About the job

Term: 9 months
Location: Kuwait City, Kuwait
Division: Retail Banking
Reports to: Business Head - Retail Banking
Relevant experience: Minimum 10 years in project/programme management; minimum 5 years in retail banking M&A/PMI

Mandatory requirements

• Proven, hands-on retail bank merger integration experience (Day 1 readiness through post-merger stabilisation)
• Experience operating or establishing an Integration Management Office (IMO)
• English fluency (Arabic preferred)
• Immediately available

Purpose of project

As part of the retail bank merger, this role is responsible for owning and managing all technology and technical product elements of the integration programme. The technical product manager bridges the gap between business integration objectives and technical execution - defining the technology roadmap, managing system integration work streams, and ensuring seamless delivery of core banking, digital, and data migration components across the merging entities.

Key activities

• Own the technology integration roadmap from discovery through to live cutover and post-migration stabilisation
• Lead API mapping, system architecture design, and integration specifications across all platforms
• Manage core banking system integration, digital channel consolidation, data migration, and infrastructure cutover
• Coordinate with engineering teams, technology vendors, and business work stream leads to align technical deliverables to programme milestones
• Define and maintain integration playbooks, API specifications, technical run books, and cutover plans
• Monitor system performance (latency, reliability, transaction integrity) during and post-integration

Core responsibilities

• Technology strategy & roadmap ownership - Define, own, and execute the technology integration strategy and product roadmap, aligning to the merger's business objectives, regulatory requirements, and IT architecture standards. Prioritise technology workstreams to maximise integration velocity and minimise customer disruption.
• Core banking & system integration - Lead the integration of core banking platforms, digital channels, payment systems, and data infrastructure across the two merging entities. Manage vendor relationships with core banking providers, ensuring timely certifications and technical sign-off at each integration milestone.
• Product lifecycle management (SDLC) - Drive end-to-end product delivery using Agile and SDLC best practices - from requirements gathering and technical design, through development, UAT, and live deployment. Maintain integration backlogs, sprint plans, and release schedules in tools such as Jira and Confluence.
• Stakeholder engagement & technical communication - Act as the primary liaison between senior business stakeholders, engineering teams, IT vendors, and compliance/legal. Translate complex technical dependencies into business-friendly language for SteerCo and executive audiences.
• Data migration & quality assurance - Oversee end-to-end data migration strategy, including data mapping, cleansing, reconciliation, and post-migration validation. Ensure data integrity and regulatory compliance (GDPR, local data residency laws) throughout.
• Risk, performance & continuous improvement - Identify, assess, and mitigate technology risks (integration failures, system downtime, data loss). Monitor live integration performance metrics and iterate rapidly to resolve issues, ensuring system reliability and SLA adherence post-cutover.

KPIs

• Percentage of technology milestones delivered on schedule and within budget
• System uptime and availability during cutover windows (target: 99.9%+)
• Data migration accuracy rate (target: 100% reconciled with zero data loss)
• Number of integration defects / severity-1 incidents post-cutover
• API integration delivery timelines vs. plan
• Time to complete core banking system cutover vs. target
• Business stakeholder satisfaction with technical delivery (SteerCo rating)

Knowledge and experience

• 8+ years of product management or technology delivery experience in fintech, banking, or financial services
• 3+ years leading integrations with banks, payment processors, or core financial systems
• Strong hands-on knowledge of core banking platforms (e.g., Temenos T24, Oracle FLEXCUBE, Finacle, Mambu, Fiserv, Jack Henry)
• Expertise in payment rails: SWIFT, SEPA, ACH, RTP, and local real-time payment schemes
• Experience with data architecture, pipelines, and cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP)
• Solid understanding of SDLC, Agile methodologies, and DevOps practices
• Experience working in regulated banking environments - familiar with regulatory technology requirements and compliance obligations during system transitions

Mandatory skills

• Proven experience managing technology integration workstreams in a banking M&A or large-scale transformation context
• Hands-on technical fluency with core banking platforms, APIs, and system architecture
• Track record of end-to-end product lifecycle management in regulated financial environments
• Familiarity with payment rails (SWIFT, ACH, local real-time payment schemes), data migration, and digital channel consolidation
• Agile/SAFe certified (PMI-ACP® or equivalent); TOGAF or ITIL