The Role
Play a key role in managing £4 billion in global payments, leading a talented team and shaping a major ERP transformation. We are looking for a Banking Operations Lead who thrives in change-oriented environments and combines deep finance and payment operations expertise with the ability to engage, lead and influence through significant business and technology transformation.
This role goes far beyond overseeing daily processes. You will take end-to-end ownership from strategy to execution, balancing operational excellence with transformation delivery. You will lead a dedicated team through a significant systems evolution, ensuring that our payment operations remain secure, compliant and resilient while actively helping to shape how they work in the future.
You will ensure the accurate, timely and secure disbursement of over £4 billion in annual payments across our global operations. Managing a UK team of three alongside offshore resources, you will be the expert and go-to contact for payment operations across the business.
A key part of the role will be our transition to a new ERP platform. Your ability to embrace change, challenge existing ways of working and translate payment requirements into successful ERP outcomes will be critical. You will play a leading role in ensuring a smooth implementation, from design and testing through to cut-over, go-live and stabilisation, with zero disruption to our payment commitments.
This is an office based role 5 days a week
What You Will Take On
Lead and support your team: Build an environment of continuous improvement, collaboration and change while ensuring accurate, compliant global payments.
Own the payment cycle: Oversee end-to-end operations including supplier payments, payroll, tax disbursements and intercompany transfers.
Lead ERP transformation: Play a hands-on role in the ERP transformation, including requirements, process design, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), cutover strategy, go-live readiness and post-launch stabilisation.
Be an agent for change: Engage positively with new ways of working, challenge established processes and help stakeholders understand and adopt the changes required by the new ERP platform.
Manage key partnerships: Strengthen relationships with external banking partners and Payment Service Providers (PSPs), collaborating closely with internal Treasury, Accounts Payable, Payroll, IT and transformation teams.
Uphold compliance and risk management: Maintain robust internal controls and ensure strict adherence to external financial regulations.
Focus on continuous improvement: Introduce modern tools, automation and refined processes that reduce risk, increase efficiency and improve the overall payment experience.
What You Will Bring
Strong payment and finance expertise: A proven track record leading payment operations in a complex, high-volume environment, ideally within global retail or another large, international organisation.
A genuine appetite for transformation: Experience of, or a strong desire to work on, a major ERP transformation or systems implementation. You will be comfortable operating in an environment where processes, technology and ways of working are evolving.
Change leadership capability: The ability to engage people through change, influence stakeholders, challenge constructively and translate business requirements into practical solutions.
ERP experience: Practical experience with enterprise ERP systems such as SAP or Oracle, with the ability to understand how ERP changes impact end-to-end payment processes. Experience of payment automation tools such as RPA or payment factories would also be valuable.
Strong leadership capability: Experience developing and leading UK-based and offshore teams, creating a culture of collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.
Comprehensive payment knowledge: A strong understanding of global payment mechanisms and financial compliance standards, including AML, sanctions and treasury controls.
A proactive approach to problem-solving: You are analytical, resilient and comfortable navigating ambiguity, complexity and competing priorities. You remain calm and constructive when things change.
Excellent communication and influencing skills: The ability to build strong relationships and engage effectively with stakeholders across Finance, Technology, Operations and the wider business.
Desirable Qualifications
Professional qualification such as ACT, CIMA, ACCA, ACA or equivalent.
Direct experience delivering payment transformation, ERP implementation or major system migration projects.
- Experience working within a large-scale business transformation or change programme.
#LI-DC1
You know Next, but did you know we’re a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 44,000 people across the Next group. We’re the UK’s 2nd largest fashion retailer and for Kidswear we’re the market leader. At the last count we have over 450 stores, plus the Next Online and it’s now possible to buy on-line from over 80 countries around the world! So we’ve gone global!
