Head of Operations

Recognise Bank; Milton Keynes; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A modern business bank is seeking a Head of Operations to lead and manage operational delivery of lending and savings activities. This role emphasizes strong performance, regulatory compliance, and outstanding customer outcomes. Key responsibilities include overseeing the lending lifecycle, driving operational execution, and managing relationships with third-party suppliers. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in operational roles within financial services, demonstrating excellence in bridging lending operations and compliance. This position fosters continuous improvement and customer-centric processes.

Benefits

Competitive Time Off

Work From Anywhere

Learning & Development

Hybrid Working

Private Medical Care

Enhanced Pension Scheme

Maternity, Paternity & Adoption Pay

Discretionary Company Bonus

Qualifications

• Proven ability to align operational delivery with strategic objectives.
• Experience managing third-party relationships effectively.
• Strong understanding of KYC and AML frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead the team responsible for operational delivery of lending and savings activities.
• Ensure strong cross-functional collaboration for seamless customer experience.
• Champion a culture of operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Skills

Operational leadership

Regulatory compliance

Customer focus

Analytics

Education

10+ years in financial services operational roles

Job description

Hello,

We are Recognise Bank, a modern business bank built to support the UK’s SMEs with tailored lending and savings solutions. Founded in 2017 by experienced business owners, we set out to challenge traditional banking by offering more flexibility, understanding, and practical support to help businesses thrive. Since receiving our banking licence in 2021, we’ve built a loyal customer base and a strong, diverse team that puts people first.

Our vision is building stronger futures with bespoke financial solutions. We understand that no two financial needs are the same, which is why we work closely with UK SMEs and individuals to unlock potential others often overlook. Through smart, flexible lending and savings products, we’re here to build and grow stronger futures for lasting success.

Our values shape how we work and grow together:

💪 Can do, will do: We take ownership, solve problems, and adapt as our customers’ needs evolve.

✨ Be brilliant: We show up with curiosity and energy, always striving for better.

🤝 Do the right thing: We act with integrity, responsibility, and care in everything we do.

💡Make a difference: We focus on impact, helping our customers, colleagues, and communities succeed.

About the role

As a Head of Operations, you lead and manage the operational delivery of lending and savings activities across the Bank, ensuring high performance, regulatory compliance, and outstanding customer outcomes. Your responsibilities encompass oversight of the entire lending lifecycle, from post-underwriting completions through drawdown, in-life servicing, portfolio management, arrears and recoveries, to savings operations.

In this leadership capacity, You will manage internal teams that form the core engine of the business, driving operational execution, supporting change initiatives, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

The role demands deep operational expertise in bridging lending, with a comprehensive understanding of its regulatory, customer, and risk dimensions. You will be accountable for maintaining operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and strong governance within the function, providing effective oversight of third-party relationships, and continuously enhancing performance across all operational areas.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the team responsible for progressing credit-approved deals through to drawdown, ensuring timely and efficient completion of loans.
• Oversee the drawdown process, ensuring all conditions are met and funds are released in line with customer expectations and organisational standards.
• Ensure strong cross-functional collaboration with Lending Managers, Underwriters, Legal, and Compliance teams to deliver a seamless and compliant customer experience.
• Monitor pipeline activity and team performance, proactively identifying and resolving bottlenecks or delays.
• Manage relationships with key third-party suppliers involved in completions, including solicitors and valuers, ensuring they deliver high-quality service within agreed SLAs.
• Hold third parties accountable for service delivery and customer outcomes, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements and internal standards.
• Ensure robust oversight of KYC and AML processes, maintaining compliance with regulatory standards and organisational risk appetite while supporting effective customer onboarding.
• Champion a culture of operational excellence, customer focus, and continuous improvement within the completions team.
• Drive automation and process improvement to enhance completion efficiency, scalability, and customer experience.
• Ensure all processes and activities adhere to relevant regulatory requirements.

Portfolio Management (In-Life Servicing)

• Lead and manage the team responsible for the ongoing servicing of the loan book, covering customer queries, variations, renewals, redemptions, extensions, and covenant monitoring.
• Ensure operational processes support customer retention, effective risk management, and compliance.
• Oversee and own the complaint handling and resolution process, ensuring timely responses and fair outcomes for customers, with a focus on identifying root causes and improving service delivery.
• Ensure appropriate management of customers in vulnerable circumstances, embedding regulatory guidance and best practice into day-to-day operations.
• Drive automation and process improvement to enhance servicing efficiency and customer experience.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence across the servicing function.
• Oversee management of accounts in arrears, ensuring early intervention and effective resolution strategies.
• Support restructuring efforts for non-performing loans, working closely with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure robust MI and reporting to monitor performance and support governance.
• Collaborate with Risk and Compliance to ensure servicing activities align with policy and regulatory requirements.

Savings Operations

• Lead oversight of savings operations, managing relationships with outsourced partners to ensure service delivery meets contractual obligations, regulatory standards, and customer expectations.
• Oversee relationships with deposit aggregators, ensuring service quality, performance against SLAs, and alignment with strategic objectives.
• Maintain strong oversight of customer outcomes, including service quality, complaint handling, and appropriate support for vulnerable customers.
• Monitor SLAs, KPIs, and customer outcomes, ensuring performance is tracked and issues addressed promptly.
• Ensure robust oversight of operational risk, data integrity, and customer communications.
• Oversee change initiatives such as product launches, regulatory updates, and process improvements, ensuring smooth execution and alignment with strategic goals.
• Ensure savings operations are fully aligned with internal policies, risk appetite, and regulatory requirements.
• Provide assurance to senior management and regulators on the effectiveness and resilience of outsourced arrangements.
• Collaborate with Compliance, Risk, and Technology to maintain governance, mitigate risks, and support continuous service improvement.

Leadership and Strategic Contribution

• Act as a senior leader, contributing to strategic planning, operational delivery, and cross-functional initiatives.
• Support the COO in driving broader operational transformation and change programmes.
• Serve as the operational subject matter expert, providing functional input into change activity, including process design, testing, and implementation.
• Drive a high-performance culture across all operational teams, focused on execution, accountability, and delivering excellent customer outcomes.
• Champion efficient, scalable, and customer-centric processes, embedding a mindset of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in operational leadership roles within financial services, ideally across lending and savings.
• Proven ability to align operational delivery with strategic, risk, compliance, and customer objectives.
• Demonstrated success in managing operational functions including completions, servicing, arrears, and collections.
• Experience in bridging lending is essential; experience in other lending types is beneficial.
• Strong experience managing third-party relationships, including outsourcers, legal firms, valuers, and deposit aggregators.
• Deep understanding of regulatory requirements and operational risk within financial services.
• Proven ability to lead teams through change, transformation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience in complaint handling, vulnerable customer management, and delivering fair customer outcomes.
• Strong understanding of KYC and AML frameworks and their operational implementation.
• Analytical and decisive, with experience using MI to drive performance and governance.
• Execution and performance-driven, with a strong focus on achieving operational targets and results.
• Comfortable operating at a senior level, with experience contributing to strategic planning and executive-level discussions

Why Join?

At Recognise Bank, we're building more than a bank — we’re creating a culture where people feel empowered to make a difference 💡, supported to be brilliant ✨ with a can do will do attitude, and trusted to do the right thing 🤝.

We believe that when our people thrive, so do our customers. That’s why we invest in an environment that reflects our values and supports your growth, flexibility, and wellbeing.

Here’s what you can look forward to:

🌴 Competitive Time Off – Generous annual leave plus bank holidays to rest, recharge, and enjoy life outside of work.

🌍 Work From Anywhere – Up to 4 weeks per year to work remotely from anywhere in the world.

📚 Learning & Development – Tailored training and support to grow your skills and achieve your professional goals.

🏠 Hybrid Working – To support your work-life balance, we offer a hybrid working model with 3 days in the office and 2 days remote.

🩺 Private Medical Care with Vitality – Comprehensive healthcare including optical and dental coverage to keep you healthy.

💼 Enhanced Pension Scheme – Helping you plan and save for a secure future.

👶 Maternity, Paternity & Adoption Pay – Supporting you and your family during important life moments.

🎉 Discretionary Company Bonus – Rewarding your contribution to our shared success.

If you're curious, driven, and ready to be part of something meaningful — where your ideas matter, your growth is supported, and your work makes a real impact — then we’d love to hear from you.

Recognise Bank is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.