Senior Operations Director

Senior Operations Director – Creative

1 Year Fixed Term Contract

Salary: £85,000 - £110,000 neg dependant on experience

Location: London – Canary Wharf

Hours 37.5

Work model: Hybrid

Williams Lea is the leading global provider of skilled, technology-enabled, business-critical support services, with long-term trusted relationships with blue-chip clients across investment banks, law firms and professional services firms. Williams Lea employees, nearly 7000 people worldwide, who provide efficient business services at client sites in often complex and highly regulated environments, from centralised Williams Lea onshore facilities, and through best cost company offshore locations.

Purpose of role

As Senior Operations Director, working with a Top 10 global financial services institution, you will play a pivotal role in overseeing and optimising operational processes for the Global Creative service provision.

The role will be responsible for building relationships and working with both internal and external service stakeholder. This key role will include evaluating the team performance; technology, processes and work streams deployment; and communication with and in the client environment. The output of the review will ultimately lead to recommendations for both the client and Williams Lea on how to grow the service into new regions/work profiles with the overall objective of increasing the portion of internal marketing execution spend through better utilisation of the Global Creative Service.

Key responsibilities 

Stakeholder Engagement:

Develop & maintain a strong relationship with the client and consistently strive to exceed their expectations. Maintain a good understanding of the client and their organisation

Collaborate with senior management, client stakeholders, business units, and external partners. Build consultative relationship with external and internal clients

Communicate consistently with project stakeholders and executives as appropriate, ensuring deliverables are being met by all team members at all stages of the project

Process Optimisation:

Identify areas for process improvement across the banking functions

Recommend and implement streamlined workflows, automation, and digitization to enhance operational efficiency.

Implement customer-centric initiatives to enhance service quality.

Risk Management:

Develop and maintain robust risk management frameworks.

Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and internal policies.

Mitigate operational risks related to infosec, cybersecurity, and data privacy.

Team Leadership:

Support and mentor teams responsible for day-to-day operations.

Foster a collaborative and results-oriented work environment.

Set performance goals and monitor progress.

Financial Oversight:

Monitor operational budgets, expenses, and cost control measures.

Collaborate with finance teams to optimize resource allocation.

Develop and commercialise any recommendations which should be considered by the business and the client

Technology and Innovation:

Stay abreast of industry trends and emerging technologies.

Drive digital transformation initiatives within operations.

Review the status reports of team members across projects and address issues as appropriate

Personal attributes 

Proven creative experience (typically 10+ years) in banking or regulated operations, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.

Strong analytical skills and the ability to make data-driven decisions.

Familiarity with banking regulations and compliance requirements.

Excellent communication, negotiation, and problem-solving abilities.

Rewards and Benefits

We believe in supporting our employees in both their professional and personal lives. As part of our commitment to your well-being, we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to:

Williams Lea offer the following benefits package, including Private Medical Insurance, Life Insurance/Life Assurance, Company Pension, Corporate Eye Care, Personal Accident and Company Sick Pay. 

Additional benefits such as Dental Insurance, Childcare Vouchers, Gym Membership, Charity Donations, Employee Offers, Retail Vouchers and Season Ticket Loan are offered at a discount on a salary sacrifice basis. 

You will also have the opportunity to work for a global employer who is dedicated to offering each and every employee an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding career with future career development prospects!

Equality and Diversity

The Company values the differences that a diverse workforce brings to the organisation and will not discriminate because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation (each of these being a “protected characteristic” in discrimination law). It will not discriminate because of any other irrelevant factor and will build a culture that values openness, fairness and transparency.

If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format or would like to make a reasonable adjustment to enable you to make an interview please contact us at (we do not accept applications to this email address).