Director : Business Performance Ops : Operational Excellence

Job Title: Head Operational Excellence - Business Performance Operations 

Job Summary:
• Serve as a critical liaison between Group FP&A, Business Heads, ACFOs, and product line owners to understand diverse analytical needs and translate business requirements into scalable reporting solutions. Drive alignment across organizational levels to ensure performance metrics and insights support strategic decision-making while fostering a culture of data-driven leadership.
• Transform raw data into actionable business insights through sophisticated analytical approaches, developing curated reports and dashboards that highlight key performance trends, variances, and opportunities. Partner with business leaders to design forward-looking analytics that move beyond historical reporting to predictive and prescriptive insights that drive competitive advantage.
• This is pivotal role reports directly to the GPLs and partners with central Process Performance Excellence (PPE) team to elevate operational maturity across GCFO workstreams
• Drive PPE Framework & Op Ex Strategy within relevant GPL workstream to identify optimization opportunities
• Collaborate with GPLs and work on Book of work to focus to uplift the maturity of the processes and making it leaner etc.
•Play a critical role in process mining, identifying KPIs & dashboards to drive process insights

Responsibilities:
Process Transformation & Innovation:
• Lead end-to-end process redesign initiatives across Business Performance operations, managing large-scale, cross functional initiatives that touch multiple geographies, business units and stakeholder groups to standardise workflows and eliminate inefficiencies.
• Architect scalable operating models that support business growth while reducing complexity & operational risk
• Establish PPE governance frameworks with clear ownership, controls, & performance metrics
• Drive standardization & harmonization of processes across regions & business units
• Champion the adoption of Generative AI & cutting-edge analytical tools to revolutionize reporting capabilities, automating routine processes and enabling natural language insights generation.
• Evaluate and implement emerging technologies that enhance analytical speed, accuracy, and accessibility while ensuring responsible AI governance and change management across the organization.
 

Operational Excellence & Quality Management:
• Lead the rationalization & optimization of large, varied reporting processes across the organization, identifying redundancies, streamlining workflows, and implementing best practices that enhance efficiency and accuracy.
• Design and deploy standardized frameworks that balance flexibility for business-specific needs with enterprise-wide consistency in performance measurement and reporting methodologies.
• Deploy Lean Six Sigma methodologies to eliminate waste, reduce variation, & optimise resource utilization
• Build continuous improvement culture through kaizen events, process mining, & root cause analysi s
• Orchestrate the integration of multiple reporting systems and platforms to create a unified analytics ecosystem, ensuring seamless data flow and establishing common datasets that eliminate silos. Implement robust data governance frameworks and technical solutions that enable single sources of truth while maintaining data integrity across disparate systems and tools.
• Operationalize KPI dashboards & real-time monitoring capabilities for proactive issue resolution

Lead defect prevention programs & implement mistake-proofing techniques across critical processes

Strategic Partnership & Change Leadership:
• Work with Finance leadership to translate strategic objectives into operational roadmaps
• Act as trusted advisor to GPL and PPE Head on operational transformation priorities
• Lead cross-functional teams through complex change initiatives with strong stakeholder engagement
• Develop business cases demonstrating ROI for process improvement & technology investments
• Foster collaboration between Finance, Technology, Operations & Risk teams
Regulatory & Compliance Excellence:
• Ensure process designs meet regulatory requirements (UK ACG, Basel, PRA, IFRS, tax & Regulatory compliance)
• Strengthen controls environment while simplifying processes & reducing operational burden
• Support audit readiness through robust documentation, testing protocols, & evidence management
• Drive remediation of audit findings & regulatory observations with sustainable solutions
 

Capability Building:
• Develop training programs to upskill finance teams on process improvement methodologies
• Create centre of excellence for process optimization, automation, and quality management
• Mentor Process leaders on operational excellence principles & change management

Regulatory & Business Conduct:
•Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct.
•Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines and the Group Code of Conduct.
•Lead the country / business unit / function to achieve the outcomes set out in the Bank’s Conduct Principles.
•Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters.
•Exercise authorities delegated by the Board of Directors and act in accordance with Articles of Association (or equivalent)
 

Key stakeholders:
• GCFO COO MT
•Relevant GPL
•PPE Team
• Global Op Ex team
• ARIS GPT
• SAP Signavio
• ProHance team
• Relevant Technology teams
• Infrastructure & Security Teams

 

Qualifications:
Education & Certifications:
• MBA, Master's in Finance, or equivalent advanced degree
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification required; Master Black Belt preferred
• Professional certifications (CA, CPA, CFA, CIMA, or equivalent) highly valued
Experience & Expertise:
• 12-15+ years in finance operations, with 5+ years leading operational excellence or transformation programs
• Proven track record delivering large-scale process transformation in banking or financial services
• Deep domain expertise across multiple finance functions (Accounting, Financial Reporting, FP&A, Treasury, Tax)
• Hands-on experience with process improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping)
• Demonstrated success implementing automation solutions (RPA, workflow tools, AI-enabled platforms)
• Strong understanding of regulatory environment and compliance requirements in banking
 

Technical & Analytical Skills:
• Expert in process mapping, analysis, and redesign using tools like ARIS, Signavio, or Celonis
• Proficient in data analytics and visualization platforms (Tableau, Power BI, Alteryx)
• Strong knowledge of ERP systems (SAP, Oracle) and finance technology ecosystem
• Experience with project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, hybrid approaches)
•Advanced Excel and data manipulation capabilities for complex analysis
 

Leadership & Soft Skills:
• Exceptional change management skills with ability to influence without authority
• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and commercial orientation
• Outstanding communication skills; ability to present complex concepts to C-suite executives
• Proven ability to build consensus and drive results in matrixed, global organizations

• Results-driven leader with high standards, attention to detail, and execution excellence
• Cultural sensitivity and experience managing diverse, geographically dispersed teams