Costs & Operational Controls Manager

2022 - Chief Operating Office; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution in the UK is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to oversee financial management within the Complaints department. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in cost control, financial analysis, and supplier management. This permanent role offers a competitive salary and hybrid working options from Glasgow or Gosforth. Candidates should possess exceptional communication skills and a strong analytical background to influence senior management decisions.

Benefits

Generous holidays - 38.5 days annual leave

Up to five extra paid well-being days

20 weeks paid family leave

Market-leading pension

Free medical cover and income protection

Flexible benefits like Cycle to Work

Qualifications

• Proven strong experience in financial management within a banking environment.
• Hands on experience managing costs and FTE.
• Ability to logically analyse and interpret data.
• Track record in producing variance analysis and forecasting.
• Exceptional communication skills for engaging with stakeholders.
• Excellent Microsoft skills, especially Excel and PowerPoint.
• Expertise in managing operational controls.

Responsibilities

• Ensure Complaints department costs are accurate and adhere to controls.
• Provide oversight and analysis of costs to Senior Management.
• Manage month end finance processes including reconciliations.
• Ownership of recruitment approval process for Complaints teams.
• Produce monthly results comparisons to budget and KPIs.
• Lead production of annual and quarterly cost plans.
• Build and maintain relationships with various stakeholders.
• Manage supplier relationships and due diligence.

Skills

Financial management

Cost control

Supplier management

Data analysis

Exceptional communication

Microsoft Excel

Regulatory compliance

Job description

Business Unit: Customer Service and Operations -Complaints function
Salary range: up to circa £48,000 per annum DOE+ benefits
Location: UK Hybrid- remote with option to work from Glasgow or Gosforth HUB
Contract type: Permanent

Our Team

Our Complaints function is the voice of our customers and in our team our purpose is supporting our frontline colleagues which allows them to focus on our customers. This role brings clarity, control, and confidence to cost and FTE management across the Complaints department. By delivering insight and robust governance, we enable smarter decisions that help the Bank do the right thing for our customers. We're not just about numbers - we're about making a meaningful impact through financial transparency and operational excellence.

What you'll be doing

• Reporting directly to the Senior Manager -Governance & Support the purpose of this role is ensuring that the Complaints department costs and FTE are accurate & clear and adhere to agreed controls.
• Providing costs, FTE management & insights to inform and influence Senior Management strategy. You will provide accurate oversight and analysis of costs to Senior Management & Finance Partner.
• Ownership of month end finance processes including reconciliations and accruals, Purchase Order management and billing verification.
• Taking ownership of the recruitment approval process, managing all recruitment, new and backfill requests across the Complaints & Remediation teams (circa. 400 FTE)
• Providing concise reporting and key analysis: monthly results in comparison to budget/forecast and KPI's, identification of headwinds and tailwinds to the budget.
• Leading the production of annual, quarterly and interim cost and budget plans for submission to Senior Management and Finance.
• Building and maintaining relationships with multiple stakeholders including Complaints LT, Finance Partner, HR Partner, Complaints Operation Managers, Legal, Procurement, wider Team colleagues. Providing SME financial support when required.
• Supplier Relationship Management for suppliers ensuring due diligence, collaborating with Procurement to manage new and amended contracts and suppliers.

We need you to have

• Proven strong experience in financial management and cost control, forecasting and tracking within a banking or regulated environment.
• Hands on experience managing costs, FTE and supplier management
• Demonstrable ability to logically analyse and interpret data.
• A track record in producing and presenting variance analysis, forecasting, cost savings identification in written and verbal formats.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to engage with various stakeholders to present insights and ideas to audiences at all levels of the organisation, including senior stakeholders.
• Excellent Microsoft skills, including Excel and PowerPoint.
• Expertise in managing, implementing and enforcing operational controls to mitigate risk, ensure regulatory compliance and maintain process integrity.

It's a bonus if you have but not essential

• Experience of P2P and the Bank's procurement processes
• Awareness of the Bank's complaints process
• Good knowledge of operation risk frameworks and internal controls.

Red Hot Rewards

• Generous holidays - 38.5 days annual leave (including bank holidays and prorated if part-time)plus the option to buy more.
• Up to five extra paid well-being days per year.
• 20 weeks paid, gender-neutral family leave (52 weeks in total) for expectant parents and those looking to adopt.
• Market-leading pension.
• Free private medical cover, income protection and life assurance.
• Flexible benefits include Cycle to Work, wellness and health assessments, and critical illness.

And there's no waiting around, you'll enjoy these benefits from day one.

If we're lucky to receive a lot of interest, we may close the advert early. Please ensure to submit your applications as soon as possible.

Say hello to Virgin Money

Virgin Money is so much more than just a bank. As part of the Nationwide group, together we're the UK's first full-service mutual bank serving millions of retail and business customers and all driven by our purpose Banking but fairer, more rewarding and for the good of society. With us, you'll be part of an organisation uniquely positioned to make a difference to the lives of customers, communities and broader society and embark on a collaborative, customer obsessed, and fun-filled career journey. Embrace the weekdays, enjoy fantastic perks, and make a meaningful positive difference. Time to discover what it means to be part of the first mutual full-service banking provider.

Be yourself at Virgin Money

At Virgin Money, we celebrate everyone. We have fun, think big, and relentlessly include each other, all in pursuit of our purpose: Banking - but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society. We're committed to creating an inclusive culture where colleagues feel safe and inspired to contribute, speak up and be heard.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we're committed to removing any obstacles to inclusion. If you need any reasonable adjustments or support making your application, contact our Talent Acquisition team

Please note: If we receive a high volume of eligible applications, we may need to prioritise candidates whose skills and experience most closely align with the role, while still ensuring fair and equitable consideration for all applicants.

Now the legal bit

Although some of our roles allow you to be based anywhere in the UK, we'll need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK.

If you're successful in securing a role with us, there are some checks you need to complete before starting. These include credit and criminal record checks and three years' worth of satisfactory references. If the role is part of the Senior Manager Regime and Certification Regime, it requires enhanced pre-employment checks - we'll ask for six years of regulatory references, and once in the role, you'll be subject to periodic employment checks.