acknowledge efforts of and promote team members
- Ability to manage risk and impact to functional area, and create plans to mitigate those risks
- Demonstrated success leading programs that span multiple divisions and jurisdictions
- Strong executive presence, communication and stakeho