Operational Effectiveness Manager in Swindon

Now is an exciting time to work in Finance and get involved in a multi-year transformation that will shape the future of Finance in Nationwide and Virgin Money.

This role sits in the Future Capabilities and Operations team in Finance and as an Operational Effective Manager, you’ll play a critical part in co-ordinating the change required by Finance to support group-wide integration activity. You’ll work collaboratively with subject matter experts across Finance and key strategic integration programmes - to deliver an ambitious change agenda, influence decisions at the highest level and provide oversight for every stage of the journey.

If you thrive in a changing environment, enjoy navigating ambiguity, want to make complex simple and want to make a lasting impact on the future of our organisation, then this role offers an exceptional opportunity to do this.

We are happy to consider flexible working approaches to help you perform at your best.

The working hours (per week) for this role can be between 28 and 35 hours.
This is a 24-month secondment opportunity.

At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this job you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, based at either our Swindon, Glasgow or London office. If you’re based at our Glasgow office, this will apply from 1 April 2027 and ahead of that there will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration events. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.

Whilst these locations are where we are primarily looking to fill the role, if you’re an internal applicant based in a different location we would welcome your application and if successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this could work for this specific role. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.

Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of our employees impacted by change, as such applications for redeployment candidates will be prioritised in this recruitment process.
If you’re a colleague on long-term absence (for example, on parental leave) or a temporary worker, please use your personal email address to submit an application.

What you’ll be doing

In this role, you'll play a key part in shaping and delivering the Finance change agenda, supporting one or more strategic integration programmes. Working at the heart of Finance, you'll help turn business priorities into clear delivery plans, ensuring progress is tracked, risks are managed and key updates are shared with senior leaders.

You'll bring people together to solve problems, remove barriers and keep work moving forward. From managing budgets and resource requirements to supporting delivery decisions and escalations, you'll help maintain momentum against agreed priorities while ensuring Finance remains focused on what matters most.

You'll champion the Finance function's priorities, helping colleagues understand the wider picture and bringing clarity where there is ambiguity. Drawing on information from multiple sources, you'll use sound judgement to build practical plans, make informed recommendations and support stakeholders through change.

The role also involves analysing data and insights to identify trends, opportunities and risks, using your findings to create high-quality communications that are tailored to different audiences. Working closely with colleagues across Finance, the wider business and project management teams, you'll build strong relationships and represent Finance in programme and business forums, working alongside senior stakeholders to help deliver successful outcomes.

About you

You will be an individual who is determined and passionate to make a difference to the Function.

You will:

• Understand the Finance and Treasury Function. This will be obtained via experience of either supporting or working in or adjacent to the function or through academic studies.
• Be able to evidence a successful track record of managing complex change initiatives.
• Be a strategic thinker who is able to support stakeholders to prioritise conflicting priorities and challenge them to think beyond the short-term and/or tactical.
• Have excellent change management skills and be able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Show experience in planning and decision-making within ambiguous environments.
• Have advanced problem-solving skills, with the ability to think laterally and connect the dots.
• Have excellent communication, technical, analytical, interpersonal, and influencing skills and be able to quickly forge strong relationships with technical experts.
• Have advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills and be able to demonstrate these skills through experience of gathering information from various sources and presenting this simply and concisely to audiences at differing levels, up to ExCo level.
• Have used the Society’s Change Frameworks and supporting technology such as Jira and Confluence.
• Be able to manage a budget and resource plans efficiently.

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind

• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand

• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development

• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The extras you’ll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• 25 days holiday, pro rata

• Private medical insurance

• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement

• Access to an annual performance-related bonus

• Training and development to help you progress your career

• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme

• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death

• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness

• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society

We forge our own path at Nationwide.

As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.

If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.

At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.

We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.

What to do next

If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us.

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.

The hiring manager for this role is Victoria Hyland, and the main recruitment contact is Kris Mason.