EMEA Head of Business and Regulatory Enablement - Executive Director

Deliver change with discipline, transparency, and control. You will set the governance and execution framework that turns regulatory and market expansion demands into production-ready outcomes across Loan Operations in EMEA.

As a Head of Business and Regulatory Enablement, Europe, Middle East and Africa (Executive Director) in Wholesale Lending Services Loan Operations, you will define and run the regional strategy and execution framework for how change is assessed, prioritised, delivered, and embedded into production teams in a controlled, audit-ready manner. You will lead a small, high-impact team (11+ across London and Bournemouth, with growth potential) and partner with Product, Technology, Operations, and Risk and Control stakeholders to improve delivery discipline, resilience, and oversight. You will also collaborate with global and Asia Pacific counterparts to align governance standards, data ownership, and transformation delivery.

Job responsibilities

• Set the regional strategy and execution framework for business readiness and controlled change delivery across Loan Operations.
• Establish an end-to-end portfolio governance model covering intake, prioritization, readiness checkpoints, decisioning, escalation, and post-implementation review.
• Run senior decision forums and structured routines that enable timely approvals, transparent trade-offs, and clear accountability.
• Translate regulatory and market expansion requirements into production-ready operating model outcomes (process, controls, training, reporting, and support readiness).
• Ensure governance artefacts, documented decisions, and oversight routines are consistently audit- and exam-ready.
• Define key performance indicators and control metrics that evidence operational effectiveness, stakeholder outcomes, and delivery performance.
• Lead cross-functional delivery coordination across Product, Technology, Operations, and Risk and Control to manage dependencies and resolve delivery risks.
• Partner with Technology and Product to identify and prioritise transformation opportunities that improve efficiency, resilience, and control outcomes.
• Align governance standards, data ownership practices, and transformation priorities with global and regional counterparts to drive consistency and reuse.
• Develop team capability and succession depth through coaching, development pathways, and clear standards for adoption across the operating model.
• Represent the function in executive working groups focused on performance, efficiency, resilience, innovation, and strategic execution.

Required qualifications, capabilities, and skills

• Senior operating model leadership with strong risk and control judgement in regulated, cross-functional environments.
• Demonstrated expertise in operations, including practical application of operational risk management and controls.
• Proven experience designing and running governance frameworks (intake, prioritisation, readiness criteria, and steering/decision forums).
• Track record delivering complex change into production teams with disciplined execution and measurable outcomes.
• Ability to influence and partner effectively with senior stakeholders across Product, Technology, Operations, and Risk and Control.
• Experience converting regulatory and market expansion requirements into implemented processes, controls, training, and reporting.
• Strong capability to create and maintain audit-ready oversight through structured reviews and documented decisioning.
• Proficiency in establishing performance and control metrics and using insights to drive prioritisation and action.
• Experience partnering with transformation and technology teams to improve workflows, tools, and reporting mechanisms.
• People leadership experience, including coaching, talent development, and succession planning across multiple locations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with executive presence and decision-oriented messaging.