Business Initiatives Manager - Innovation Leadership Program (iLead)

Western Alliance Bank•Phoenix, AZ

About The Position

This development program helps participants strengthen their business acumen, build practical credit skills, and develop an innovation‑focused mindset. Participants will gain a strong grounding in credit fundamentals, enhanced through a targeted development track that strengthens their credit expertise and prepares them to lead with insight and innovation. Training will also incorporate process optimization concepts, emerging uses of AI, and the essentials of change management to support well‑rounded, strategic decision‑making. Throughout the program, they will work on high‑impact projects that shape the future of Western Alliance Bank, accelerate their careers as innovation leaders, expand their professional networks, and engage closely with senior executives across the enterprise. IT Strategy & Portfolio Management Overview The IT Strategy and Portfolio Management function plays a critical role in defining, aligning, and executing Western Alliance Bank’s technology strategy. The team partners closely with leadership across Technology, Corporate Strategy, Finance, and business lines to ensure technology initiatives support enterprise objectives, drive measurable value, and maintain transparency across the project portfolio. Core responsibilities include developing the IT strategic plan, aligning the technology portfolio to corporate and IT OKRs, prioritizing investments, tracking initiative progress, ensuring governance discipline, and providing executive level reporting. As this function continues to mature and evolve, it is central to enabling a scalable, innovative, and strategically aligned technology organization. Track Overview The IT Strategy track will provide the participant with direct experience in defining IT strategy, aligning it to corporate goals, and understanding how strategic initiatives are prioritized, governed, tracked, and communicated across the enterprise. Because this function is in an active stage of growth and maturation, the iLead participant will have the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to building and evolving key processes. Throughout the program, the participant will learn how the bank executes its technology roadmap, supports enterprise OKRs, assesses initiative health, and ensures alignment with strategic priorities. They will collaborate with teams across IT, Strategy, Finance, and various business units on high visibility initiatives within the IT portfolio. This track offers a unique opportunity to gain insight into enterprise technology strategy, portfolio governance, and strategic execution while influencing how these capabilities develop for the future. This is an eighteen-month program that serves as a pathway into a long‑term career with Western Alliance Bank. After 12 months, participants may be considered for full‐time opportunities, contingent on performance and supported by our Talent team through the application and selection process.

Requirements

MBA or master's degree in a related field completed within the last three years and before the start of the program.
Two to five years of related experience in operations, financial services, project management, data analysis, risk management, technology/automation, or client facing leadership roles.
Demonstrated history of acting as a change agent and taking initiative.
Desire to innovate, disrupt, and improve.
Entrepreneurial mindset.
Demonstrated leadership, strong interpersonal skills, and ability to work effectively in a team environment.
Highly proficient in Microsoft Office (e.g., Excel) and other presentation tools.
Ability to work both independently and on cross functional teams.
Comfortable working in a rapidly changing environment.
Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information to diverse stakeholders.
Strong interest in operational excellence, service quality, and process improvement.
Ability to read and interpret policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
Analytical mindset with strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
Strong understanding of general banking operations, fraud mitigation, and quality control concepts (or ability to learn quickly).