Strategy, Governance and Operations Lead in London

Who are we? At Finastra, we’re a global leader in financial services software, dedicated to expanding access to financial services and shaping what’s next for the industry. Our technology powers mission‑critical solutions across Lending, Payments and Universal Banking, supporting over 7,000 customers, including 80% of the world’s top 50 banks, in more than 110 countries.

We are looking for a Strategy, Governance and Operations Lead to join our Universal Banking organisation. This is a high‑impact, enterprise‑level role reporting directly to the Chief of Staff, sitting at the centre of strategy execution, governance, and value delivery for one of Finastra’s most important businesses. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who can combine strategic thinking with strong execution discipline, and who thrives in complex, matrixed environments with senior‑level exposure.

About the role: In this role, you will operate as a trusted execution partner to the Chief of Staff and the Universal Banking Leadership Team. You will play a critical role in translating strategy into action, bringing clarity, structure, and pace to strategic priorities, corporate development initiatives, and portfolio‑level delivery. You will act as a connector across strategy, corporate development, transformation, and PMO, ensuring leadership has a clear, decision‑ready view of priorities, progress, risks, and trade‑offs. While the role does not have direct people management responsibility, you will work closely with and provide direction to PMO and analytics talent based in our collaboration hubs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Partner closely with the Chief of Staff to shape and operationalise Universal Banking strategy and Leadership Team priorities.
• Translate strategic objectives into clear plans, milestones, sequencing, and success measures.
• Act as a senior, independent thought partner on strategic choices, execution risks, prioritisation, and trade-offs.
• Lead the development of high-quality Leadership Team materials, including strategy updates, QBRs, annual planning cycles, and offsite content.
• Ensure materials are insight-led, concise, and focused on enabling high-quality decisions.
• Shape agendas and narratives that drive clarity, alignment, and action at senior forums.
• Contribute to business cases, strategic rationale, and value creation narratives.
• Support integration planning and ongoing value realisation tracking in partnership with relevant teams.
• Own the end-to-end portfolio view of initiatives, ensuring clear prioritisation and capacity awareness, dependency and interlock management, early visibility of risks and issues, and a consistent delivery and reporting cadence.
• Design and maintain effective operational governance, including decision forums, escalation paths, and portfolio-level reporting.
• Improve execution discipline and transparency without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Influence and align senior stakeholders across product, technology, operations, and commercial teams.

What You Bring:

• Extensive experience in strategic planning, corporate strategy, corporate development, transformation, or top-tier strategy/management consulting roles.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving capability, with the ability to assess complex business issues, identify key trade-offs, and shape clear recommendations for senior leaders.
• Proven ability to translate broad strategic priorities into focused plans, sequencing, and execution choices that drive measurable business outcomes.
• Excellent analytical and synthesis skills, with the ability to distil large volumes of information into concise, insight-led, decision-ready materials.
• Strong commercial and organisational judgement, including experience supporting prioritisation, business cases, value creation narratives, and portfolio-level decision making.
• Proven ability to operate as a senior individual contributor in complex, matrixed organisations, influencing senior stakeholders without formal authority.
• Strong executive-level communication skills, with confidence shaping narratives, challenging constructively, and bringing clarity to ambiguous or fast-moving situations.
• Experience in financial services, enterprise technology, or other regulated environments is preferred.
• A pragmatic, outcomes-focused mindset with a strong sense of ownership, pace, and accountability.

We are proud to offer a range of incentives to our employees worldwide. These benefits are available to everyone, regardless of grade, and reflect the values we stand for:

• Flexibility: Enjoy unlimited vacation, subject to local regulations and business priorities. Benefit from hybrid working arrangements and inclusive policies such as paid time off for voting, bereavement, and sick leave.
• Well‑being: Access confidential one‑to‑one support through our Employee Assistance Program, connect with our network of Wellbeing Champions and Gather Groups, and take part in monthly events and initiatives designed to help you thrive—inside and outside of work.
• Health & Financial Security: Medical, life and disability insurance, retirement plans, lifestyle, and other benefits.
• Sustainability: Paid time off for volunteering and donation‑matching opportunities to support causes that matter to you.
• Inclusion: Get involved in our inclusion communities, such as Count Me In, Culture@Finastra, Proud@Finastra, Disabilities@Finastra, and Women@Finastra—open to everyone who wants to participate and contribute.
• Career Development: Access online learning and accredited courses through our Skills & Career Navigator tool.
• Recognition: Take part in our global recognition program, Finastra Celebrates, and share your voice through regular employee surveys that help shape our culture and ways of working.

At Finastra, each individual is unique—bringing their own ideas, perspectives, cultural backgrounds, and experiences. We learn from one another, value what makes us different, and create an environment where everyone feels included, supported, and able to be their authentic selves.

Be unique. Be exceptional. Help us make a difference at Finastra.