Transformation Manager

The Transformation Manager is the execution backbone of ARM’s Strategy & Transformation function. The role exists to bring structured delivery discipline, rigorous problem-solving, and hands-on execution support to the CEO-prioritised transformation initiatives that underpin ARM’s FY2026 executive scorecard.

This is not a project management role. The holder will diagnose execution bottlenecks, design workable solutions alongside BU teams, drive initiatives through resistance, and hold BU counterparts accountable for delivery - all without line authority. The role demands someone who has both shaped recommendations at consulting-grade standard and landed change inside a real business, with the scars to prove it.

Responsibilities

Key Relationships

• Head of Strategy & Transformation - line manager; sets transformation priorities and reviews portfolio
• BU Managing Directors and initiative sponsors - primary working relationship on active initiatives; the holder operates as the CEO’s execution partner inside BU-owned work
• BU initiative leads and workstream owners - day-to-day counterparts for initiative delivery
• Group CEO - periodic reporting on transformation portfolio progress; escalation on genuinely stuck items
• Strategy team colleagues - integration between strategic direction and transformation execution

Core Responsibilities

Transformation initiative delivery. Own the execution rigor on a CEO-prioritized subset of BU-owned transformation initiatives. This includes structuring the initiative into deliverable workstreams, establishing milestones and tracking cadence, diagnosing execution bottlenecks as they emerge, and driving resolution. The holder does not own the initiative (the BU does) but is accountable for the quality and pace of execution discipline applied to it.

Problem-solving and solution design. When an initiative stalls, the holder diagnoses root cause (whether capability, resourcing, political, or design) and works with BU counterparts to build a workable path forward. This requires consulting-grade problem structuring applied in an operating environment where the holder has no positional authority and cannot simply recommend; they must land.

BU engagement and accountability. Work directly with BU initiative leads and sponsors to maintain momentum. Hold BU counterparts to commitments on timelines, data provision, and resourcing, escalating only when organic traction has been exhausted. The holder’s standing comes from the quality of their contribution and the credibility of their judgment, not from hierarchy.

Portfolio monitoring and reporting. Maintain a clear, honest view of the transformation portfolio - what’s on track, what’s drifting, and what should be escalated or killed. Prepare portfolio updates for the Head of Strategy & Transformation and for CEO-level reviews. The holder is expected to call problems early and honestly, not to present optimistic narratives.

Transformation methodology and tools. Bring and adapt structured transformation approaches - initiative charters, milestone frameworks, risk and dependency tracking, benefits realization - appropriate to ARM’s operating context. Avoid imposing heavyweight methodology for its own sake; the standard is what accelerates delivery, not what produces the most documentation.

Capability transfer. Build transformation execution capability within BU teams over time. The long-term measure of success is not that the holder is indispensable, but that BU teams are materially more capable of executing change after working with them.

Success Criteria

At 12 months, the holder is expected to have:

• Delivered measurable progress on all CEO-prioritized transformation initiatives, with BU sponsors confirming the quality of execution support
• Established a functioning transformation portfolio tracking and reporting cadence accepted by the Head of Strategy & Transformation and the CEO
• Earned standing with BU MDs and initiative sponsors as a credible execution partner, measured by BU engagement quality, not by volume of deliverables produced
• Built a working relationship with the Transformation Analyst that enables delegation of workstream-level execution

Requirements

Experience and Background Required

• 7-8 years of experience combining management consulting and operational/line experience
• At least 3 years at a top-tier consulting firm (PwC, EY-Parthenon, Deloitte S&O, KPMG) or equivalent
• At least 2 years in a line role, transformation role, or operating role inside a business, not advisory-only
• Demonstrated experience delivering transformation or large-scale change initiatives end-to-end, including managing through organisational resistance
• Financial services exposure, preferably in asset management, banking, pensions, or adjacent sectors
• Direct experience working with senior executives; confident holding ground at MD and C-suite level

Strongly Preferred

• Experience in the Nigerian or broader African financial services market
• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification from a leading institution
• Prior experience in a group-centre or shared-services transformation role within a holdco structure

Competencies

Influence without authority. This is the binding competency. The holder will operate inside BU-owned initiatives with no line authority over BU teams. They must drive execution through the quality of their problem-solving, the clarity of their communication, and the trust they build with BU counterparts. Candidates whose transformation experience has been exclusively from positions of hierarchical authority will struggle in this role.

Execution tenacity. The ability to stay with a problem through resistance, ambiguity, and partial information, and to keep pushing for resolution when it would be easier to escalate, defer, or declare the problem someone else’s. This is the trait that distinguishes operators from advisors.

Diagnostic rigour. Consulting-grade problem structuring applied to execution problems, not just strategy problems. The holder must be able to take an initiative that is “stuck” and decompose the blockage into addressable components - quickly, under pressure, with imperfect data.

Pragmatism. The holder must be able to distinguish between what ARM needs and what best practice says. Transformation methodology is a tool, not an end. The right answer is the one that lands in ARM’s operating environment, not the one that looks best in a framework.

Political awareness. Transformation work in a Holdco environment with regulated subsidiaries is inherently political. The holder must read organizational dynamics accurately, anticipate resistance, and navigate stakeholder complexity without being captured by any single constituency.

Communication and presence. Ability to produce clear, honest portfolio updates for CEO-level consumption. Capacity to hold a room with senior executives and to deliver difficult messages - initiative delays, sponsor underperformance, kill recommendations - without flinching.

Why This Role

This is the first dedicated transformation hire in a newly combined Strategy & Transformation function reporting to the Group CEO. The holder will shape how ARM builds transformation capability from the ground up - defining methods, setting standards, and demonstrating what good execution looks like in ARM’s environment.

ARM’s FY2026 scorecard carries 6-8 transformation threads simultaneously, with active CEO sponsorship and an improving performance management culture. The Transformation Manager will operate at the centre of this agenda, with direct visibility to the CEO and influence across all three BUs. For someone with the right profile, this is an opportunity to build something from scratch in an organisation that is ready for it.