Transformation Lead

Acuity Knowledge Partners; Greater London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Acuity Knowledge Partners seeks an experienced Transformation Lead to shape and drive enterprise-wide change in a financial services environment, working across senior leadership and programme delivery functions to translate strategic priorities into practical transformation initiatives.

The role combines organisational-change expertise with commercial and quantitative analysis, including developing business cases, operating models and value realisation plans for executives and boards.

Qualifications

• Significant experience driving transformation programmes, organisational change or business improvement in financial services or professional services.

Responsibilities

• Translate business strategy and value-creation priorities into clearly defined transformation initiatives.
• Diagnose organisational and operational challenges using qualitative insight and quantitative analysis.
• Define transformation roadmaps, target outcomes, delivery priorities and measurable success criteria.
• Develop target operating models covering organisation, processes, capabilities, governance, technology and ways of working.
• Build robust business cases, including financial baselines, cost-benefit analysis, investment requirements and implementation scenarios.
• Identify and quantify opportunities for revenue growth, cost reduction, productivity improvement and operational efficiency.
• Analyse financial, operational and customer data to identify performance issues and value levers.
• Establish clear benefit measures and track delivery and value realisation with Finance and owners.
• Challenge assumptions constructively and ensure proposals are commercially credible.
• Assess the organisational impact of proposed changes and define change interventions.
• Support organisation design, role clarity, capability development and new ways of working.
• Develop stakeholder engagement and adoption strategies for complex change.
• Work with leaders to build ownership and embed sustainable behavioural change.
• Convert strategic objectives into structured programmes of change.
• Maintain alignment between strategy, delivery and outcomes with programme leads.

Skills

Transformation leadership

Change management

Strategic planning

Stakeholder engagement

Financial due diligence

Executive communication

Problem solving

Data analysis

PowerPoint

Excel

Tools

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

4th Floor, Martin House, London, London, United Kingdom

6 - 12 Years

Permanent

Job Description

Job Purpose:

Seeking an experiencedTransformation Lead to shape and drive complex, enterprise-wide change within afinancial services environment.

The successful candidate willcombine strong organisational-change expertise with commercial and quantitativeanalysis and, maintain the ability to communicate complex issues to a varietyof stakeholders (Including Executives), clearly and succinctly.

The role will work acrosssenior leadership, operational teams and programme-delivery functions totranslate strategic priorities into practical transformation initiatives. Thiswill include developing transformation plans and business cases, definingtarget operating models, identifying value opportunities, supporting implementationand ensuring that intended commercial and organisational outcomes are realisedand, at times, hands-on delivery of key initiatives.

The successful candidate maycome from a strategy or transformation consultancy, an in-house transformationfunction, or a senior operational role within a private equity-backed orsimilarly results-oriented business.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Translatebusiness strategy and value-creation priorities into clearly definedtransformation initiatives.
• Diagnoseorganisational and operational challenges using qualitative insight andquantitative analysis.
• Definetransformation roadmaps, target outcomes, delivery priorities andmeasurable success criteria.
• Developtarget operating models covering organisation, processes, capabilities,governance, technology and ways of working.

Commercial and financial analysis

• Buildrobust business cases, including financial baselines, cost-benefitanalysis, investment requirements and implementation scenarios.
• Identifyand quantify opportunities for revenue growth, cost reduction,productivity improvement and operational efficiency.
• Analysefinancial, operational and customer data to identify performance issuesand value levers.
• Establishclear benefit measures and work with Finance and business owners to trackdelivery and value realisation.
• Challengeassumptions constructively and ensure proposals are commercially credible.

Organisational change

• Assessthe organisational impact of proposed changes and define appropriatechange interventions.
• Supportorganisation design, role clarity, capability development and new ways ofworking.
• Developstakeholder, engagement and adoption strategies for complex change.
• Workwith leaders to build ownership, address resistance and embed sustainablebehavioural change.

Programme and delivery leadership

• Convertstrategic objectives into structured, deliverable programmes of change.
• Workclosely with programme leads, project managers and subject-matter expertsto maintain alignment between strategy, delivery and outcomes.
• Provideoversight and constructive challenge across plans, milestones,dependencies, risks and decisions.
• Supportprogramme governance, executive steering groups and decision-making forumsand monitor progress and accurately assess performance.
• Identifydelivery risks early and intervene where progress, outcomes or benefitsare at risk.

Executive engagement and communication

• Buildtrusted relationships with executive leaders, functional heads and othersenior stakeholders.
• Produceconcise, compelling and visually strong PowerPoint materials for executivecommittees, boards and investors.
• Synthesisecomplex analysis into clear messages, choices and recommendations.
• Facilitatesenior workshops and decision-making sessions.
• Communicateconfidently across strategic, commercial and operational topics.
• Influence acrossorganisational boundaries, including where direct authority is limited.

KEY COMPETENCIES:

• Significantexperience driving transformation programmes, organisational change orbusiness improvement in financial services or another professionalservices business
• Astrong understanding of financial-services operating environments,commercial drivers and regulatory considerations.
• Demonstrableexperience shaping and delivering complex, cross-functionaltransformation.
• Strongorganisational-change capability, including organisation design,operating-model change, stakeholder engagement and adoption.
• Commerciallyastute with experience developing business cases and identifying,quantifying and tracking value.
• Highlynumerate and comfortable working with complex financial and operationaldata.
• AdvancedPowerPoint skills, with the ability to develop and executive board-qualitypresentations.
• StrongExcel and analytical-modelling capability.
• Goodunderstanding of programme and project delivery, including governance,planning, dependencies, risk management and benefits realisation.
• Experienceworking with multiple programmes or portfolios of change.
• Credibilityand confidence when engaging senior executives and challenging establishedthinking.
• Atrack record of moving effectively between strategic problem-solving andpractical implementation.

Relevant career backgrounds may include

• Strategy,operations, organisation or transformation consulting.
• Anin-house strategy, transformation, change or value-creation function.
• Asenior operational or business-improvement role within a privateequity-backed organisation.
• Acommercially focused leadership role involving significant organisationaland operational change.
• Experiencewithin a private equity-owned, investor-led or similarlyperformance-focused environment.
• Exposureto rapid value-creation programmes.
• Experiencepresenting to boards, investors or executive committees.
• Knowledgeof financial-services
• Relevantprofessional qualifications in change, programme delivery, finance orbusiness management.
• Knowledgeof AI capabilities and practical business applications is a plus

Skills and attributes

• Clearand compelling communicator, who builds and establishes relationshipeffectively.
• Collaborative,low-ego and effective across functional boundaries.
• Comfortablechallenging assumptions and holding others to account.
• Resilientand able to maintain momentum in fast-paced environments.
• Focusedon measurable outcomes and sustainable value.
• Pragmatic,delivery-oriented and comfortable with ambiguity.
• Ableto simplify complexity without losing important detail.
• Structuredand hypothesis-led problem solver.
• Strongcommercial judgement and financial acumen.
• Highlyanalytical, numerate and detail-conscious.
• ExcellentPowerPoint storytelling and visual communication skills.

Measures ofsuccess

Success in therole will be demonstrated through:

• Deliveryof measurable financial and operational benefits.
• Effectivemobilisation and oversight of complex change initiatives.
• Clearalignment between strategic priorities and transformation activity.
• Successfuladoption and embedding of organisational change.
• Earlyidentification and resolution of delivery risks and dependencies.

Job Snapshot

Job ID

JOB_8517

Department

Corporate Development

Location

Location 4th Floor, Martin House, London, London, United Kingdom