Head of Business Readiness and Support 12mth FTC

At M&G our vision is: to become the best loved and most successful savings and investment business and we're looking for people who are excited about joining us on our journey. We're digitally transforming and investing heavily in technology and innovation to develop new and improved customer propositions that really raise the bar for our customers. To help us achieve our vision we're looking for exceptional people who live our values and behaviours and who can inspire others; embrace change; deliver results and keep it simple.

We know that an inclusive environment makes us more accessible and ensures we attract, engage, promote and retain exceptional people. We welcome applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity/nationality, disability, or military service and welcome those who have taken career breaks. We will consider flexible working arrangements or home working arrangements for any of our roles.

What you can expect from us:
We are committed to creating an environment where you can be exceptional at all you do. To help us deliver this, we promise to:

• Challenge Your Limits by creating a stimulating working environment and providing opportunities for you to be involved in meaningful and challenging work
• Support Your Aspirations with a commitment to learning and development that helps you achieve and build your experience with people who want you to succeed
• Value Your Input whereby leaders and managers will involve you in key decisions, listen to your thoughts and recognise the important contribution you make
• Balance Your Life through a work life partnership that focuses on making this an inclusive, diverse and friendly place to work and offers the flexibility and support that enables everyone to be at their best

How do we support our employees:
All M&G plc employees will be supported in the workplace through our M&G Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). If you need counselling, confidential financial or legal advice. The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and offers access to qualified professionals who can provide specialist information, advice and support on many issues. It offers a broad range of services, including help with family issues, maintaining work/life balance and mental health support.

This role can be homebased anywhere in the UK and equipment will be provided to enable this.

The Role:

• Provide dedicated business readiness and service improvement support to the whole of Ascentric.
• Lead the change roadmap and resource requirements for the business, collaborating with IT, Propositional and Operational teams and relevant SMEs to support delivery
• Represent the business through programmes of change and shaping the detailed design for implementation
• Ensure that there is clarity over the business impact of each planned release or change
• Working collaboratively with the Testing team, Training team and Internal and External communications
• Stakeholder management so the business is prepared for all change coming into their teams and areas
• Ensure control owners have understood and accepted the controls risk position ahead of each planned release
• Where releases or change deliver less than planned, or where items have been proven to be defective or not work as planned then post–implementation ensure that training and communications are refreshed accordingly and that control owners accept the new position.
• Ensure Business Validation Testing is completed and validate any benefits realised
• Oversight of the Take to Market workstream across all projects

Key Work Level Accountabilities:
Manager or Expert:

• For people managers, accountable for managing and motivating others to ensure quality of delivery to customers and stakeholders
• For technical specialists, accountable for delivering expert advice or service, using specialist knowledge and subject matter expertise
• Applies judgement to deliver outcomes, evaluating a range of potential solutions, considering the impact for customers, cost and risk
• Manages conflicts that may impact delivery
• Challenges upwards given knowledge of delivery and awareness of complex systems and the broader picture
• Identifies and anticipates need for changes to continuously improve quality and efficiency of output
• Manages resources and risks using expert judgment, know–how and experience

Key Contribution Areas:
Strategy:

• To support the Ascentric strategy and operational business objectives ensuring Operations have a clear vision of purpose and it responds to customer feedback to ensure continuous improvement goals are maximised and new proposition developments are supported
• Accountable for shaping, influencing and ultimately implementing successful delivery into live for all BAU and new Programme / Project related changes to deliver Ascentric objective
• Key role in influencing as well as executing both Commercial and Customer strategies
• Ensuring Ascentric has a clear vision of forthcoming change and impact on adviser, customer and business processes and procedures

Leadership :

• Provide leadership and direction on Business Readiness matters to the Ascentric Executive and key stakeholders involved in planning, operational performance and change delivery.
• Engage and collaborate with the Senior Operational Leadership Team, IT and Propositional Team, to drive transformational service improvements
• Embed the purpose, values and vision for the team with capability measures linked to purpose
• Drive for excellence in people management matters, enabling engaged customer and adviser focussed teams
• Provides a skilled advisory capability to support / aid Ascentric continuous improvement initiatives
• Lead a team of people to support the Take to Market work stream; communicating change more widely internally and externally

Management and delivery of Business Readiness Roadmap:

• Manage the Business Readiness roadmap of change, working with key stakeholders across the business with support from internal or external SME resource as required
• Input to the design and testing of future "to be" state of process and system changes, ensuring customer experience is a key driver of change
• Ensure all relevant business areas are prepared to accept changes into their operating environment
• Ensure business and customer service stability is maintained during the transition or roll out, and that the changes are effectively integrated in the business
• Complete post implementation 'lessons learned' reviews
• Effectively communicate change across all impacted areas
• Effective planning and resource demand management, managing multiple demands and conflicting priorities
• Manage Take to Market plans to ensure comm are included as part of all delivery

Financial:

• Roadmap and project costs delivered to budget and in line with MTP
• Apply a benefits–focused approach, clearly delivering the capabilities and benefits as defined within the Programme scope, on time and in budget
• Ongoing development of resource model and MI to drive robust capacity planning, workforce management FTE requirements

Risk:

• Ensure key business risks are fully understood, controlled and mitigated to ensure projects are delivered to our regulatory requirements
• Deliver business plans and operate within risk appetite, ensuring risk based decisions are evidenced and taken at all times
• Undertake stress test and scenario analysis to identify current and potential risks

Key Knowledge, Skills & Experience:

• Detailed knowledge of the business environment and/or have direct business experience
• Excellent understanding of operational and financial processes
• Excellent understanding of our products, customers, channel and processes
• Excellent understanding of competitor market place
• Extensive Programme or Project Management experience
• Agile or Continuous Improvement experience
• Understands the management structures, politics and culture of the organisation
• Good understanding of regulatory environment in which RLPS operate
• Experience of managing people in a matrix environment
• Sound basis / understanding of Platform technologies
• Commercial awareness
• Good understanding of implications from emerging regulation on processes and procedures
• Good understanding of adviser outlook and priorities
• Strong stakeholder and relationship management skills, to Board level
• A deep understanding of Operations, it's customers and impact of change
• Cost/benefit analysis skills
• Strong collaborative communication and influencing skills
• Excellent written, presentation and verbal skills
• Strong planning and problem solving capabilities
• Ability to find innovative solutions to problems
• Delivery focussed – Provides thought leadership and supports Executive in their decision making
• Communication – Creates a mutual understanding through the exchange of information across the business, Senior Leaders, the Executive and into the Board and the FCA as needed
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