Head of fs Business Development

N BROWN; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail and financial services company in Manchester seeks a Head of FS Business Development to drive growth strategies and lead branding initiatives. This role involves collaborating with senior leadership and engaging with external partners to optimize business opportunities. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in digital retail and financial services, and excellent stakeholder management skills. Hybrid working is available, alongside various employee benefits, including a generous holiday allowance and mental health support.

Benefits

Hybrid working

24 days holiday (+ 8 bank holidays)

Annual bonus scheme

Enhanced maternity and adoption leave

Company pension with up to 8% contribution

Mental health support

Colleague discount

Onsite café with subsidised rates

Life assurance and private medical insurance

Paid volunteer time

Qualifications

• Previous experience working in digital retail and financial services.
• Expert understanding of financial services and market players.
• Proven track record in implementing business solutions.

Responsibilities

• Deliver growth strategies with the Senior Leadership Team.
• Own the branding and communication strategy.
• Identify opportunities for new product features.

Skills

Digital retail experience

Financial services knowledge

Stakeholder management

Commercial awareness

Presentation skills

Market intelligence

Job description

The FS Vision and Strategy for the next five years has been approved by the Board and shareholders. Alongside this, the Group Strategy has also been reframed, with Financial Services taking the lead role in the future, given the significant opportunity we see in the market.

The Head of FS Business Development is a key new role in Financial Services which will provide leadership and direction as we develop new business areas. You would report to the Director of FS Product and Decisioning whose remit covers Financial Services growth, as well as leading management of customer lending decisions, approaches to prevent financial crime, end-to-end product design and delivery, and our payments solutions. In the role you would be a key point of contact for the Senior Leadership Team and work closely with leaders across Financial Services Product and Decisioning teams to translate strategy to reality.

A key pillar of our Group Strategy is the creation of a new Financial Services platform, which unlocks significant growth opportunities. Whilst the immediate goal concentrates on the delivery of the platform and Brand proposition to our own Retail brands, later horizons see us driving growth by offering Financial services to other retailers and into the underserved consumer market more widely. This role will be central in driving the development of commercial propositions that are attractive to both consumers and retailers alike.

What will you do as a Head of FS Business Development at N Brown?

• Deliver the growth strategies of the new brand by working with the Senior Leadership Team and managers across the business.
• Own the branding and engage with internal and external partners to drive its visibility and customer accessibility.
• Own the communication strategy working with internal resources and fulfilment partners to optimise contact opportunities.
• Leverage market intelligence, competitor analysis and customer insights to optimise growth opportunities.
• Work closely with teams across Digital Operations and Financial Services who are responsible for delivering and maintaining product features to ensure our products are aligned to strategy and opportunities are exploited.
• Identify opportunities for new features and propositions to meet the needs of our existing and future customers by maintaining expert knowledge of the market and key players.
• Work with the Finance Team to evaluate and scale opportunities to inform prioritisation.
• Manage a solutions oriented Senior New Opportunities Analyst, working together to ensure gaps between business objectives and capability are understood and bridged with practical, viable approaches which deliver to required timeframes.
• Work closely with the Risk and Compliance Team to understand and manage the regulatory requirements required to achieve goals, and ensure residual risks are understood and accepted by appropriate levels of management.
• Report to the monthly Financial Services Operating Committee on delivery of the business growth objectives.
• Engage with N Brown Retail colleagues to identify potential opportunities and collaborate on solutions to grow the business.
• Build out external relationships with potential collaborators and solution providers, e.g. within financial services or retail organisations.

What skills and experience will you have?

• You should have previous experience working in both digital retail and financial services organisations.
• Demonstrate an expert understanding of financial services and mechanisms of delivery, e.g. key product types and market players.
• Have a proven track record in delivering implemented solutions to fulfil business requirements in a timely fashion.
• Be highly commercially aware and confident in discussing potential opportunities with external organisations.
• Be financially capable with ability to appraise and critique business cases.
• Demonstrate tenacity in seeing things through, evolving plans to solve impediments.
• Evidence excellent stakeholder management.
• You should have excellent presentational skills, producing reports and slides that can bring solutions to life and clearly articulate risks and dependencies.
• You should have a working knowledge of FCA and FLA regulation covering lending products.

Desirable

• Experience in working with specialist financial services product teams, e.g. Credit Risk, Fraud and Payments, with a demonstrated knowledge of how product features may impact each area.
• Experience working on BNPL and / or 'pay in 3' type products.
• Experience working in a sales or marketing role.
• Previously held a senior management position with a track record of developing people.

What's in it for you?

• Hybrid working
• 24 days holiday (+ 8 bank holidays)
• Annual bonus scheme
• Enhanced maternity and adoption leave
• Company pension with up to 8% N Brown contribution
• Mental Health support both internally and externally, including access to our wellbeing champions and counselling services
• A range of financial wellbeing support
• Colleague discount across all N Brown brands
• Onsite café with subsidised rates and local restaurant discounts!
• Life Assurance and Private Medical Insurance
• Paid volunteer time - all our colleagues can take a full day paid to volunteer for a charity of their choice

N Brown - who we are and why work for us?

At N Brown, we're committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment that values equality for all. Our vision is that by 'championing inclusion, we'll become the most loved and trusted fashion retailer'. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging are, therefore, at the heart of our culture.

We're a forward-thinking digital retailer with a financial services proposition to be proud of. We're customer-obsessed, serving them through three core brands: JD Williams, Simply Be, and Jacamo. We're experienced, with over 160 years of trading under our belt. We're inclusive, as we believe in fashion without boundaries; and we're sustainable, striving to make as little impact on the planet as possible.

In May 2024 we were delighted to be named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024. We work hard to create a happy and inclusive culture for everyone and we're so proud to have made this list - as voted for by our very own colleagues!

Ways of Working

We offer hybrid working which varies across the business depending on the role you're in. Our Head Office is located in the Northern Quarter in Manchester City Centre. So if you are travelling by train, tram or bus we're perfectly located, plus we're surrounded by cool cafes, trendy bars and the best places to eat!

Our working hours are 36.17 per week and our core working hours are between 10am - 4pm. Given we don't have strict working hours you can find the working pattern that's right for you.

Our promise to you:

We're an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Please know your application is being reviewed by a real human being, not AI. We value your interest in joining us and appreciate you taking the time to submit your application.

What happens when you apply to a role at N Brown?

As soon as we receive your application, we'll send you an email to let you know. We always aim to come back to you as soon as possible with an update and we really appreciate you taking the time to apply for a role with us. Good luck!