Implementation Manager in Salford

About Finova

Finova is the UK's leading lending and savings technology provider, supporting one in every five mortgages nationwide. Our agile, cloud-native solutions enable over 60 banks, building societies, specialist lenders, equity release providers and a network of 2,400+ brokers to stay ahead in a competitive market. Built on open architecture and backed by deep industry expertise, our platform is designed to scale. Each year, we process over £50 billion in loans, manage nearly £50 billion in savings, and support the digital servicing of more than 650,000 UK borrower accounts. Be part of a team that’s driving innovation, enabling growth and shaping the future of UK lending.

About the Role:

As an Implementation Manager, you will join Finova's wider Release Team and report directly to the Senior Implementation Manager. In this role, you will sit at the central coordination point between Business Consultant, Test, and Engineering workstreams, serving as the dedicated owner for end-to-end release planning, readiness, and quality for BAU releases. Operating alongside Consultants and Quality Engineers, you will act as the key counterpart to Client Delivery Managers (CDMs) taking direct ownership of release scheduling, governance, and go/no-go decisions to ensure smooth, predictable client go-lives and free up delivery leadership.

About you:

• Proven Implementation Track Record: Extensive hands-on experience managing and executing end-to-end software releases and technical implementations within complex environments.
• Financial Services & FinTech Expertise: Deep domain experience in financial services or regulated software environments, with specialist knowledge in lending or mortgage platforms strongly preferred.
• Release Governance & Decision-Making: Demonstrated capability in setting release criteria, managing environment readiness, conducting defect/risk impact assessments, and confidently making binding go/no-go decisions.
• Cross-Functional Leadership Without Authority: Proven ability to drive alignment, sequencing, and accountability across disparate technical workstreams (Business Consulting, Quality Engineering, Software Engineering) without direct line management control.
• Client & Stakeholder Management: Excellent verbal and written communication skills with experience acting as a calm, authoritative point of contact for external clients during critical phases like UAT, rehearsals, and live cutovers.
• Technical Infrastructure Familiarity: Practical exposure to modern software delivery practices, including automated deployment pipelines, CI/CD tooling, and automated regression testing frameworks.
• Professional Qualifications: Relevant industry certifications in delivery or project management frameworks (e.g., PRINCE2, APM, Agile/Scrum) or equivalent demonstrable practical experience.

What will you be doing?

• Release Schedule Ownership: Direct, sequence, and optimise the BAU release pipeline, managing master slot allocations and cross-team dependencies to ensure smooth execution.
• Go/No-Go Governance: Enforce robust delivery entry/exit criteria, evaluate environment readiness, manage defect triage, and serve as the final authority on critical go/no-go decisions.
• Client Delivery Partnership: Act as the direct operational counterpart to Client Delivery Managers, providing single-point coordination for release timings and taking direct lead on unassigned client accounts.
• Cross-Discipline Orchestration: Align and sequence deliverables across Business Consulting, Test, and Engineering workstreams, maintaining pace and alignment without needing direct line authority.
• Live Deployment & Cutover Management: Lead critical client milestone activities including UAT support, dress rehearsals, and live cutover events with occasional on-site engagement.
• Delivery Standards Modernisation: Champion the continuous improvement of deployment practices, championing release automation and standardised frameworks to minimise overhead.

What We Offer:

• Hybrid working: We operate on a hybrid model that is primarily office-based, requiring three days in the office each week, with the flexibility to work remotely for the remainder.
• Private medical insurance: Comprehensive health cover, with the option to add your family to your plan, because your well-being matters to us.
• Life assurance & income protection: We provide life assurance and income protection to give you peace of mind for the future.
• Family friendly policies: Our enhanced family-friendly policy goes beyond maternity and paternity leave, offering paid time off for when plans change or alternative paths to parenthood are needed.
• Work from anywhere: Some thrive in the office, others at home — and many do best with choice. With approval, Finova employees can work abroad for up to 4 weeks each year.
• Flexible holiday package: Enjoy 25 days paid holiday allowance, plus all public holidays. And, you can rebook any public holidays for a day that aligns with your personal beliefs or celebration calendar. We also offer holiday trading allowing you to purchase or sell your holiday allowance.
• Company pension scheme: With salary exchange, you save on tax and can build a secure future.
• Employee assistance programme: We understand that mental health is just as important as physical health. Access to a 24/7 confidential counselling helpline ensures you have support when you need it.
• Electric car scheme: Get a brand-new electric vehicle with salary sacrifice as a benefit, paid for through your gross monthly pay, saving on Income Tax and National Insurance.
• Health cash plan: Our Health Cash Plan empowers you to prioritise your wellbeing by providing effortless reimbursement for everyday healthcare costs, from dental and optical visits to physiotherapy.
• Gym discounts: Achieve your fitness goals for less with GymFlex, which offers significant savings on annual memberships at over 3,000 gyms and leisure centers nationwide.
• Perks that matter: We fuel your day with a fully stocked pantry of fresh fruit and snacks and keep the team spirit high with weekly socials and events.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. If you’re passionate about this role but don’t meet all the criteria, please reach out, we’d love to discuss how your skills and experiences align with our needs.