Standard Life plc
Strategic Business Manager (12 months FTC), RS&AM
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Job Type: Secondment / Fixed Term Contract (12 months parental cover)
Location: This role will be based in our London office, with some flexibility to work between the office locations and home. We will discuss what is important to you and balancing this with business requirements during the recruitment process. You can read more about flexible working here. [https://www.standardlifeplc.com/careers/flexible-working]
Salary and Benefits: From £100,000 (pro-rated) subject to experience, plus bonus, private medical cover, 38 days annual leave, excellent pension, 12x salary life assurance, career breaks, income protection, 3x volunteering days and much more.
If you’re a Strategic Business Manager who brings commercial thinking, curiosity and can navigate in a growth environment, then our team, Business Development & Origination (BD&O) would love to meet you.
Who are we?
We’re Standard Life, a retirement specialist focused entirely on retirement savings and income. We champion the belief that everyone’s journey to and through retirement can be better, and for more than 200 years, we’ve been helping our customers plan and prepare for their financial futures.
Life today is increasingly complicated, uncertain and unpredictable. People move through different careers, face unexpected moments and navigate important choices. We offer our colleagues flexibility, trust and benefits that work for whatever life brings. In return we expect curiosity, connection, accountability and high standards. We make room for what matters - so you can bring your best, every day.
Role Overview
This role provides strategic leadership across BD&O, with a particular focus on supporting Pension Risk Transfer (PRT) strategy and executive-level decision making.
Acting as a trusted partner to the Director of BD&O, the role combines strategy, business management, and senior stakeholder support. It ensures alignment with corporate objectives through effective governance, financial oversight, and workforce planning. Acting as a central coordination point, it enhances organisational effectiveness and supports sustainable growth across BD&O.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy & Communications:
- Drive overall strategy and key business-focused initiatives for BD&O, working with functional leadership and broader strategy team.
- Lead functional specific initiatives as required, working with key leaders within the BD&O function.
- Lead functional specific senior leadership team (SLT) and team meetings ensuring downwards cascade of relevant management information.
- Support external engagement and comms as required (e.g. PR and Public Affairs, regulatory engagement, investor relations).
- Own communications on strategy and business topics (e.g. those listed below) within their functional areas.
Financial Performance and Expense Management:
- Work with Finance to determine and report on KPIs/metrics/objectives/outcomes associated with BD&O.
- Work with Finance to manage the BAU expense budgets (people and non-people) and relevant allocations.
- Drive and deliver cost savings/synergies as required.
- Own the functional cost base, with detailed understanding of cost base drivers to enable efficient scaling and evolution as business strategy changes.
- Define and collaborate on the functional contribution to AOP.
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HR and People
- Working with business leads and HR to coordinate the overall org design and people capability for the function.
- Support as required for business HR tasks.
- Drive functional specific people initiatives.
Governance
- Coordinate BD&O engagement into RS&AM wide and Enterprise / Board governance.
- Oversee enterprise and board paper submissions relevant to the function for quality & accuracy.
- Support delivery of delegated authority documentation for relevant SMFs.
- Coordinate and produce functional specific papers into relevant committees (e.g. BIC, Group ExCo).
- Lead coordination of RSPTC meetings.
Operating Model
- Own roles and responsibilities for BD&O function.
- Interface into broader RS&AM and Standard Life organisation, with the aim of simplifying and streamlining handoffs – making processes, governance, and broader organisation more efficient and slicker.
- Lead on operating model development within functional areas, including the overlap with expense base drivers, as the strategy evolves.
Change and Transformation
- Support setting and tracking of transformation priorities – working closely with Heads of Transformation.
- Oversee overall delivery of functional-specific transformation (on behalf of BD&O as required), check and challenge delivery.
- Coordinate engagement into the functional area on new initiatives ensuring SME engagement efficient and timely.
- Challenge new business initiatives to ensure they are aligned with business strategy & sensible from a cost/benefit perspective.
Risk and Control
- Support Line 2 & 3 reviews as required, including coordination and delivery of management responses (incl. overseeing project delivery if required).
- Lead coordination of risk and governance requirements, including SMF18 responsibilities, BIRT responses, and enterprise-wide surveys (e.g. operational capacity, conflicts of interest), ensuring timely delivery and high-quality outputs.
PRT (Pension Risk Transfer) & Market Engagement
- Support the development and articulation of PRT strategy, including input into Board-level strategy insights.
- Coordinate development of materials for large scheme opportunities, including senior briefing materials.
- Work closely with PRT Business Development to support market engagement and thought leadership activity.
- Support delivery of PRT marketing and events, aligning activity with strategic priorities.
- Act as a strategic liaison between BD&O executive leadership and business development and origination teams.
- Lead preparation of high-impact executive materials, including Board papers and CIO/CEO briefings.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
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Stakeholder Engagement
- Act as a strategic liaison between BD&O executive leadership and business development and origination teams.
- Lead preparation of high-impact executive materials, including Board papers and CIO/CEO briefings.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
What are we looking for?
Experience, Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Previous experience working across multiple financial specialisms such as Asset Management, BPA, Investments and Individual Annuities.
- Skilled in preparing Board-level materials, executive briefings, and strategic insights.
- Strong understanding of financial products, services, and regulatory frameworks within Asset Management, Pensions, BPA, Annuities & Client Services.
- Strong grasp of financial drivers, cost-benefit analysis, and value creation.
- Ability to see the big picture, anticipate market shifts, and align business objectives with long-term goals.
- Proven ability to operate in a fast-paced, senior stakeholder environment, balancing multiple priorities.
Personal Attributes
- Engages and influences key stakeholders both externally and across business to ensure the successful delivery of strategic and operational priorities.
- Strategic Thinking: Ability to see the big picture, anticipate market shifts, and align business objectives with long-term goals.
- Commercial Acumen: Strong grasp of financial drivers, cost-benefit analysis, and value creation.
- Analytical Rigor: Skilled in data interpretation, scenario planning, and performance tracking.
- Influential and persuasive, able to build consensus and drive alignment across stakeholders.
Mandatory Qualifications:
Degree in Business/Finance or similar field- or equivalent qualification.
We want to hire the whole version of you.
We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels accepted and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If your experience looks different from what we’ve advertised and you believe that you can bring value to the role, we’d love to hear from you.
If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, please let us know so we can help you to be at your best.
We’re reviewing applications as they come in and may close this role before the closing date, so apply early to avoid missing out.
Find out more about working at Standard Life
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Guide for Candidates: standardlifeplc.pagetiger.com/guideforcandidates [https://standardlifeplc.pagetiger.com/guideforcandidates/guideforcandidates]
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Find or get answers from our colleagues: www.standardlifeplc.com/careers/talk-to-us [http://www.standardlifeplc.com/careers/talk-to-us] #LI-SC1
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