Program Manager

TEKsystems•La Cañada Flintridge, CA

6d•$60 - $80•Remote

About The Position

East West Bank is seeking an experienced Sr. Project Manager to support a newly established strategic Cross-Border Payments Program. This individual will work closely with the Program Manager, technology leadership, and business stakeholders to drive delivery of key payment initiatives, operational enhancements, and new capabilities across the organization. The ideal candidate brings deep payments industry experience, strong project delivery expertise, and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments. This role will focus on coordinating large-scale payments initiatives while partnering with teams across the U.S. and China to ensure successful execution and program alignment. This position is expected to begin as a contract engagement with strong potential for conversion to a full-time employee.

Requirements

7+ years of Project Management or Program Management experience.
Proven experience delivering payment-related initiatives within banking, financial services, fintech, or payments organizations.
Strong understanding of payment systems, payment operations, and payments product delivery.
Experience managing large, cross-functional projects involving multiple business units.
Excellent stakeholder management and executive communication skills.
Experience coordinating initiatives with global teams across multiple time zones.
Ability to independently drive project execution in a highly visible environment.
Willingness to travel to Pasadena, CA periodically, especially during onboarding and relationship-building phases.

Nice To Haves

Experience with cross-border payments.
Mandarin Chinese language proficiency (conversational or business level preferred).
Knowledge of China-based payment ecosystems and international banking operations.
Experience supporting real-time payments initiatives.
Experience with FX (Foreign Exchange) programs or international treasury/payment services.
Banking industry experience strongly preferred.
PMP, PgMP, Agile, or similar project management certifications.

Responsibilities

Lead and deliver 2-3 concurrent strategic payments projects within a larger enterprise program.
Partner closely with the Program Manager to support overall program governance, reporting, planning, and execution.
Drive project schedules, milestones, dependencies, risks, and issue resolution.
Coordinate cross-functional teams across business, operations, technology, and executive stakeholders.
Support implementation of new cross-border payment capabilities and operational improvements.
Manage strategic initiatives including real-time payments, foreign exchange (FX) expansion, and international payment enhancements.
Facilitate communication between U.S.-based teams and stakeholders located in China and Hong Kong.
Prepare status updates, executive communications, project documentation, and governance materials.
Identify process improvement opportunities and help mature project and program delivery practices.
Build strong working relationships with stakeholders to establish credibility, trust, and alignment across the organization.