Manager - Portfolio Management & Operations

We are looking for a high performing individual to join our Payments CIO Demand and Engagement Team, within COO, as a Portfolio Manager & Operations.

Working with a set of direct and matrix stakeholders, you’ll support our commitments, by actively managing demand that comes into the Payments CIO front door process and support the sequencing of our outcomes against our roadmaps of change.

You’ll do this by qualifying demand from the Business, Strategic Programmes & our Run Areas, which will in turn facilitate the shaping of complex, broad ranging business plans & strategies for critical work across our area. You will be responsible for leading on impact assessment work of new demand, making sure the work and definition of done is understood, to support our Delivery colleagues getting the work scheduled for execution.

You’ll work closely with delivery colleagues to understand what demand they can service, ensure they are able to set appropriate milestones to give us (and our stakeholders) confidence that key initiatives are going to deliver their planned outcomes, whilst understanding & identifying potential knock-on impacts to delivery, through unexpected demand.

Identifying demand trade off’s and managing complex, sometimes difficult conversations with stakeholders will be key to both your and our overall success. 

It is important that you have the ability to build a strong network, as naturally, Payments touches many areas of the Society, and you’ll need to draw on these connections to support our outcomes.

Since this is a role that requires facilitation and influence, we are looking for someone with very strong communication skills, influencing skills and strong written skills that has the demonstratable experience at this level.

This is a new role within the Payments CIO area, which has the responsibility for the design, build and operation of IT solutions that underpin our Payment applications.

This role is crucial to supporting our ongoing ambitions, which will see us modernise our technology estate, and provide even better outcomes and service for our customers & colleagues.

At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this job you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, based at our Swindon office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.

If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.

What you’ll be doing

You will be the first port of call for all demand into our area (primarily for Cheques) but also support demand across our other Payment types as well. This could be new demand, away demand, or regulatory demand. Regardless of its type, you will be sequencing and managing requests for our services, in conjunction with your delivery stakeholders to support delivery.

Typically, you will be working closely with Business Analysts, Customer Journey Managers, Project Managers, Engineers and Architects to facilitate demand decisions. 

You will be proactively engaging and collaborating with your stakeholders to understand their priorities and how we can maximise the value that we deliver to our customers, as well as being a key point of contact for them regarding key deliveries, providing updates on progress and working with delivery colleagues to help resolve issues when they arise.

About you

• Previous experience of facilitation and influencing is a critical skill set for this role
• A working knowledge of our Payments Products and Systems would be desirable
• A proven track record of effectively communicating with and influencing a range of business and technical stakeholders at a range of levels. This includes helping technical colleagues to understand the desired business outcome and need; and translating technical solutions to business stakeholders
• Able to be decisive when assessing demand, even when the decision may not be an easy or popular one
• A strong customer focus with the ability to assess whether proposed solutions effectively meet customer and business need
• Confident in managing and prioritising a diverse workload, using your judgement to identify what is most important, maintaining momentum of key initiatives and escalating effectively where support is needed
• Commercially aware, helping you to take into account the strategic and financial benefits of demand, as well as developing business cases for the Value Stream’s own backlog of change
• A strategic thinker, enabling you to understand our future roadmap of change and challenging stakeholders to also think beyond the short-term and/or tactical

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role: 

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind
• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand
• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development
• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes.

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The extras you’ll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• A personal pension – if you put in 7% of your salary, we’ll top up by a further 16%

• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

• Life assurance worth 8x your salary

• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme

• Wellhub – Access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness

• Access to an annual performance related bonus

• Access to training to help you develop and progress your career

• 25 days holiday, pro rata

What to do next

If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us.

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.

Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society

We forge our own path at Nationwide.

As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.

If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.

At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.

We are Purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly Customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.