At a Glance
- Tasks: Shape customer-focused strategies and drive operational improvements.
- Company: Join Vanquis, an award-winning employer with a supportive culture.
- Benefits: Flexible working, generous leave, and career development opportunities.
- Other info: Gain exposure to senior management and diverse operational areas.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on customer journeys and influence strategic decisions.
- Qualifications: Experience in financial services and strong analytical skills required.
The predicted salary is between 56250 - 68750 £ per year.
Turn operational insight into better customer and colleague outcomes. Join Operations Strategy and play a key role in supporting strategic change and continuous improvement across Collections. From shaping and implementing new initiatives through to tracking outcomes and measuring success, you will help deliver meaningful improvements for customers and colleagues.
As our Strategy Manager, you will contribute to strategic plans and change portfolios, champion best practice and help strengthen service standards. Reporting to the Senior Operations Strategy Manager, you will bring together insight, operational knowledge and stakeholder expertise to turn opportunities into practical, sustainable improvements.
This is an opportunity to move your career forward at Vanquis by working across operational strategy, customer outcomes and business change. You will gain broad exposure, influence decisions and see how your work improves customer interaction points and operational performance.
How you’ll make an impact:
- Shape customer-focused operational strategies and improvement plans so that service standards and customer journeys move forward with a clear direction.
- Use data, forecasting and insight to identify priorities and opportunities so that operational decisions are grounded in evidence and focused on the areas of greatest value.
- Coordinate customer contact strategies across multiple channels so that payment-management journeys remain aligned, consistent and appropriate for customers.
- Support scorecard implementation and customer decisioning so that operational teams can make more informed, consistent decisions.
- Champion challenge, test-and-learn activity and benefit assessment so that ideas are validated and improvements are scaled based on outcomes.
- Coordinate programmes, resources and priorities across Customer Operations so that the right capability is focused on solving the most important operational challenges.
- Build trusted relationships with senior leaders, operational teams and external partners so that strategy is understood, supported and translated into joined-up delivery.
Why this role matters: Customer Operations brings together service delivery, payment management, customer communications and operational change. This role helps connect those areas through a consistent strategy, ensuring customer impact, operational performance, risk and commercial outcomes are considered together.
Reporting to the Senior Operations Strategy Manager, you will work with senior managers and colleagues across Customer Operations, Training, Human Resources, Marketing, Business Analytics, Finance, Fraud and Credit. You will also engage with debt collection agencies, debt purchasers and other third parties, with regular exposure to senior management and ExCo.
Our operational strategy approach:
- Customer outcomes first: Operational strategy starts with the impact on customer journeys and experiences.
- Insight into action: Data, forecasting and management information are translated into practical priorities.
- Test, learn and improve: We challenge assumptions, assess benefits and scale what works.
- Joined-up operations: Customer contact, decisioning, communications and downstream processes are considered together.
- Controlled delivery: Governance, risk assessment and clear documentation support sustainable change.
Essential experience:
- A proven track record in a UK-regulated financial services organisation, ideally within retail banking or credit cards.
- Experience developing and implementing customer-focused operational strategies or strategic improvements.
- Strong analytical and strategic capability, with the ability to see the bigger picture and turn insight into action.
- Experience manipulating and interpreting varied data sets to support forecasting, prioritisation and decision-making.
- Experience with customer-management or strategy solutions and working with external systems or partners.
- Understanding of customer risk and the confidence to identify, assess and escalate potential concerns appropriately.
- Experience working in tactical or Agile delivery teams, with strong oversight, rigour and delivery discipline.
- Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills across operational, technical and commercial groups.
- Clear communication and presentation skills, including confidence working with senior management and ExCo.
- Ability to coordinate people, priorities and programmes while considering downstream operational impacts.
Useful, but not essential:
- Broad knowledge of UK financial products.
- Experience of payment management, contact strategy, debt purchase or customer communications.
- Experience implementing scorecards or customer decisioning approaches.
- Experience coaching colleagues in Agile ways of working.
- Education to A-level standard or equivalent.
Career development: You will build experience across operational strategy, customer outcomes, analytics, change delivery, governance and senior stakeholder engagement. The breadth of this role offers visibility of how strategic decisions affect customer interactions and business performance, with opportunities to expand your skill set, contribute to professional development and potentially lead a development team depending on experience and future needs.
Why Vanquis?
- Award-Winning Employer: Great Place to Work Certified • Financial Times Best Employers 2025 & 2026 • Armed Forces Friendly Employer, Bronze
- Access to learning resources to support your growth and development.
- A balanced approach to office and home working.
- Paid time to support causes that matter to you.
- A workplace where colleagues are supported, respected and encouraged to be themselves.
- Supporting colleagues through important life moments.
- Helping you plan and prepare for the future.
- An extra day off to celebrate you.
- Time away to rest, reset and recharge.
- Support to build skills, grow your career and shape what comes next.
If you're looking for an operational strategy role where you can improve customer journeys, influence senior decisions and see the impact of your work, we'd love to hear from you. Bring your experience to Vanquis and make your next career move one that shapes what comes next.
Strategy Manager in Petersfield employer: Vanquis
At Vanquis, we pride ourselves on being an award-winning employer that champions quality and innovation in technology. Our inclusive culture fosters collaboration and continuous improvement, providing employees with flexible hybrid working options, extensive career development opportunities, and a supportive environment where everyone can thrive. Join us in shaping the future of technology while enjoying benefits like enhanced family leave, generous annual leave, and dedicated volunteering days.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Strategy Manager in Petersfield
✨Tip Number 1: Get Involved in Consulting Case Competitions
Look for case competitions hosted by universities and consulting firms. They’re a fab way to showcase your problem-solving skills and meet industry players. Plus, winning one can seriously boost your CV, which we know is key when applying for roles like Strategy Manager at Vanquis!
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Engage with online platforms that offer consulting simulations or courses. Prove your chops by completing relevant projects — this not only beefs up your experience but also gives you concrete examples to chat about during interviews for that full-time Strategy Manager role at Vanquis!
We think you need these skills to ace Strategy Manager in Petersfield
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Problem-Solving Skills:In management consulting, it's all about problem-solving—so make sure your CV highlights your analytical and critical thinking skills. Include examples from your studies or previous roles where you tackled complex issues or came up with innovative solutions. Quantify your achievements whenever possible to demonstrate your impact!
Tailor Your Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to explain why you're a perfect fit for the consulting world. Focus on your motivation for joining the industry and how your skills align with the requirements of the role at Vanquis. Remember to mention any relevant coursework or projects that showcase your understanding of strategic frameworks or business models!
Highlight Team Experience:Consultants often work in teams, so it's vital to showcase your collaborative skills. Include experiences where you've worked effectively with others, whether in academic group projects or internships. Discuss your role in the team and how you helped achieve common goals, demonstrating you can thrive in a consultancy environment.
Professionalise Your Online Presence:Make sure your LinkedIn and any other professional profiles are up to date, reflecting your career aspirations in management consulting. Connect with industry professionals and follow relevant groups—show you’re serious about entering this field. Applying through our website is a great way to get noticed, so showcase your personality and enthusiasm there!
How to prepare for a job interview at Vanquis
✨Master the Case Study Game
In management consulting, case study interviews are all the rage. Make sure to practice structuring your thoughts and analysing data on the fly. Use resources like example case studies to get comfortable with frameworks and solutions. Remember, it’s not just about getting the right answer but showcasing your thought process, so talk us through your reasoning!
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Be prepared for some numerical and analytical questions. Brush up on your mental math and be ready to interpret data from charts or graphs. We might throw some business scenarios at you that require a quick turnaround on numerical analysis, so practice these skills to feel confident and swift!
✨Show Your Leadership Flair
As this is a full-time role, we want to see your potential as a seasoned consultant. Be ready to discuss experiences where you've led a project or a team. Think about times you've influenced decisions or navigated challenges—this is your chance to show how you can thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
✨Be a Cultural Fit
We’re not just looking for brains; we want to see if you vibe with our company culture at Vanquis. Prepare to share how your values align with ours. Have a think about what makes a great team environment for you and how you can contribute to that. A good cultural fit goes a long way in management consulting!