Purpose of the role
To enable the success of senior executives by helping navigate complex challenges, make informed decisions and deliver against their strategic objectives.
Accountabilities
* Strategic support to senior executives, including assistance in the development and execution of in‑year and multi‑year business strategy, research, and analysis to support decision‑making and acting as delegate in specific situations.
* Management of colleague engagement planning in line with strategic direction, managing communication channels and ensuring effective coordination across departments and teams.
* Management of key projects and strategic initiatives on behalf of senior executives, ensuring projects are on track, monitoring progress, and providing regular updates to the executive team.
* Improvement of operational efficiency alongside functional partners, identifying areas for improvement, streamlining processes, and implementing best practices to enhance productivity and effectiveness.
* Development of performance reporting for key metrics that reinforce the division’s strategic objectives and support external commitments.
* Analyse and draw insight to drive performance.
* Involvement in aspects of financial analysis and budget management, including assistance in financial planning, forecasting, cost management and monitoring financial performance against targets.
* Support senior leadership to ensure appropriate resourcing across the business/function, partnering with HR to drive talent development and succession planning, and supporting leadership development and diversity initiatives.
* Support the senior executive with risk and control oversight, escalation, crisis management and risk mitigation, development of contingency plans, coordination of responses to emergencies, and ensuring business continuity.
* Implementation of a robust governance framework supporting the board of directors, executive forums and governance committees, through preparation of board materials, organisation of meetings and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
Director Expectations
* Manage a business function, providing significant input to function‑wide strategic initiatives, contributing to and influencing policy and procedures for the function, and planning, managing and consulting on multiple complex and critical strategic projects which may be business‑wide.
* Manage the direction of a large team or sub‑function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned with the values of the business.
* Act as a deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross‑functionally, and leading organisation‑wide projects as an individual contributor.
* Train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long‑term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions.
* Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function‑wide strategic initiatives.
* Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub‑function.
* Escalate breaches of policies and procedures appropriately; foster and guide compliance; ensure regulations are observed and relevant processes are in place to facilitate adherence.
* Focus on the external environment, regulators or advocacy groups to monitor and influence on behalf of the organisation, when appropriate.
* Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / group to achieve overall business objectives.
* Maintain broad, comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within the discipline, and stay up‑to‑date with sector developments.
* Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in complex or sensitive situations.
* Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and strategic recommendations within own area.
* Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
* Act as the principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions or business divisions.
* Serve as a spokesperson for the function and business division.
* Demonstrate the key leadership behaviours: Listening, Energising, Aligning, Developing.
* Demonstrate respect, integrity, service, excellence and stewardship, and embody the organisational mindset of empowerment, challenge, and drive.
Essential Skills / Basic Qualifications
* Experience supporting Board and Board Committees (or equivalent regulated governance forums).
* Experience in payment acquiring, fintech, digital banking, or platform‑led businesses.
* Experience standing up a new office/PMO/governance function (operating model, roles, templates, playbooks).
* Familiarity with performance management and metrics‑information design (KPIs/OKRs, balanced scorecards, dashboards).
* Experience leading a small team and managing through influence across a matrix.
* Significant experience running a senior executive office, secretariat, governance or COO‑style function in a complex organisation.
* Strong capability operating management systems (forums, cadence, packs, action/decision tracking, escalation paths).
* Proven ability to produce and quality‑control board/ExCo‑ready papers, agendas, minutes and decision logs with high accuracy.
* Outstanding organisation, prioritisation and follow‑through including action discipline, risk/issue tracking.
* Excellent stakeholder management with confidence operating with CEO/ELT‑level counterparts; ability to challenge appropriately.
* High standards of judgement, confidentiality and discretion.
* Strong written communication: crisp synthesis, clear narrative, decision‑focused documents.
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