At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative projects to shape the future of financial services and create compelling venture propositions.
- Company: Join Lloyds Banking Group, a leader in transforming finance for good.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, generous pension, flexible working, and 30 days holiday.
- Other info: Inclusive workplace with strong focus on diversity and career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of innovation and make a real impact in the financial sector.
- Qualifications: Creative thinker with experience in corporate innovation or strategy consulting.
The predicted salary is between 78100 - 91880 £ per year.
End Date: Friday 20 March 2026
Salary Range: £76,194 - £89,640
Flexible Working Options: Job Share
Location: Manchester
Salary: £78,098 - £91,880
Hours: Full time
Working Pattern: Hybrid, 40% (or two days) in office a week.
About us: We’re on an exciting journey to transform our Group and the way we’re shaping finance for good. We’re focusing on the future, investing in our technologies, workplaces, and colleagues to make our Group a great place for everyone.
About this opportunity: Lloyds Banking Group is scaling its disruptive innovation capability using Spark, our evidence‑led venture‑building framework spanning Explore → Accelerate → Commercialise. As part of the Venture Strategy team, you will own and lead end‑to‑end Explore phases, shaping opportunity areas linked to our 2030 strategy and turning ambiguity into compelling, venture‑ready propositions. Your work will directly accelerate our ability to generate and advance Horizon 2 and Horizon 3 opportunities aligned with our mission to shape the future of financial services for LBG.
What You’ll Do:
- Lead high‑energy Explore cycles, turning ambiguous opportunity spaces into sharp, insight‑driven directions for LBG’s future ventures.
- Decode emerging trends, customer behaviours, technology shifts and regulatory forces to spot bold opportunities with real strategic edge.
- Unearth deep customer insight through targeted discovery and jobs‑to‑be‑done research, surfacing pains, needs and 10x moments worth solving.
- Map LBG’s internal superpowers — data, capabilities, channels and relationships — to define where we can create disproportionate advantage.
- Work across silos to co‑create breakthrough concepts, shaping multi‑disciplinary opportunities that couldn’t exist within a single business unit.
- Conduct market, competitor and ecosystem analysis to identify whitespace, disruptors and partnership potential.
- Shape high‑conviction venture briefs and early business models, translating insights into clear value propositions, target segments, and strategic narratives.
- Feed Explore insights into the wider Group Innovation portfolio, supporting our mission to shape the future of financial services through Horizon 2 and Horizon 3 innovation.
What you’ll need:
- Creative, divergent thinker with the ability to generate bold ideas, then converge into structured hypotheses backed by evidence.
- Commercially rigorous strategist with strong modelling capability and the ability to connect opportunity, business model and market logic.
- Detail‑orientated system thinker, comfortable synthesising complex internal and external data into simple, compelling narratives.
- Highly effective facilitator and storyteller who brings cross‑functional groups together and influences at all organisational levels.
- Hands‑on venture shaper who loves ambiguity, designs experiments, and moves fast with evidence.
Useful experience:
- Experience in corporate innovation, venture studios, business design, strategy consulting or product strategy with a focus in financial services.
- Experience creating business models, value propositions, market analyses and early commercial assessments.
- Familiarity with financial services, fintech, and the technology landscape.
- Strategic foresight or emerging‑tech analysis experience aligned to corporate innovation trends.
It would be great if you also had:
- Track record of shaping early opportunities into investable venture briefs, with clear evidence of what was validated, invalidated or killed.
- A portfolio of successful innovation projects demonstrating impact on business growth.
- A track record of building strong relationships with external partners and ecosystem players.
- Familiarity with lean start up methodology.
What great looks like (first 6–12 months):
- Support team delivery of ~30 sharp venture opportunities across LBG, with strong evidence and sponsor engagement.
- Deliver a 2027–2030 venture thesis that articulates future markets, customer shifts and LBG’s right‑to‑win in key opportunity spaces.
- Produce Explore outputs that reduce time to validate and increase promotion rates into POV with strong business sponsorship.
- Develop reusable Explore toolkits, AI‑accelerators and synthetic‑testing frameworks that materially improve team speed.
- Achieve recognition as a trusted strategic thinker, with BUs proactively seeking Explore cycles from GI.
About working for us: We’re inclusive, building an organisation that reflects modern society and celebrates diversity in all its forms. We are disability confident and provide reasonable adjustments to support all applicants and employees.
Benefits:
- Generous pension contribution of up to 15%.
- Annual bonus award, subject to Group performance.
- Share schemes including free shares.
- Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping.
- 30 days’ holiday, with bank holidays on top.
- Range of wellbeing initiatives and generous parental leave policies.
Venture Strategy Lead in Manchester employer: Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Banking Group is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in Manchester that fosters innovation and collaboration. With a strong commitment to employee growth, flexible working options, and a comprehensive benefits package including generous pension contributions and wellbeing initiatives, we empower our team to shape the future of financial services while enjoying a healthy work-life balance. Join us in our mission to transform finance for good, where your creativity and strategic thinking will be valued and rewarded.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Venture Strategy Lead in Manchester
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect with potential colleagues on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their mission and values, especially how they align with your own. This will help you tailor your responses and show that you're genuinely interested in being part of their team.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your storytelling skills! Be ready to share specific examples of your past experiences that demonstrate your skills and achievements. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to keep your answers structured and impactful.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up after interviews! A simple thank-you email can go a long way in leaving a positive impression. It shows your enthusiasm for the role and keeps you fresh in their minds as they make their decision.
We think you need these skills to ace Venture Strategy Lead in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Creative Side:As a Venture Strategy Lead, creativity is key! Make sure your application reflects your ability to think outside the box. Share examples of bold ideas you've generated and how they turned into structured strategies.
Be Evidence-Based:We love data-driven decisions! When writing your application, back up your claims with solid evidence. Highlight any experience you have in market analysis or creating business models that demonstrate your commercial rigour.
Tell a Compelling Story:Your application should read like a story. Use clear narratives to connect your experiences with the role's requirements. Show us how your journey has prepared you to shape the future of financial services at LBG.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the table!
How to prepare for a job interview at Lloyds Banking Group
✨Know Your Venture Strategy
Before the interview, dive deep into Lloyds Banking Group's venture strategy and their Spark framework. Understand how they approach innovation and be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their goals of shaping the future of financial services.
✨Showcase Your Creativity
As a Venture Strategy Lead, creativity is key. Prepare examples of how you've turned ambiguous ideas into structured, evidence-backed propositions. Be ready to share specific instances where your innovative thinking led to successful outcomes.
✨Master the Art of Storytelling
You’ll need to influence cross-functional teams, so practice telling compelling stories about your past projects. Highlight how you’ve facilitated collaboration and brought diverse groups together to achieve common goals, especially in complex environments.
✨Prepare for Market Insights
Brush up on current trends in financial services and fintech. Be prepared to discuss how you've conducted market analyses and identified opportunities in the past. Showing that you can decode customer behaviours and emerging trends will set you apart.
