Vice President, WRB Country Cost Management

Job Summary

The VP, WRB - Country Cost Management, is a senior role in WRB Costs - Centre of Excellence (CoE) team, that owns the overall cost management agenda for all markets in the SCB WRB footprint.

The selected individual will primarily support the WRB Business of assigned markets in the development and execution of cost-related business strategies, delivering the corporate plan, specific strategic imperatives, providing financial insights by working with the WRB Country Head, WRB Country Business Finance Head, Group Head – WRB Cost Management, India Cost CoE Lead, and Group WRB Finance teams.

Key responsibilities include:

• Be the principal cost lead for assigned Country WRB Business Management Team
• Support Country WRB Business Finance on all cost matters
• Active representation in country business reviews
• Represent WRB in all country forums with respect to Investments, allocations, recharges, and cross business cost negotiations.
• Partnering with GFS, Group WRB Finance, and Group FP&A colleagues for any assigned country-related support or representation in forums.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy

• Build and execute strategic actions in collaboration with all Stakeholders in driving the business performance and aligned to the Bank’s Strategic Priorities
• Build a strong team with future ready skills and excellence in the DNA
• Build high performance Business Finance teams driving global standard & optimised service offerings

Key Responsibilities

Business

Being a effective Finance Business Partner, responsible to provide:

• Institute appropriate tracking measures on WRB Cost performance
• Support countries in performance management, business planning, and strategic decision-making
• Lead Budget, Forecast, and the Strategic Corporate Plan processes
• Enforce accountability for delivery of Budgets and Forecasts for WRB costs by engaging and influencing country business/ finance stakeholders with Standard MI, Analytics, and on-going dialogue to derive commercial insights
• Ensure costs & investments are aligned to business strategy, deliver targeted returns, and that a culture of continuous productivity improvement is embedded in business processes
• Be the custodian of all WRB costs (incurred as well as service charges), provide constructive challenge to functional, tech, and Operations teams on costs proposed to be billed to WRB as well as work with business to manage levers which can help reduce costs
• Drive WRB Cost efficiency discussions and monitor delivery of cost saves by WRB segments and products
• Own all key decisions, policies governing cost allocations principles between products, segments in assigned markets
• Develop market intelligence on Operating models and Cost best practices from Peer banks and organizations and play a role in influencing adoption of the same by businesses.
• Translate data heavy financial information into compact and visually impactful messages.
• Develop business review decks that are fit-for-purpose
• Run periodic cost forums with countries to provide ongoing updates & address outstanding queries/ issues
• Provide sharp analytics and commentary on WRBs cost performance and forward looking narrative
• Develop robust mid-month FY Outlook on both costs and HC.
• Working closely with Group Cost Management teams to provide key narrative/ analysis to help them build adequate narrative for the Bank / Group
• Help build appropriate tech, data, and analytics capability around WRB costs
• Active collaboration along with the key pillars within the Cost CoE and create an environment to function as one team.

Processes

• Build a culture of continuous process improvement, standardization of procedures, and implementation of a robust control framework
• Work with GFS colleagues to ensure co-operation and smooth operations.
• Understand the changing data requirement landscape with a forward-looking focus

People & Talent

• Build a culture of continuous process improvement, standardization of procedures, adoption of Standard Cost MI, and implementation of a robust control framework
• Work with GFS colleagues to ensure co-operation and smooth operations.
• Drive simplification, standardisation, Digitization, and widespread adoption of consistent MI and analytics for Countries - help drive efficiencies in the production and delivery of Cost MI
• Understand the changing data requirement landscape with a forward-looking focus

Skills and Experience

Risk Management

• Operate 1st line responsibilities of process owners as outlined under Operational Risk Framework (ORF) and associated policies and procedures
• Act to minimize operational loss and audit failures and take proactive measures to respond to matters arising and identify and manage forward looking risks.
• Through assignment of direct and indirect reports, establish and maintain an appropriate framework and procedures for monitoring, identifying, measuring, assessing, reporting, and managing compliance, regulatory, financial crime, operational, and reputational risks

Governance

• Build and review Governance framework around Standard MI, internal controls, adherence to policy to adherence to agreed risk appetite.

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 team to achieve outcomes set out in the Bank’s Conduct Principles
• Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate, and resolve risk, conduct, and compliance matters.

Key stakeholders

• Global Head, WRB Cost Management
• Country Business Finance Head and Business Management team
• Group Lead – Cost FP&A and Change
• India – Costs CoE Lead
• Group WRB Cost team

Qualifications

• MBA, CA, CFA, ACCA with a minimum of 12 years of experience (post qualification), preferably in the Financial Planning & Analytics area

Additionally, the following skills sets are a key to success of the incumbent:

• Experience in managing costs for a global organisation in a matrix environment
• Experience in managing teams in a fast faced dynamic work environment
• Good working knowledge in management reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis.
• Experienced in financial and profitability modelling and translation of results for management decision-making.
• Advanced or expert skills to prepare presentations for senior management – ability to translate complex financial information into visually impactful representations for senior management
• Analytical and strong sense of need to upload integrity of financial information.
• Proactively question and improve status quo, think outside the box to improve productivity, data accuracy, and reporting process.
• Strong networking and interpersonal skills, forming positive working relationship in the multicultural environment.
• Should have strong knowledge and understanding of data management, data quality, and its linkage in driving business performance management.

About Standard Chartered

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together we:

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple, and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long-term

What we offer

In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial, and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum), and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders, and all sorts of self-help toolkits
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.

For further information, and to apply, please visit our website via the “Apply” button below.