Product & Strategy Senior Manager, Consumer Group

Products & Markets

London, England, GB

Posted on April 22, 2024

Shawbrook provides finance to a wide range of customer segments that value the premium experience, flexibility and certainly we deliver. We are a purpose-led organisation, with a focus on delivering long-term sustainable value for all our stakeholders.

We have a diversified offering, with our innovative lending propositions tailored to meet specific customer needs in carefully selected markets across SME, Real Estate and Personal. Our products range from complex structured credit facilities for growth-focused businesses to mortgages for professional landlords and property investors, as well as simple loans for consumers delivered digitally. We fuel our lending through customer deposits, which we attract by delivering a premium experience, choice and consistently great value to smart savers.

The business model we have created is unique and difficult to replicate, with our ‘best of both’ approach combining deep human expertise with advanced digital, tech and data capabilities. This combination not only allows us to deliver excellent customer experiences, but to do so efficiently and at scale. We are proud of our innovative and agile culture, which drives consistently high employee engagement scores and makes Shawbrook an attractive destination for the best talent.If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves, contribute new ideas and believe anything is possible, you’re our kind of person.

Work with us because you:

• Want to be part of a bank built for the dynamics of the modern world
• Relish a challenge and enjoy a fast-paced, innovative and hardworking culture
• Enjoy finding new and better ways to solve complexity and make things happen
• Want to belong to a diverse culture that stands shoulder to shoulder with minority and underrepresented groups
• Care about society and the environment and want to be part of a business that cares too
• Want to continue to grow professionally and be the best version of yourself

The role of the Senior Strategy and Product Governance Manager, is pivotal in shaping and executing the overarching goals of Shawbrook and in particular the Consumer Business. Positioned as a key leader within the Consumer Group, this role actively supports the Head of Strategy to formulate and execute long-range strategic plans for the franchise. Additionally, the Senior Strategy and Product Governance Manager contributes significantly to refining and implementing the product framework for a range of consumer products, including Unsecured Personal Lending, Savings, and Motor Finance.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy Leadership: Articulating and implementing the overall strategy for the Consumer, ensuring effective communication and alignment with all relevant teams across the franchise. Identifying and prioritising key strategic initiatives, both organic and inorganic, for the division. Exercising control and monitoring over the implementation of strategic initiatives. Providing support in managing relationships with platform lender partners. Identifying potential improvements and ensuring regular updates to the Consumer ExCo.

Product Management: Defining new products and ensuring the suitability of existing ones, aligned with Consumer Duty and regulatory requirements. Aligning strategic priorities for the Bank with Consumer Group initiatives and product priorities. The Product & Strategy Manager (CG) reports to the Head of Strategy (CG) and is expected to collaborate closely with teams across the division and, when necessary, with Shawbrook. This collaborative effort aims to support the development of comprehensive proposals, findings, and recommendations. These outputs will be presented to internal stakeholders, including the Consumer Group ExCo, Shawbrook ExCo, and the Board. In essence, the role is designed to be instrumental in driving strategic and product-related initiatives, ensuring a cohesive and aligned approach across the organisation.

Strategy:

• Support finance in the yearly budget cycle (agreeing originations in the division in like with the strategic priorities for the bank).
• Assist in developing the planning and proposal of strategic initiatives for the growth and success of Shawbrook and the Consumer Franchise based on the Bank Strategy.
• Collaborate with the business and product teams to articulate, plan, validate, communicate, and roll out the strategic vision for the CG.
• Define and monitor Consumer KPIs/OKRs against strategy based on budget and forecast.
• Produce regular and ad-hoc strategy updates, identifying obstacles, progress, and changes as appropriate.
• Provide insights to Business MDs/Directors/Heads to drive strategic initiatives using data and MI.

Markets and R&D:

• Conduct regular deep dives into markets and products using market and business intelligence to identify new strategic opportunities.
• Support market entries and exits.
• Work with the Head of Strategy to perform horizon scanning to develop 3-to-5-year propositions for delivering growth opportunities.
• Conduct R&D into new markets and products, distribution channels, partnerships, and inorganic growth opportunities.

Inorganic and M&A:

• Identify and support inorganic objectives within the Division.
• Manage relationships with platform lending partners, ensuring the right controls are in place and continuous communication between parties.
• Produce regular updates to ExCo and the Board.
• Support Due Diligence activities, being the main point of contact between the Corporate Development team and stakeholders within Consumer.
• Support the integration of business acquisitions.

Process Improvements:

• Identify initiatives leading to process improvements within Shawbrook (e.g., implementation of AI for operational processes, setup of new MI, etc.).
• Coordinate critical stakeholders and manage progress of implementation using KPIs.

Product Governance and Compliance:

• Management of the internal product governance, including approval of requirements by the right internal parties and ensuring changes are tracked, justified, and approved.
• Execute annual product reviews to ensure product fitness and regulatory compliance (including Consumer Duty).
• Implement Consumer Duty Governance embedding model.
• Identify key regulatory updates affecting products and internal processes.
• Support the definition of the product strategy, working closely with the product and marketing team.
• Follow up and track new product developments and delivery.
• Understand marketing insights and assess marketing programs effectiveness.
• Identify product enhancements and/or new product development opportunities.
• Manage the Consumer Product Committee.

• 10+ years of experience of working in a B2B and B2C professional services environment, preferably within the financial services or advisory sectors.
• Experience of developing and implementing frameworks to support strategy delivery and facilitate the development of solutions and projects through which it can be delivered.
• Project/programme/portfolio management experience involving complex business workstreams across the whole lifecycle, from objective definition and scope of work onwards.
• Demonstrable experience of working successfully with internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of managing and delivering all business change projects including business planning, stakeholder management, risk analysis, reporting and communications.
• Ability and adaptability to manage a large workload that will change according to business needs.
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Domain
  • Broad knowledge of the UK Consumer market
  • Experience of working within a regulated environment
  • Ability to collect and interrogate data from multiple sources using appropriate analytical methodologies and software
  • Ability to present data in a clear and compelling way
  • Strong natural want to Challenge norms and drive value

Your Wellbeing - We take your health and well-being very seriously by providing a range of benefits to give you and your family peace of mind. These include:

• Market leading family friendly policies such as access to our Maternity, Adoption and Paternity policies from Day 1 of your employment
• Free access to Headspace, a mindfulness & meditation digital health app
• Free access to Peppy digital health app that offers personalised support through fertility treatment becoming a parent or menopause
• EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) - Offering you support on a wide range of subjects including financial concerns, mental wellbeing and more general queries around family, work, housing, and health
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts on gym membership
• Contributory pension scheme & death in service

Your Lifestyle - It’s important you strike the right balance between your work and personal life. We provide benefits to support you when at work and when you’re enjoying your leisure time.

• Minimum of 27 days holiday per year
• Option to buy or sell holiday days through our flexi-holiday scheme
• Discounts on gym membership nationwide
• Access to discounts on a range of high street and online brands
• Community support and charitable giving

Your Contribution - We’re focused on rewarding those that go the extra mile in helping us achieve our goals.

• Participation in our annual discretionary bonus scheme designed to reward your contribution to our success
• Proudly Shawbrook recognition scheme focused on recognising our role models and thanking our colleagues for a job well done