At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive strategic initiatives and lead cross-business projects for significant growth.
- Company: Join Citi, a global leader in financial services with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, generous holiday allowance, and hybrid working model.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the financial markets while developing your career.
- Qualifications: Experience in Sales & Trading or strategy, with strong analytical and communication skills.
Are you looking for a career move that will put you at the heart of a global financial institution? By joining Citi, you will become part of a global organisation whose mission is to serve as a trusted partner to our clients by responsibly providing financial services that enable growth and economic progress.
Team Overview: Strategic Business Initiatives
The Strategic Business Initiatives (SBI) team is part of the broader Innovation and Business Development group for Markets. We are a newly setup team with a mandate to drive coordinated growth across the franchise through cross-business partnership and execution. We partner closely with business, sales and functional heads to understand their objectives and identify priority areas, informed by deep analysis of market structure, trends, and emerging opportunities. The team is responsible for generating insight, championing cross-business opportunities, and executing a prioritized set of initiatives end-to-end to deliver tangible upside to business returns.
Role Overview:
We are seeking a Senior Vice President/experienced VP to join this high-impact team. This role is responsible for identifying, developing, and executing strategic initiatives that drive significant growth and competitive advantage for the Markets franchise. The ideal candidate will be dynamic, entrepreneurial and with a proven track record in strategy or execution within the Sales & Trading landscape. You will be responsible for turning market opportunities into action, managing complex projects that span multiple business lines and functions, and influencing a broad range of senior stakeholders across the Markets business. This role requires a combination of strategic insight, commercial acumen, analytical rigor, and execution discipline.
What you'll be doing:
- Strategic Opportunity Identification: Partner with senior business and sales heads and product managers across Markets to identify strategic opportunities, white-space areas, and potential threats. Lead deep-dive analyses on market structure, competitive dynamics and evolving client needs to inform business strategy.
- Initiative Development & Execution: Originate, structure, and champion high-impact, cross-business initiatives that may not have a natural owner within a single business line. Develop robust business cases, financial analysis, and strategic rationale to secure buy-in and investment for new initiatives. Lead and manage the end-to-end execution of a portfolio of strategic projects, from initial concept and planning through to implementation, delivery, and results tracking.
- Thought Leadership & Stakeholder Alignment: Develop and syndicate thought leadership and insight on key market trends and their implications for the Markets franchise. Build and maintain a network of strong relationships with key stakeholders across businesses to ensure coordinated, franchise-wide impact. Prepare and deliver high-quality presentations and communications for senior management and various governance forums.
What we'll need from you:
- Experience: Several years of experience in a relevant field such as Sales & Trading or a product area within Markets, strategy, business development, innovation or management consulting within the financial services industry. Direct experience in Markets is highly preferred. Proven track record of leading and delivering complex, cross-functional projects with measurable business impact.
- Knowledge & Skills: Understanding of Markets products (Equities, Rates, FX, Spread, Commodities, Financing), market structure, and institutional client segments. Exceptional analytical, quantitative, and problem-solving skills. Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and build consensus among senior stakeholders with diverse objectives. Strong commercial judgment and the ability to translate strategic concepts into tangible actions. Self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset; comfortable with ambiguity and adept at navigating large, complex organizations. High degree of intellectual curiosity and a passion for driving growth in financial markets.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, or an MBA is preferred.
What we can offer you:
We work hard to have a positive financial and social impact on the communities we serve. In turn, we put our employees first and provide the best-in-class benefits they need to be well, live well and save well. By joining Citi London, you will not only be part of a business casual workplace with a hybrid working model (up to 2 days working at home per week), but also receive a competitive base salary (which is annually reviewed), and enjoy a whole host of additional benefits such as:
- Generous holiday allowance starting at 27 days plus bank holidays; increasing with tenure
- A discretional annual performance related bonus
- Private medical insurance packages to suit your personal circumstances
- Employee Assistance Program
- Pension Plan
- Paid Parental Leave
- Special discounts for employees, family, and friends
- Access to an array of learning and development resources
Alongside these benefits Citi is committed to ensuring our workplace is where everyone feels comfortable coming to work as their whole self every day. We want the best talent around the world to be energized to join us, motivated to stay, and empowered to thrive.
Strategic Business Initiatives Lead - Senior Vice President in London employer: CitiGroup
Citi is an exceptional employer that offers a dynamic work environment where employees can thrive and make a significant impact in the investment banking sector. With a strong focus on professional development, team collaboration, and community engagement, associates are empowered to grow their careers while contributing to meaningful projects within the Consumer, Luxury & Retail team. Located in a vibrant city, Citi provides unique opportunities for networking and exposure to leading global consumer players, making it an ideal place for ambitious professionals seeking rewarding employment.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Strategic Business Initiatives Lead - Senior Vice President in London
✨Join Product Management Meetups
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We think you need these skills to ace Strategic Business Initiatives Lead - Senior Vice President in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Product Passion:When applying for a product management role like Strategic Business Initiatives Lead - Senior Vice President, let your passion for developing products shine through in your cover letter. Share specific examples of products you've managed, how you solved user needs, and any successful outcomes you've achieved. This is your chance to showcase your understanding of the product lifecycle!
Highlight Your Cross-Functional Skills:Product management isn't just about understanding the product; it’s about collaborating with different teams! Make sure to emphasise your experience working with developers, designers, and marketers. Use your CV to showcase your ability to bridge gaps between these areas, and include relevant experiences that demonstrate your communication and leadership skills!
Include Your Metrics and Achievements:In a full-time product management application, data speaks volumes! Quantify your achievements wherever possible. Did you increase user retention by a certain percentage? Launch a product ahead of schedule? Include these metrics in your CV to paint a picture of your impact and effectiveness in previous roles.
Tailor Your CV to the Role:Make sure your CV is tailored for the Strategic Business Initiatives Lead - Senior Vice President position at CitiGroup. Use keywords from the job description and ensure your relevant experiences are front and centre. Highlight any certifications or relevant training you’ve completed that will make you stand out as a strong candidate for the role. And remember, we’re excited to see your application on our website!
How to prepare for a job interview at CitiGroup
✨Understand the Product Life Cycle
As a product management candidate, we need to get our head around the complete product life cycle. Be prepared to discuss real-world examples of how you’ve managed product development from ideation to launch. Bring specific insights on tools like JIRA or Trello that can help streamline these processes.
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Product management is all about collaboration. We should be ready to highlight how we’ve worked across teams—think marketing, engineering, and design. Prepare to discuss scenarios where you had to mediate differing opinions and how you got everyone on board with a shared vision.
✨Prepare for Case Studies
In a full-time role, we can expect to encounter case study questions during our interviews. Practise solving hypothetical product problems on the spot, such as prioritising features for a new app or improving user engagement metrics. This will show our analytical thinking and decision-making skills.
✨Know Your Metrics
Let’s face it, numbers are our best friends in product management. We should prepare to discuss key performance indicators (KPIs) and how we've used analytics to inform product decisions. Dive into examples where data has driven our strategy for improvements or justified product changes.
