Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and deliver a multi-year simplification agenda for Retail, driving cost reduction and operational resilience.
- Company: Join a leading enterprise focused on innovation and transformation in the banking sector.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career growth opportunities, and a dynamic work environment.
- Why this job: Make a significant impact by shaping strategy and leading high-performing teams.
- Qualifications: Strong financial acumen and experience in enterprise-wide transformation programmes.
- Other info: Work in a collaborative London office with a focus on advanced automation and AI solutions.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Join us as a Simplification Programme Director. You’ll be fully accountable for the end to end leadership and delivery of Retail’s multi-year simplification agenda, driving structural cost reduction, operational resilience, and improved customer and colleague outcomes. The role operates at enterprise scale, shaping strategy, mobilising delivery, and ensuring clear financial ownership, disciplined investment management, and sustained benefits realisation.
This is your opportunity to build and lead a high‑performing programme leadership team, setting clear direction, pace, and accountability. You'll be required to work in our London office, 250 Bishopsgate a minimum of four days per week.
What you’ll do:
- Drive and lead the Retail simplification strategy, aligned to Group priorities, financial plans, and regulatory expectations.
- Own the investment envelope for the simplification portfolio, ensuring disciplined prioritisation, phasing, and reallocation of funding to maximise return on investment.
- Actively lead senior stakeholder engagement across COO, Technology, Data & AI, Finance, Risk, and business leadership to resolve trade‑offs and unblock delivery.
- Drive measurable benefits realisation, e.g. cost saves, process reduction, technology decommissioning and automation uplift, with transparent tracking and financial assurance.
- Provide single‑point accountability for a portfolio of complex, interdependent programmes delivering cost, complexity, and risk reduction.
- Sponsor and govern the responsible deployment of advanced automation and Agentic AI solutions as part of the simplification agenda, in line with risk, control, and regulatory standards.
- Ensure robust programme governance, financial control, and dependency management, operating within Group delivery, finance, technology, and risk frameworks.
The skills you’ll need:
- Strong commercial and financial acumen, with confidence in cost‑base discussions, investment trade‑offs, and return‑on‑investment optimisation.
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including constructive challenge at senior levels.
- Experience operating with clear cost and benefit ownership, working closely with Finance to ensure savings are credible, signed off, and embedded into the run‑rate.
- Proven track record of delivering material, quantifiable financial outcomes at scale.
- Extensive experience delivering enterprise‑wide simplification or transformation programmes within a complex, regulated banking environment.
- Strong understanding of bank financials, including cost‑base management, investment planning, capital considerations, and benefits realisation.
- A background in leading large‑scale transformation, simplification, or change portfolios.
- Strong understanding of operating models, technology landscapes, and end‑to‑end process design, including legacy complexity reduction.
Enterprise Simplification Director – Cost & Automation Lead employer: NatWest Group
Contact Detail:
NatWest Group Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Enterprise Simplification Director – Cost & Automation Lead
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to connections in the industry, attend relevant events, and don’t be shy about asking for informational interviews. The more people you know, the better your chances of landing that dream role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews! Research the company inside out, understand their simplification agenda, and think about how your skills can drive their goals. Practise common interview questions and have your own ready to show your interest.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your achievements! When discussing your experience, focus on quantifiable results you've delivered in previous roles. Use metrics to demonstrate how you've driven cost reduction or improved processes – it’s all about making an impact!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive and engaged with our brand.
We think you need these skills to ace Enterprise Simplification Director – Cost & Automation Lead
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV speaks directly to the role of Simplification Programme Director. Highlight your experience in leading transformation programmes and managing financial outcomes, as these are key for us.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain how your skills align with our simplification agenda and how you can drive measurable benefits. Keep it engaging and relevant to the job description.
Showcase Stakeholder Management Skills: We want to see your ability to engage with senior stakeholders. Include examples of how you've influenced decisions and resolved trade-offs in previous roles, as this is crucial for the position.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the table!
How to prepare for a job interview at NatWest Group
✨Know Your Numbers
As a candidate for the Enterprise Simplification Director role, you need to be well-versed in financial metrics. Brush up on key performance indicators related to cost reduction and investment returns. Be ready to discuss how you've previously driven measurable financial outcomes.
✨Stakeholder Engagement is Key
This role requires strong stakeholder management skills. Prepare examples of how you've successfully engaged with senior stakeholders in the past. Think about specific challenges you faced and how you navigated them to achieve buy-in and unblock delivery.
✨Demonstrate Your Leadership Style
You'll be leading a high-performing programme leadership team, so it's crucial to articulate your leadership style. Share experiences where you've set clear direction and accountability, and how that led to successful project outcomes.
✨Understand the Bigger Picture
Familiarise yourself with the company's simplification strategy and how it aligns with broader group priorities. Be prepared to discuss how you would approach aligning complex programmes with financial plans and regulatory expectations.