Head of Transactional Banking - Business Banking

The Head of Transactional Banking is accountable for the end-to-end strategy, design, commercial performance and transformation of Nationwide’s Business Banking transactional proposition across business current accounts, payments, cash management, digital money movement, open banking and related value-added services. The role will shape a differentiated, market-relevant proposition that helps SMEs and corporates run their day-to-day finances with confidence, capture greater primary-bank share, deepen deposits and payments income, and deliver fair, transparent and sustainable outcomes in line with Nationwide’s mutual purpose.

The Head of Transactional Banking will play a pivotal role in building the everyday banking engine for the Business Bank. This is a once-in-a-career opportunity to help create a full-service mutual business bank that can compete with digital challengers on speed and simplicity, while outperforming traditional banks on trust, fairness, relationship depth and breadth of capability.

Reporting to the Director of Group Business Products, the role will lead the strategy, roadmap and in-life management of business current accounts, payments and cash-management propositions, ensuring they are commercially compelling, digitally excellent, operationally scalable, well controlled and aligned to the needs of sole traders, micro businesses, SMEs, mid-market businesses and larger corporate customers.

As the UK market continues to shift, customers expect faster onboarding, richer digital servicing, better value from idle balances, simple domestic and international payments, integrated accounting and tax journeys, and human support when complexity or risk increases. We are looking for an inspiring transactional banking leader who understands these needs deeply and can translate them into propositions that win market share responsibly.

You’ll be accountable for creating the products and services that businesses use every day: accounts that are easy to open and operate, payments that are reliable and efficient, and digital tools that reduce admin, improve cash-flow control and strengthen the customer relationship.

Across the transactional portfolio, you’ll own the full lifecycle from market and customer insight through to proposition design, pricing, payment capabilities, partner integration, digital journey requirements, distribution, launch, customer outcomes, risk and controls, and ongoing performance optimisation.

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 either our Glasgow, London or Northampton office. If you’re based at our Glasgow office, this will apply from 1 April 2027 and ahead of that there will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration events. Alternatively, you'll be located at our Edinburgh hub. There will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration events, this is expected to be weekly in Edinburgh. 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. 

Virgin Money is now part of Nationwide

Nationwide acquired Virgin Money in October 2024. Virgin Money continues to serve customers on the high street, and there will be a phased and considered integration over the coming years.

You’ll be employed by Nationwide from day one, delivering real impact and benefitting from a highly competitive range of benefits. We’re a workplace where you’re rewarded, recognised and celebrated.

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

The Head of Transactional Banking is accountable for shaping and leading a strategically important business unit spanning business current accounts, domestic and international payments, cash-management services, open-banking propositions, account information services, digital servicing and value-added tools that help businesses manage cash flow, get paid, pay others and optimise liquidity.

Operating with significant autonomy and influence, the role holder will translate Business Banking strategy into a clear transactional-banking roadmap that grows primary-bank relationships, attracts and retains operating balances, expands payments revenue, improves customer advocacy and creates a proposition capable of competing with leading fintechs, specialist challengers and established high-street banks.

You will partner closely with Digital, Payments, Technology, Operations, Coverage, Finance, Treasury, Risk, Compliance, Financial Crime, Data and Transformation to ensure propositions are delivered safely, are resilient by design, meet regulatory expectations and remain commercially attractive as customer needs, payment rails and competitor propositions evolve.

You will ensure transactional banking is not developed as a standalone product silo, but as the relationship foundation that connects savings, lending, cards, cash management, FX, trade, accounting integrations, tax tools and sector propositions into a coherent customer experience.

You will represent the transactional-banking agenda in senior decision-making forums, bringing clear judgement on customer impact, commercial trade-offs, pricing, market positioning, delivery prioritisation, technology dependencies, operational readiness and conduct outcomes.

You will oversee performance management across acquisition, activation, CASS switching, operating balances, payment volumes, fee income, digital engagement, complaint drivers, customer advocacy, fraud and operational resilience metrics, using insight to continuously improve the proposition and customer experience.

About you

As a minimum you’ll have: 

• Deep business banking product leadership experience, with specific expertise across business current accounts, savings, payments, cash management or closely related transactional banking propositions

• Strong understanding of SME and corporate customer needs, including onboarding, day-to-day banking, cash-flow management, deposits, payments, accounting integrations, digital servicing and relationship-led support

• Proven commercial acumen, including experience growing balances, fee income, customer acquisition, activation, engagement, retention and market share in a regulated banking environment

• Practical knowledge of UK payment rails, open banking, digital channels, operational resilience, financial crime controls, conduct risk and regulatory expectations relevant to business banking

• The ability to translate market insight, competitor benchmarking and customer evidence into a clear proposition roadmap, business case and prioritised delivery plan

• Strong cross-functional leadership, with the ability to align Product, Digital, Technology, Operations, Coverage, Risk, Finance and Transformation around shared customer and commercial outcomes

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with confidence representing Nationwide internally and externally and adapting complex messages for senior, technical and customer-facing audiences

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:

• 30 days holiday, pro rata

• Private medical insurance

• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement

• Access to an annual performance-related bonus

• Training and development to help you progress your career

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

• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death

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

• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

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.

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.

Please note that should you be successful in securing this role the job title on our internal systems will be Head of Business Products.