Location: Cardiff, Manchester & Southampton
Reporting to: Transformation Director
Closing date: Wednesday, 28th January at 10am.
At Starling, we are on a mission to provide people with a fairer, smarter, and more human alternative to traditional banks. We are building a leading digital bank, driven by fast technology, fair service, and honest values. Our vision is to create a banking industry that serves everyone, which we accomplish by developing best-in-class proprietary technology, offering an exceptional customer experience, and establishing a strong, sustainable business.
Our five core values - Listen, Keep It Simple, Do The Right Thing, Own It, and Aim for Greatness - are at the heart of everything we do, guiding our strategy and shaping our culture. We\'re a branchless, largely paperless bank, committed to responsible banking, sustainability, and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.
Hybrid working: All Starling colleagues spend a minimum of 10 days per month in the office with flexibility to work the rest from home.
The Opportunity
We are seeking a Senior Transformation Lead to play a critical role in strengthening how our operations are run, engage our people and continuously improve.
This is a hands‑on senior role on a 6 month fixed term contract combining direct delivery with helping shape and establish new operational rhythms, continuous improvement processes and driving efficiency/customer experience improvement. A key requirement is to coach and mentor the Operational teams so they can confidently lead and sustain their own improvement work in the future.
Operational Leadership & Performance Frameworks
- Design, implement and embed end-to-end operational rhythms across operations, including:
- Daily management and visual performance routines
- Drive continuous improvement
- Lead and coach teams to implement a Gemba style process review to drive improvement
- Clear escalation, establish reason for action & decision-making
- Establish processes that quickly get teams and processes to understand optimal future state
- Link operational activity into newly established quarterly planning processes
Hands-on Transformation & Delivery
- Personally lead high-impact hands on operational team transformation and performance improvement initiatives
- Translate strategic priorities into executable plans, measurable outcomes and sustained change
- Apply Lean, Agile and/or systems thinking approaches pragmatically to remove friction, waste and constraint
- Ensure improvements are embedded into operating rhythms, controls and Operational BAU
Capability & Leadership Development
- Support the coaching of Operational teams in effective continuous improvement thinking and how to get more engagement from their teams in their operational rhythms.
- Build internal capability to sustain performance management and continuous improvement beyond the contract
- Role-model data-led decision making, disciplined execution and continuous improvement behaviour
Requirements
Essential Skills
- Significant experience leading enterprise or operational transformation in complex organisations
- Proven track record of designing and embedding operational management systems and rhythms
- Strong experience operating across Operational teams at all different levels
- Hands-on delivery mindset with the ability to move between strategy and execution seamlessly
- Deep understanding of performance management and operational excellence
- Strong analytical capability with the confidence to challenge through insight
Desirable
- Experience in financial services, banking or regulated environments
- Experience in digital, platform-based or technology-enabled operations
- Background in Lean management systems, Agile transformation or similar
- Experience stabilising and scaling operational performance during periods of growth or change
Benefits
- Make an Impact: Work on projects that directly shape the future of banking and improve the financial lives of our customers. Starling is technology-led, and you\'ll have the freedom to accomplish your goals in innovative ways
- Culture of Excellence: Be part of a collaborative, empowered, and forward-thinking team. We encourage experimentation, ownership, and a relentless focus on \"doing the right thing.\"
- Growth and Development: We are committed to your professional growth, offering opportunities to learn new technologies, take on new challenges, and own interesting things from day one
- A Bank That Cares: We\'re a Living Wage employer, committed to flexible working, and dedicated to creating a fair, open, and safe working environment with compassion and inclusion at its core
- Comprehensive Benefits: We offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including:
- Company-enhanced salary sacrifice pension scheme (7% employer contribution)
- Private Medical Insurance with Vitality including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr Mrs Smith and Peloton
- 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
- An extra day\'s holiday for your birthday
- Life Insurance at 4x your salary
- 16 hours of paid volunteering time a year
- Ability to buy or sell annual leave
- Generous family-friendly policies
- Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
- Incentivised refer a friend scheme
- Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
- Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work, Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships and Electric Vehicle (EV) leasing
Our Commitment to Equality
We are committed to equality.
