Head of Retail Strategy and Innovation
National Savings and Investments
Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 8th May 2024
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About the job
Job summary
This is a new role responsible for leading innovation and strategic thinking for our customers, products and services. This role will focus on assuming greater control and responsibility for the design and management of NS&Is future propositions, features and customer experience, whilst working in partnership with the Retail services senior leadership team.
As our organisation grows and evolves, it will need to be more digital first whilst supporting our customer service principals and ensuring we design in an inclusive and accessible way for all and for future needs.
NS&I aims to increase the pace at which we deliver change and enhancements to our services and products, maintaining alignment with customer expectations and increased competition in the UK savings market.
This will involve
- Streamline processes required for using market/competitor information to review propositions, services, products etc, with ongoing feedback loops to improve speed at which customer insights can be used to develop and test changes to services and products. Clearer alignment with Market Intelligence & Research teams to support effective horizon scanning activities.
- Clear process and ownership is required for the development of the customer strategy and propositions aligned to NS&Is corporate strategy. Clear process for translating changes in the strategy/propositions through into the live environment with clear prioritisation of changes.
- Greater focus on ongoing service innovation utilising insights and trends from wider industry. NS&I would benefit from increased capacity to gather service innovations from suppliers, broader market etc and evaluate, test and approve innovations into live services.
- Strategy and proposition development should become less iterative and responsive, with documents reviewed and enhancements made on a more regular basis. Retail will benefit from having dedicated resources to focus on longer-term strategic and innovation planning.
Job description
Person specification
Essential Experience, knowledge and skills
- Communication skilled in communicating at all levels with clear, concise and compelling skills, both verbal and written. Listens to others, considers competing views and tensions and is articulate and careful in their language. Ability to represent NS&I across the business and wider industry.
- Stakeholder relationships skilled in building positive and productive stakeholder relationships around common and strategic goals. Influencing senior stakeholders and driving resolution of problems.
- Customer Centric Complete understanding of NS&I mandate balanced with a passion for customer excellence, service and outcomes.
- Strategic thinking experience of leading the design and implementation of retail strategies, competing priorities and is hypothesis driven. Data led, open minded and comfortable operating in future horizon thinking and ambiguity.
- Forward thinking A proactive and future thinking mindset, balanced with trends and research to help drive NS&I to think multiple steps ahead.
- Leadership Enjoys leading teams, demonstrates inclusion, approachability, deep listening skills and enjoys setting goals, enabling teams to deliver consistent success.
Desirable qualifications, experience and technical knowledge and skills
- Experience of working within innovation, strategy or digital environments, responsible for sponsoring change.
- Experience of leading a teams through transformation projects
- Agile ways of working / methodology
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Changing and Improving
- Developing Self and Others
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
Benefits
NS&I is one of the largest savings organisations in the UK with more than 24 million customers and over £218 billion invested. We are both a government department and an Executive Agency of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Our origins can be traced back more than 150 years to 1861.
A small company with a big reach, we offer a range of benefits including flexible working, great opportunities for development and a generous pension scheme. We care for colleagues, respect one another, invest in our people and manage talent effectively.
Some benefits of working at NS&I include:
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible hybrid working options
- 9 day fortnight scheme
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- Generous annual leave starting at 25 days, increasing to 30 days
- Performance related variable pay bonus
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave
Things you need to know
Selection process details
To apply, please click the link on this advert and follow the steps to complete the application form.
We will sift applications based on your statement of suitability for each individual criteria stated below, up to 500 words in total, as well as your job history.
- Strategic thinking experience of leading the design and implementation of retail strategies, competing priorities and is hypothesis driven. Data led, open minded and comfortable operating in future horizon thinking and ambiguity.
- Leadership Enjoys leading teams, demonstrates inclusion, approachability, deep listening skills and enjoys setting goals, enabling teams to deliver consistent success.
- Forward thinking A proactive and future thinking mindset, balanced with trends and research to help drive NS&I to think multiple steps ahead.
- Stakeholder relationships skilled in building positive and productive stakeholder relationships around common and strategic goals. Influencing senior stakeholders and driving resolution of problems.
Please note there is no expectation for you to meet the maximum word count provided for the statement. Feel free to use as many words as you need within the limit to demonstrate your experience in a concise and clear manner.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the following lead key criteria only:
- Strategic thinking experience of leading the design and implementation of retail strategies, competing priorities and is hypothesis driven. Data led, open minded and comfortable operating in future horizon thinking and ambiguity.
If shortlisted, you will be invited to attend a 1 hour panel interview via video call.
As part of this interview you will be asked to make a 10 minute presentation aimed at demonstrating your Communicating and Influencing skills.
Interviews will take place on 22nd May.
Following the first interview, it may be necessary to move to a 2nd stage of interviews, in order to establish a merit order, in the event that we have a strong field of candidates. If this is necessary, we will notify successful candidates from the 1st stage of interviews that a 2nd interview will be held. Once the 2nd interview dates have been determined, we will give a weeks' notice to candidates.
Note we are unable to accept CVs.
This role is subject to Baseline Personnel Security Standard and financial credit checks.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Working for NS&I
NS&I is currently working in a hybrid way with colleagues expected to work in the office for 40% of their working month and this will be increasing to 60% of their working month in the summer of 2024. If you are applying to work in London, the role is currently based in Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, SW1P 3BT and in summer 2024 it is anticipated that NS&I will be moving out of Sanctuary Buildings and into another office within central London.
Any move to NS&I from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
If you are applying for a role at the same NS&I band as you are currently and the advertised salary of the role is higher, if you are successful, any salary increase will be at the discretion of NS&I and will be reviewed as part of the next annual pay review, in accordance with the NS&I employee handbook.
Note to existing permanent employees at NS&I - Please be aware that if you are a permanent employee appointed to a fixed term role, our recruiting principles ensure you will retain your permanent status at the end of this contract. However, you are not guaranteed to return to your original role. At the conclusion of this fixed term period, you may be redeployed to another suitable role at NS&I, offered retraining or will be given priority mover status to find another role in the civil service.
NS&I employees on a fixed term contract moving to another fixed term role, will continue to be employed for a fixed term to the end date of this role. You may apply for suitable roles within NS&I or the civil service.
Some Travel only
This role may require some travel to other sites and will be discussed at interview.
Further Information
Please visit our website http://nsandi-corporate.com/about-nsi for further details about NS&I.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : jobs@nsandi.com
- Email : jobs@nsandi.com
Recruitment team
- Email : jobs@nsandi.com
Further information
