Our Purpose

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Title and Summary

Vice President, Value Management Office - Agile Program Management Office

Overview
Vocalink, a Mastercard company technologies power the UK’s real-time payments, settlements and direct debit systems, as well as a network of nearly 55,000 UK ATMs. We process over 90 percent of salaries, more than 70 percent of household bills and almost all state benefits.
This is a senior leadership role, accountable for guiding Vocalink Limited through the evolving landscape of Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) and driving the enterprise-wide adoption of Lean-Agile practices, in alignment with the Scaled Agile Framework for Enterprises (SAFe).

This senior role owns the strategy execution and governance of the Value Management Office and Agile Program Management Office and is accountable for ensuring that enterprise work is aligned to strategic priorities, optimised for flow, and governed with transparency and accountability.

This leader will act as a central catalyst for cultural and operational transformation, helping the organisation shift from traditional project-based delivery to a modern, product-centric, value-driven model. The VP, VMO-APMO will help institutionalise best practices, promote standardisation where valuable by championing Lean-Agile principles, operational excellence, and measurable business outcomes through collaboration across portfolio stakeholders, Agile Release Trains (ARTs), business units, and corporate governance functions.

Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Alignment & Portfolio Management
o\tDrive alignment between enterprise strategy and the portfolio of investments.
o\tLead enterprise-level portfolio planning, prioritisation, and funding decisions.
o\tEnsure visibility and traceability of value streams and epics to strategic goals.
o\tAct as executive sponsor and champion for Lean Portfolio Management practices.
Leadership & Transformation
o\tBuild and lead a high-performing Value Management Office (VMO) with a strong focus on coaching, governance, and coordination.
o\tGuide the cultural transition from project-based to product-based value delivery.
o\tServe as a trusted partner to senior leaders, fostering buy-in and alignment through gravitas, influence, and collaborative leadership.
Operational Excellence & Flow Enablement
o\tSupport and coordinate Agile Release Trains (ARTs) to ensure smooth value delivery across the enterprise.
o\tEstablish and maintain robust metrics and reporting frameworks to communicate agile delivery competency to executive leadership and stakeholders.
o\tPromote flow-based delivery models and continuous improvement practices.
o\tIntroduce and mature best practices and continual improvement across all VMO processes that can be measured and tracked to demonstrate the value proposition.
o\tLead cross-functional collaboration across business, technology, finance, and compliance teams to remove impediments and optimise performance.
o\tOwn and administer configuration and best practice adoption of delivery tools, SAFe certified training, playbooks, templated artefacts and standards to ensure consistent configuration, reporting and data quality.
Governance & Financial Oversight
o\tOversee portfolio-level governance, including budget management, compliance, audit readiness, risk management, and performance measurement.
o\tEstablish and maintain robust metrics and reporting frameworks to communicate portfolio value, progress, and outcomes to executive leadership and stakeholders.
Stakeholder Engagement
o\tInfluence senior executives, stakeholders and delivery teams to adopt and internalise Lean-Agile behaviours.
o\tProactively manage conflicts, misalignments, and change resistance through transparent dialogue and solution-focused facilitation.
o\tServe as a key voice in enterprise transformation programs and strategy execution forums.
Coaching & Capability Building
o\tBuild an ongoing coaching and support function for Agile roles (RTEs, Scrum Masters, Product Managers, etc.) even post-transformation to embed continuous improvement.
o\tDrive the adoption and evolution of Communities of Practice (CoPs) across the Value Lifecycle Layer.

Experiences
o\tExperience in portfolio management, program delivery, or enterprise transformation in large, complex organisations.
o\tSenior leadership experience with executive-level stakeholder interaction.
o\tProven experience leading Value Management Offices, APMOs, or Lean-Agile transformations.
o\tDeep understanding of Scaled Agile for Enterprises and Lean Portfolio Management practices.
o\tStrong financial acumen and governance expertise.
o\tExceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence at all levels.
o\tDemonstrated ability to manage organisational change and drive cultural transformation.
o\tExperience working in complex, regulated, or hybrid organisations.

Preferred:
o\tSAFe certifications (e.g., SAFe® RTE, SAFe® SPC, LPM).
o\tExperience in product-centric operating models or digital transformations.
o\tBackground in enterprise architecture, business strategy, or technology innovation.
o\tBachelors or Masters Degree in Business, Technology, or related field.
o\tMBA or equivalent advanced degree.

Corporate Security Responsibility

All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:

Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices;

Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;

Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and

Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.