Director, Cost Management & Efficiency - CIB in Edinburgh
Director, Cost Management & Efficiency - CIB

Director, Cost Management & Efficiency - CIB in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Full-Time Home office (partial)
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead cost management and efficiency strategies in Corporate and Institutional Banking.
  • Company: Join Lloyds Banking Group, a leader in financial services with a commitment to diversity.
  • Benefits: Enjoy a generous pension, performance bonuses, 30 days holiday, and flexible working options.
  • Other info: Inclusive workplace with opportunities for growth and development.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on financial stewardship and shape the future of banking.
  • Qualifications: 5+ years in cost management and financial expertise required.

End Date: Wednesday 20 May 2026

Salary Range: £0 - £0

We support flexible working – click here for more information on flexible working options.

Flexible Working Options: Hybrid Working, Job Share

About This Opportunity

We’re seeking a Director, Cost Management & Efficiency to play a key role in shaping how Corporate and Institutional Banking (CIB) delivers disciplined financial stewardship. This is a senior, high impact role with significant visibility across CIB, responsible for strengthening cost rigour, improving workforce and investment decisions and ensuring alignment to CIB’s North Star strategy. Working closely with CIB Finance and senior collaborators, you’ll provide executive level insight and leadership to support informed decision making and sustained efficiency outcomes.

About The Role

As the Director, you’ll oversee direct and indirect cost performance, workforce planning and investment evaluations within the Strategic Cost & Investment team. You’ll ensure disciplined financial management through robust FTE modelling, cost/benefit planning and business unit cost assessment. You’ll act as a key partner to CIB Finance and senior collaborators, aligning cost actions and investment decisions with strategic priorities. The role also provides clear governance, executive‑ready insights and leadership communication to enable timely decisions and the sustained delivery of savings and productivity improvements.

The role will have a focus on:

  • Managing and maintaining a consolidated view of CIB direct and indirect costs, ensuring clear tracking against plan, forecast and outlook.
  • Establishing and maintaining cost control routines: run‑rate monitoring, variance analysis, drivers, and corrective action planning.
  • Partnering with Finance to ensure consistent treatment of costs, allocations/chargebacks, and standardised reporting definitions and methodologies.
  • Leading identification of structural cost opportunities (vendor, discretionary, real estate, technology run, third‑party services), including scenario analysis and prioritisation.
  • Leading workforce planning across CIB in partnership with HR and Finance, ensuring headcount/FTE plans align to strategy and capacity needs.
  • Building and maintaining FTE models (run rate, hiring/attrition, redeployment, location mix, contractor vs. perm, spans/layers impacts where relevant).
  • Transforming strategic plans into workforce demand and supply views, identifying risks, constraints and options (e.g., rebalancing, productivity levers, role rationalisation).
  • Providing forward‑looking insight on workforce cost drivers (compensation, benefits, contractors, overtime, vacancies) and implications for budgets and targets.

What We Need From You

  • Senior cost and financial management expertise (5+ years) - Experience in cost management, financial stewardship, or investment governance within a large, complex organisation (financial services preferred), with a strong track record of applying financial discipline to improve cost, workforce and investment outcomes.
  • Strong commercial and analytical judgement (5+ years) - Demonstrated experience applying commercial and financial judgement to complex cost and investment decisions, translating data, analysis and assumptions into clear options and recommendations for senior audiences.
  • Senior partnering and influence - Proven ability to build credibility and effective working relationships with senior leaders across Finance, HR and the business, providing challenge, aligning priorities and influencing decisions without direct authority.
  • Cost governance and control - Strong experience in cost governance, planning, tracking and reporting, with the ability to handle risks, dependencies and corrective actions through appropriate governance and executive forums.
  • Workforce planning and FTE modelling capability - Experience leading workforce planning and FTE modelling activities, including run‑rate analysis, demand and supply modelling, scenario planning and evaluation of productivity and capacity options.
  • Complex change and decision‑making in ambiguity - Experience operating in complex, evolving environments, making and standing behind decisions with incomplete information while sustaining progress across cross‑functional initiatives.

This Is A Place For You

Our ambition is to be the leading UK business for diversity, equity and inclusion supporting our customers, colleagues and communities, and we’re committed to creating an environment in which everyone can thrive, learn and develop. We were one of the first major organisations to set goals on diversity in senior roles, create a menopause health package, and a dedicated Working with Cancer Initiative. We offer reasonable workplace adjustments for colleagues with disabilities, including flexibility in office attendance, location and working patterns. And, as a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee interviews for a fair and proportionate number of applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role with a disability, long-term health or neurodivergent condition through the Disability Confident Scheme. We provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to reduce or remove barriers. Just let us know what you need.

We also offer a wide-ranging benefits package, which includes:

  • A generous pension contribution of up to 15%
  • An annual performance-related bonus
  • Share schemes including free shares
  • Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
  • 30 days’ holiday, with bank holidays on top
  • A range of wellbeing initiatives and generous parental leave policies

Ready to make an impact? Apply today!

At Lloyds Banking Group, we're driven by a clear purpose; to help Britain prosper. Across the Group, our colleagues are focused on making a difference to customers, businesses and communities. With us you'll have a key role to play in shaping the financial services of the future, whilst the scale and reach of our Group means you'll have many opportunities to learn, grow and develop.

We keep your data safe. So, we'll only ever ask you to provide confidential or sensitive information once you have formally been invited along to an interview or accepted a verbal offer to join us which is when we run our background checks. We'll always explain what we need and why, with any request coming from a trusted Lloyds Banking Group person. We're focused on creating a values-led culture and are committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the customers and communities we serve. Together we’re building a truly inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference.

Director, Cost Management & Efficiency - CIB in Edinburgh employer: Lloyds Bank

Lloyds Banking Group is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in Edinburgh, Bristol, or London with a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Employees benefit from a generous pension scheme, flexible working options, and a comprehensive wellbeing package, all while having the opportunity to grow and develop within a values-led culture that prioritises making a positive impact on customers and communities.
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Contact Detail:

Lloyds Bank Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Director, Cost Management & Efficiency - CIB in Edinburgh

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections on LinkedIn or through industry events. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can help you land that dream job.

✨Tip Number 2

Prepare for those interviews! Research the company and the role thoroughly. We want you to be able to speak confidently about how your skills align with their needs, especially in cost management and efficiency.

✨Tip Number 3

Showcase your achievements! When you get the chance to chat with potential employers, highlight your past successes in financial stewardship and workforce planning. We want them to see the value you can bring to their team.

✨Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we’re always looking for talented individuals who can make an impact in roles like Director of Cost Management & Efficiency.

We think you need these skills to ace Director, Cost Management & Efficiency - CIB in Edinburgh

Cost Management
Financial Stewardship
Investment Governance
Analytical Judgement
Commercial Judgement
Workforce Planning
FTE Modelling
Cost Governance
Variance Analysis
Scenario Planning
Stakeholder Management
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Decision-Making in Ambiguity
Executive Communication

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Director, Cost Management & Efficiency role. Highlight your relevant experience in cost management and financial stewardship, and don’t forget to mention how you align with our values at StudySmarter.

Showcase Your Achievements: When detailing your past roles, focus on specific achievements that demonstrate your expertise in cost governance and workforce planning. Use numbers and examples to illustrate how you've made a positive impact in previous positions.

Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language and avoid jargon where possible. We want to see your skills and experience shine through without any fluff!

Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. This way, you’ll ensure your application gets to the right people quickly. Plus, it’s super easy to do!

How to prepare for a job interview at Lloyds Bank

✨Know Your Numbers

As a Director in Cost Management, you’ll need to demonstrate your financial acumen. Brush up on key metrics related to cost performance and workforce planning. Be ready to discuss how you've used data to drive decisions in previous roles.

✨Showcase Your Strategic Thinking

This role requires a strong alignment with CIB’s North Star strategy. Prepare examples of how you've successfully aligned financial management with broader business strategies. Think about times when your insights led to significant efficiency improvements.

✨Build Relationships

You’ll be partnering with senior leaders across Finance and HR. Highlight your experience in building credibility and influencing decisions without direct authority. Share specific instances where your collaboration led to successful outcomes.

✨Prepare for Complex Scenarios

Expect questions that test your ability to make decisions in ambiguous situations. Reflect on past experiences where you navigated complex environments and made impactful decisions. Be ready to discuss your thought process and the results achieved.

Director, Cost Management & Efficiency - CIB in Edinburgh
Lloyds Bank
Location: Edinburgh

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