Business Manager – Financial Services (Contract)

Location: London (Hybrid)

Sector: Financial Services – Asset Management preferred

Role Summary

We are seeking a strategic yet hands-on Business Manager to act as a critical enabler of operational effectiveness, cross-functional alignment, and strategy execution across high-performing financial teams. Sitting at the intersection of operations, data, and transformation, this role is a dialled-down Chief of Staff position designed to elevate business performance through process refinement, stakeholder coordination, data insight, and most critically, recruitment oversight and standardisation.

You will support a group of highly capable individual contributors who require direction on strategic alignment and consistent execution frameworks. This role will suit someone capable of operating in both detailed operational management and big-picture strategy, with a focus on initiative delivery, AI literacy, and business transformation.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Operational Execution

• Execute business strategy through OKR tracking, initiative management, and operational execution.
• Bridge the gap between senior leadership and operational teams, ensuring alignment and pace.
• Interpret key data points from business units to inform decision-making and performance optimisation.
• Provide support and structure to teams less familiar with strategic planning or execution.

Process & Initiative Management

• Lead operational reviews and implement process improvements, especially across regional teams.
• Oversee and refine recruitment workflows—standardising hiring processes to ensure consistency, compliance, and high-quality onboarding.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives and manage dependencies across functions.
• Collaborate with internal departments (e.g., HR, Tech, Risk) to ensure seamless execution of cross-cutting initiatives.

Data & AI-Enabled Insight

• Champion data-informed business practices by promoting clarity around KPIs and performance data.
• Be literate in business use cases for data and AI—comfortable interpreting "the what," without needing to code "the how."
• Identify and promote areas for AI automation and technology-enabled productivity gains (e.g., reporting, documentation, workflows).
• Work with analytics or IT teams to support dashboard design, automation, and insights delivery.

Stakeholder Engagement & Governance

• Build strong, trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Act as a liaison between business units and support functions (e.g., technology, HR, finance).
• Participate in governance and transformation steering forums as needed.
• Track progress and manage risk across key workstreams and business priorities.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to operationally strong but strategically junior team members.
• Help shape a culture of collaboration, data-driven thinking, and accountability.
• Willingly engage in tactical and administrative work to support team effectiveness, where needed.

Qualifications & Experience

• Proven experience in a Business Manager, Strategy Execution, Chief of Staff, or Transformation role within financial services.
• Strong grasp of OKRs vs KPIs, with the ability to implement and monitor both effectively.
• Familiarity with investment management or asset management is a plus.
• Competent in project management, initiative planning, and data analysis for business decision-making.
• AI literate – aware of use cases across operations, reporting, automation, and team enablement.
• Experience in transformation, process improvement, or operational governance roles (especially from IT or digital change projects).
• Gravitas and communication skills to work with senior executives and cross-regional teams.
• MBA or equivalent experience preferred.

Personal Attributes

• Hands-on and pragmatic; thrives in environments that require both strategy and execution.
• Data-savvy without being overly technical – confident reading dashboards, interrogating KPIs, and translating data into action.
• Strong stakeholder management skills; able to lead conversations with confidence and clarity.
• Clear communicator with the ability to drive alignment across fragmented teams.
• Comfortable owning recruitment governance, performance tracking, and initiative delivery.
• Dashboarding tools (Power BI, Tableau, Excel-based dashboards)
• Recruitment and ATS platforms (Greenhouse, Workday, etc.)
• AI productivity platforms (ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot)
• Familiarity with PM tools (Asana, Monday.com, Jira, etc.)

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