Performance Director - Business Banking - Branch

As Performance Director, you'll play a pivotal role in leading the performance, development and strategic direction of Nationwide's Business Banking proposition, ensuring the delivery of exceptional outcomes for customers, colleagues and the Society. This is a highly influential leadership role with accountability for driving business performance across the UK, translating strategy into action and ensuring the successful delivery of key priorities through effective leadership, governance and collaboration.

Reporting to the Head of Business Banking - Branch & Cash Support, you will act as a trusted deputy, providing leadership across a broad portfolio of operational, customer and commercial objectives. You will lead business performance through a balanced scorecard of measures, identifying opportunities to improve customer outcomes, colleague engagement, productivity and business performance, whilst developing the capability of leaders across the Business Banking operation.

A key part of the role will be sponsoring and leading significant change across Business Banking, ensuring strategic initiatives are successfully implemented and deliver sustainable benefits for customers and colleagues. Working closely with stakeholders across Business Banking, Retail Services and the wider Society, you will help shape the future of Nationwide's Business Banking proposition, balancing operational excellence with innovation and continuous improvement.

You will undertake detailed analysis and interpretation of management information to identify performance trends, risks and opportunities, enabling robust decision making and the effective deployment of resources. Through close collaboration with leadership teams and business partners, you will develop and implement performance improvement strategies, ensuring accountability and delivery against agreed outcomes.

The role sits at the heart of the Business Banking leadership team and requires exceptional stakeholder management across a wide range of internal and external partners.

You will provide oversight and direction on key operational, performance, risk and strategic matters, ensuring effective governance, clear decision making and alignment to Society priorities. You will also lead the preparation and communication of executive reporting, stakeholder updates and leadership reviews, providing clear insight and recommendations that support business decision making.

We're looking for a strategic and commercially minded leader with a proven track record of delivering performance improvement, leading through others and influencing at senior levels within a complex environment. Whilst knowledge of Business Banking would be advantageous, we are equally interested in candidates who can demonstrate an excellent track record of leading performance, change and customer outcomes within a branch network environment. Just as important is a leadership style that is collaborative, inclusive and aligned to Nationwide's values.

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 role, you'll be based at your nearest regional office or hub. We value time spent together to connect with colleagues for collaboration so there will be a need to regularly travel across the UK to our branches and offices within this role. If you are based at an office location, you'll be expected to meet our hybrid working requirement of at least two days a week, or 40% of your working time if part-time, in the office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works.

Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of our employees impacted by change, as such applications for redeployment candidates will be prioritised in this recruitment process.
 
If you’re a colleague on long-term absence (for example, on parental leave) or a temporary worker, please use your personal email address to submit an application.

What you’ll be doing

You will lead the performance of Nationwide's Business Banking proposition by working closely with operational leaders and key stakeholders to drive customer, colleague and business outcomes, providing support, challenge and direction to ensure delivery against key priorities.

You will attend governance meetings overseeing performance, risk, operational and strategic discussions, and ensuring clear actions and decisions are taken across the business.

As a sponsor of major Business Banking initiatives, you will lead the successful delivery of change programmes that improve performance, capacity and customer outcomes, working with senior stakeholders from across the Society.

You will act as deputy to the Head of Business Banking - Branch & Cash Support, representing the function at senior forums and providing leadership and decision-making support across the wider Business Banking leadership team.

You will support the development and mobilisation of Nationwide's Business Banking proposition, helping establish effective governance, operating models, performance frameworks and stakeholder relationships that enable long-term growth and success.
 

About you

As a minimum, you’ll have:

• Experience leading large-scale operational, service or customer-facing teams within a complex, regulated environment, with accountability for delivering performance across a broad range of customer, colleague, risk and business measures
• Proven experience of working within either Business Banking or a Branch Network environment
• A demonstrable track record of influencing and engaging senior stakeholders, with the credibility to operate at executive level, chair governance forums and deputise for senior leaders when required
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to develop clear reports, governance packs and executive-level presentations
• Experience leading and embedding significant business change programmes, delivering measurable improvements in customer outcomes, operational performance and colleague experience
• Outstanding leadership skills, including developing leaders, building high-performing teams and creating an environment where colleagues can thrive and perform at their best
• Exceptional analytical and commercial acumen, with the ability to interpret complex management information, identify opportunities and risks, and translate insight into effective action plans
• Excellent judgement and decision-making skills, with the ability to balance competing priorities, manage complex business challenges and operate effectively in a fast-paced environment
• A broad understanding of the financial services landscape, including market developments, customer expectations, risk management requirements and the factors that drive sustainable business performance

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.

Keeping your data and personal information confidential is important to us. To find out more about how we use and process your data, please read our .

If you want to find out more about using AI in our recruitment process, please read more here.

Disability Confident 

We’re not just guided by data, we’re driven by the real experiences of our people. We’re a Disability Confident Level 3 Leader, the highest level. 

That’s why we’re constantly evolving our policies and practices to make sure everyone feels genuinely supported, valued, and empowered to champion inclusion. Whatever your needs, we’re here to support you. If you need any additional support throughout your application journey, email our team at Recruitment Support. 

Apply safely with Nationwide

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The hiring manager for this role is Chris Scott ([email protected]), and the main recruitment contact is Amy Bright.

Please note that should you be successful in securing this role the job title on our internal systems will be Performance Director.