Finastra—Strategic Partnerships Senior Specialist

Job description

Description: Who are we? At Finastra, we’re a global leader in financial services software, dedicated to expanding access to financial services and shaping what’s next for the industry. Our technology powers mission‑critical solutions across Lending, Payments and Universal Banking, supporting over 7,000 customers, including 80% of the world’s top 50 banks, in more than 110 countries. What will you contribute? Complete this section with a concise, high-level overview of what this role contributes to the organization. You may include who the role reports to, where it is located, and who or what it generally supports. Responsibilities & Deliverables: Own delivery quality and customer success for strategic, partner-led implementations, including multi-million-dollar implementation programs, protecting Finastra’s brand and improving customer outcomes.  - Lead the partner delivery and success agenda across the global Lending and Payments ecosystem, with accountability spanning implementation governance, delivery assurance, executive escalation, cloud migration and capability scale-up.  - Drive successful partner-engaged cloud migrations and transformations by orchestrating partners, hyperscalers and internal Product, Engineering, Services, Sales and Customer Success stakeholders.  - Build and scale 20+ strategic, certified and repeatable partner delivery practices that increase implementation capacity, consistency and independent delivery readiness.  - Create and institutionalize AI- and cloud-enabled implementation best practices, accelerators and reusable frameworks to improve delivery velocity, quality and risk management.  - Operate as the senior point of accountability for high-value partner delivery outcomes, making trade-off and intervention decisions where customer, commercial or reputational risk is Material. Key accountabilities & Decision ownership - Own multi-million-dollar implementation success: Establish delivery health, governance and assurance for flagship partner-led programs; intervene on material delivery risks; serve as executive escalation point; and hold partners and internal teams accountable for recovery and customer outcomes.  - Lead partner-engaged cloud migration and transformation: Set the delivery approach for cloud-first migrations, align partner and hyperscaler execution, remove cross-functional blockers, and drive readiness, quality and speed across migration waves.  - Develop 20+ strategic delivery practices: Select priority product and market domains; define practice entry criteria, certification, capacity and quality standards; approve practice maturity; and scale repeatable partner delivery capability across Lending and Payments.  - Build AI and cloud implementation frameworks: Sponsor new implementation methods, accelerators, governance controls and reusable assets that improve productivity, reduce execution risk and differentiate partner-led delivery.  - Own partner delivery governance: Define delivery scorecards, quality gates, escalation thresholds and review cadence; use delivery and customer indicators to direct corrective action and partner investment decisions.  - Drive implementation readiness and independent delivery: Establish the standards partners must meet before taking delivery ownership, including certified capacity, solution competence, implementation assets, quality controls and support model readiness.  - Influence portfolio and investment priorities: Translate delivery patterns and field experience into recommendations for Product, Engineering and Services priorities, including defects, tooling, migration accelerators and implementation enablement.  - Lead complex cross-functional outcomes: Align senior stakeholders across Product, Engineering, Services, Sales, Customer Success, Support and strategic partners where accountability is distributed and direct authority is limited.  - Protect customer and brand outcomes: Anticipate systemic delivery risk, lead resolution of business-critical customer situations, and ensure lessons learned are converted into scalable controls and best practices.  - Build executive partner accountability: Maintain senior relationships with SI leadership, agree joint success measures, challenge under-performance, and secure leadership action on delivery capacity, quality and strategic commitments.  Knowledge and Experience required: - 12-15+ years in banking technology, fintech, enterprise software, consulting or delivery leadership, including accountability for complex, global implementation programs.  - Proven leadership of multi-million-dollar customer implementations, transformations or recovery programs delivered through SI or consulting partners.  - Demonstrated experience leading cloud migrations or cloud transformation programs involving hyperscalers, enterprise platforms and multi-party delivery governance.  - Track record of building and scaling multiple partner or consulting delivery practices, including capability standards, certification, capacity planning, quality assurance and maturity governance.  - Practical experience applying AI, automation and cloud-native methods to implementation delivery, including accelerators, reusable assets, controls and adoption frameworks.  - Deep understanding of banking, Lending and Payments implementation lifecycles, customer transformation risks, enterprise architecture dependencies and partner delivery models.  - Experience influencing senior executives across Product, Engineering, Services, Sales, Customer Success and external partner organizations without relying on direct authority.  We are proud to offer a range of incentives to our employees worldwide. These benefits are available to everyone, regardless of grade, and reflect the values we stand for: Flexibility: Enjoy unlimited vacation, subject to local regulations and business priorities. Benefit from hybrid working arrangements and inclusive policies such as paid time off for voting, bereavement, and sick leave. Well‑being: Access confidential one‑to‑one support through our Employee Assistance Program, connect with our network of Wellbeing Champions and Gather Groups, and take part in monthly events and initiatives designed to help you thrive—inside and outside of work. Health & Financial Security: Medical, life and disability insurance, retirement plans, lifestyle, and other benefits.* Sustainability: Paid time off for volunteering and donation‑matching opportunities to support causes that matter to you. Inclusion: Get involved in our inclusion communities, such as Count Me In, Culture@Finastra, Proud@Finastra, Disabilities@Finastra, and Women@Finastra—open to everyone who wants to participate and contribute. Career Development: Access online learning and accredited courses through our Skills & Career Navigator tool. Recognition: Take part in our global recognition program, Finastra Celebrates, and share your voice through regular employee surveys that help shape our culture and ways of working. *Specific benefits may vary by location. At Finastra, each individual is unique—bringing their own ideas, perspectives, cultural backgrounds, and experiences. We learn from one another, value what makes us different, and create an environment where everyone feels included, supported, and able to be their authentic selves. Be unique. Be exceptional. Help us make a difference at Finastra.