The Programme Manager - Protect Integration will play a pivotal role within the Economic Crime First Line Protect function, leading the integration of Virgin Money’s financial crime and fraud capabilities into a unified, scalable and future ready control environment. This is a high impact position at the heart of one of the largest integration programmes in UK financial services, shaping how we safeguard members and strengthen our Economic Crime framework for years to come.
You will oversee both Change and Run teams, ensuring delivery is well governed, transparent and aligned to strategic priorities. The role requires disciplined programme management, strong risk oversight and the ability to produce clear, insightful reporting for senior leaders. You’ll champion a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, balancing regulatory expectations, capacity considerations and long-term roadmap outcomes while keeping the member experience at the centre.
This is an exceptional opportunity to deepen your expertise across retail and business banking, financial crime and fraud, while contributing directly to the continued growth of Nationwide. You’ll be instrumental in ensuring the Economic Crime workstream runs smoothly throughout the integration, gaining exposure to complex challenges and meaningful transformation that will shape the organisation’s future.
This is a 24-month Fixed Term Contract opportunity.
At Nationwide, we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK-wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.
For this job, you'll be assigned to our nearest regional hub. There will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration events in one of our office sites. This is anticipated to be in any of our UK offices. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works.
If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.
You’ll lead a complex, high‑profile programme that unifies financial crime and fraud processes, systems and controls across two organisations. This means coordinating diverse teams, aligning activity to shared goals and ensuring delivery remains steady, transparent and well‑governed. You’ll keep risks and issues clearly understood and acted on, while managing the flow of people, skills and resources so the programme stays focused on the right priorities.
Your work will involve overseeing budgets, monitoring attrition and ensuring the programme has the capability it needs at every stage. You’ll turn detailed, technical activity into simple, senior‑ready updates that clearly show progress, challenges and outcomes, supported by strong management information. Your ability to bring clarity and structure will help senior leaders make confident decisions.
You’ll also partner closely with business and technology teams to embed controls that are resilient, auditable and aligned to regulatory expectations. This role is central to building a safe, compliant and future‑ready organisation, ensuring the integrated financial crime environment is robust from day one.
As a minimum you will have:
Integration delivery - Proven experience leading formal integrations or post‑merger programmes within financial services, with a strong track record in large‑scale transformation at senior level and exposure to Economic Crime activity
Economic crime transformation - Background in major Economic Crime programmes spanning AML, sanctions and fraud prevention, ideally gained within high‑profile merger or acquisition environments, with programme management expertise that adapts confidently to varied subject matter
Budget governance - Strong capability in forecasting, cost control and financial reporting, ensuring disciplined financial management across complex programmes
Workstream management - Experience coordinating multiple teams, managing dependencies and navigating intricate delivery landscapes to keep programmes aligned and on track
Executive reporting - Ability to produce clear, concise and senior‑ready reporting packs for leadership and Boards within regulated environments
Economic crime knowledge - Solid understanding of AML, sanctions, fraud and anti‑bribery controls, with the ability to apply this knowledge in a practical, delivery‑focused context
Programme management certification - Formal accreditation such as PRINCE2, MSP or PMP, or equivalent hands‑on experience gained through leading complex programmes
Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:
Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind
Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand
Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development
Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes
You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.
There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:
30 days holiday, pro rata
Access to private medical insurance
A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement
Access to an annual performance-related bonus
Training and development to help you progress your career
A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death
Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness
Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year
We forge our own path at Nationwide.
As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.
If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.
At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.
We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.
If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us.
We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.
Please note that should you be successful in securing this role, the job title on our internal systems will be Programme Manager.
