Senior Transformation Lead | S4 | CFO | Milton Keynes | Internal Mobility

Country: United Kingdom

IT STARTS HERE

Santander is evolving from a global, high-impact brand into a technology-driven organisation, and our people are at the heart of this journey. Together, we are driving a customer-centric transformation that values bold thinking, innovation, and the courage to challenge what’s possible. This is more than a strategic shift. It’s a chance for driven professionals to grow, learn, and make a real difference.

Our mission is to contribute to help more people and businesses prosper. We embrace a strong risk culture and all our professionals at all levels are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management.

This role is a unique opportunity to be part of a high impact senior team who will make lasting impact on Santander UK business and gain visibility among Santander Group leadership. Successful execution of Bank’s Transformation is key to continued business success of our bank and is in sharp focus of our shareholders. In this role you will challenge status quo, drive change in all Divisions across the bank and extract quantified benefits at strategic scale. You will be part of a high impact team of senior colleagues reporting to Chief Transformation Officer.

THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE

Santander UK is looking for a Senior Transformation Lead based out of Milton Keynes. This role is on a fixed term contract for 6 months. The team will partner Division heads and engage with ExCo on regular basis to drive the Transformation, focused on number of well-defined strategic priorities. Most importantly you will make Santander UK a robust and leaner business.

We’re shaping the way we work through innovation, cutting-edge technology, collaboration and the freedom to explore new ideas. To succeed in this role, you will be responsible for:

• Shape the Transformation Outcome: Translate strategic objectives into clear outcomes, measures and transformation interventions. Challenge whether the proposed activity will deliver the outcome.
• Drive Business Change: Ensure changes to processes, roles, organisation, technology, controls and ways of working are identified and implemented – not simply that the project goes live.
• Value & Benefits Realisation: Define benefits, establish baselines, identify levers that create the value and track whether benefits are being realised after implementation.
• Challenge and Simplify: Actively challenge existing processes and approaches, requirements, handoffs and controls rather than just simply automating or reproducing today’s structures, operating models and approaches.
• Orchestrate cross functional change: Bring together operations, product technology, risk, finance, HR and other functions to resolve dependencies and deliver an integrated business outcome.
• Embed change into the business: Ensure new processes capabilities and accountabilities are adopted and become BAU, with clear ownership after implementation.
• Identify transformation opportunities: Proactively identify further opportunities for simplification, automation, AI digitisation, outsourcing operating model change or cost reduction.
• Remove organisational friction: Surface and resolve policy, governance, ownership and decision making-barriers that prevent transformation progressing at pace.
• Provide transformation insight: Give senior leaders a clear view of whether transformation is working; Outcomes, value, adoption barriers and decisions required – rather than simplifying reporting.

Other specific activities include:

• Developing an independent perspective and challenging status quo, OKRs and ongoing transformation initiatives to increase pace and ambition.
• Maintaining a high bar for quality initiative business cases and plans to ensure appropriate investment decisions are made, and initiatives can be value assured.
• Identifying execution risks and supporting directorates in mitigating them to ensure successful delivery of transformation.
• Maintaining a single source of truth and consistency with Finance to enable effective conversations in senior fora with minimal noise.
• Ensuring effective engagement of ExCo through timely submission of high quality, actionable materials.
• Preparing business cases, including progress, outcomes and risks to be presented to ExCo, ensuring clear insight and fast decision making.
• Contributing to improvement of change management methodology, processes and tooling.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

Our people are our greatest strength. Every individual contributes unique perspectives that make us stronger as a team and as an organisation. We’re enabling teams to go beyond by valuing who they are and empowering what they bring.

The following requirements represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for success in this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Professional Experience: Exceptional transformation or programme management skills with experience of managing complex projects from initiation to completion (including project portfolios) (Required).
• Good understanding of finance, business cases, effort and cost estimation, operating and business model of a large universal bank, in particular its cost drivers (Required).
• Experience in managing large scale business transformation programmes in financial services (Required).
• Proven ability to create and operate complex planning and control mechanisms and experience in budgeting, resource allocation and financial management to optimise project resources, control costs etc (Required).

Soft Skills:

• Good understanding of business potential of digitisation, simplification, use of AI and other key trends shaping banking industry (Preferred).
• Understanding of Agile ways of working (Preferred).

WE VALUE YOUR IMPACT

At Santander, your contribution matters. We recognise the difference you make every day, and we make sure you feel valued, supported and rewarded in return. Here, recognition goes beyond pay. It’s about the pride you feel in your work, the impact you have on customers and communities, and the opportunities you have to grow and thrive — personally and professionally.

Salary Range: £68,662.00 - £102,994.00 per annum (depending on experience). This salary range represents the expected remuneration for the role. Annual salary is based on a standard 35-hour working week. Actual salary offered will depend on skills, experience, qualifications and location.

30 days’ holiday plus bank holidays, which increases to 31 days after 5 years service, with the option to purchase up to 5 contractual days per year.

£6,000 car allowance per year.

Company funded individual private medical insurance. Protection for you and your family, with company-funded death-in-service benefit and income protection insurance, and the option to take advantage of discounted rates for additional life assurance and critical illness cover.

Share in Santander’s success by saving or investing in our share plans. As a Santander UK employee, you are able to request staff versions of our products like our Edge Current Accounts and Credit Cards with no fees, as well as apply to many other deals and discounts in Santander products and services.

Competitive rewards that reflect the real impact you make and the value you bring.

Wellbeing that goes beyond work — we work with a range of wellbeing partners across our 4 pillars of wellbeing (physical, mental, social and financial) to give you access to a suite of apps, discounted gym and fitness access, weekly online classes, flexible healthcare and mental health support.

Support for every life stage — from menopause and pregnancy to parenthood and beyond, with enhanced family leave, childcare options and tailored wellbeing support.

Time to give back through volunteering opportunities that let you make a difference in the communities we serve.

Ready to be recognised? It starts with you.

LOCAL COMPLIANCE

At Santander, we’re proud to be an inclusive organisation that provides equal opportunities for everyone — regardless of age, gender, disability, civil status, race, religion or sexual orientation. We’re committed to creating a recruitment experience that’s accessible, fair and welcoming for all candidates. We want our people to thrive — at work and at home — while delivering the best outcomes for our customers and supporting each other to grow.

To make this possible, our roles are site-based with a hybrid working pattern, where colleagues are expected to attend the office at least 12 days per month (pro-rata for part-time roles). When applying, please consider the travel distance, time and cost to your chosen office location.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

If this sounds like a role you are interested in, then please apply. For further Guidance please visit Internal Mobility - Candidate Guidance. If you want to know more about the opportunity: Please contact Ceri Picton - Ceri.Picton@santander.co.uk