The Bank of England is the UK's central bank. Each of its 4,800 people are committed to public service and dedicated to its mission to promote the good of the people of the United Kingdom by maintaining monetary and financial stability.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Executive Director of Central Operations will be a key member of the Bank of England’s senior leadership team and will be responsible for the Bank’s core functions, spanning Property, Security, Events, Corporate Services, Procurement and ESG. Overseeing the Heads of each function, the Executive Director will have the opportunity to strategically guide the Bank’s central operations, overseeing the institution’s iconic portfolio of heritage buildings and safeguarding our Critical National Infrastructure. This individual will utilise their previous experience to form a Directorate aligned with the Bank’s broader strategic priorities.

The Executive Director will be supported by a leadership team with responsibility for:

• Procurement: including a Technology Commercial Team and Property Commercial Team.
• ESG: working to achieve the Bank’s climate targets; includes Environmental Leads, Health & Safety and Community & Community Support.
• Security: overseeing the Bank’s internal security as well as managing relationships with external stakeholders, including the City of London Police.
• Property: responsibility for the Bank’s extensive freehold property portfolio, worth £302 million, using a budget of £40 million per annum.
• Corporate Services: including User Access Management, MI Analytics & Reporting and Systems & Continuous Improvement.

Key responsibilities include:

• Overseeing the long-term strategy for the Bank’s Property portfolio.
• Ensuring the Bank sets and meets its ESG targets, setting an example for the wider industry.
• Aligning Central Operations with the Bank’s local business areas to fulfil the Bank’s broader strategic priorities.
• Streamlining and standardising operations across the central functions.
• Setting strategy for the entire Directorate and carrying out the relevant modernisation required to achieve strategic goals.

As one of the Bank’s Executive Directors, the Executive Director of Central Operations will contribute to the collective leadership of the organisation. Within the Bank’s management structure, the Executive Director reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer who is a member of the Bank’s Executive Committee alongside the Governor and four Deputy Governors. The Executive Director will be an active member of several Executive Committees and a regular attendee at the Audit and Risk Committee of Court (the Bank’s Board).

Role requirements

Strong and established leadership ability

• Strategic problem solver with multiple years’ experience operating at senior levels in an organisation.
• Established track record of leading large teams and building strategic direction, with the ability to translate trends in operations to the changing business environment.
• Embody the Bank’s leadership values – human, humble and in step with the changing world, promoting an inclusive culture and working environment.

Industry leading knowledge of Central Operations, and the ability to apply this in support of the Bank’s mission and strategic priorities

• Experience across Property, Procurement, ESG, Security or Corporate Services.
• Utilising a strategic mindset to evaluate current operations before identifying and delivering proposed changes.
• Technical depth to deliver a compelling roadmap/strategy to support the delivery of the Bank’s mission.
• Be data centric and embrace analytics as an input into decision making.

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

• Ability to interact with a wide range of stakeholders including Governors, fellow Executive Directors, Bank of England staff, HMT and other Government Departments.
• Track record of building partnerships with key organisations in the sector.
• As part of this, the jobholder will be expected to explain the role and decisions of the directorate to a wide audience of stakeholders both within and outside the Bank.
• Setting the areas’ strategy and ensuring a clear vision for staff.

#LI-D

The Bank values diversity and inclusion – we want to reflect the society we serve better, we want the best people to work for us and we want our workplace to be inclusive.  We value all forms of diversity, including but not limited to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religion and sexual orientation.  One way we support diversity and inclusion is through our staff-run networks.

We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive working environment, and are open to considering how the role might be carried out with flexible working.  This role is therefore open to flexible working patterns. 

Where a role can be carried out from home, we are working towards colleagues spending at least half of their time in the office, so that we can all benefit from working together in person, while maintaining the flexibility offered by home working. From 6 June 2022, we expect colleagues to spend a minimum of 40% of their working time in the office per month.  Subject to that minimum requirement, individuals and managers should work together to find what works best for them and their team.

We are also committed to making adjustments for candidates and employees where possible, and have partnered with external expert organisations to support us in this.  We are a member of the Disability Confident scheme, summarised here, and people who wish to apply under this scheme should check the box in the ‘Candidate Personal Information’ under the ‘Disability Confident Scheme’ section of the application.

We anonymise applications so hiring managers will not be able to see your personal information when reviewing your submission, including your CV. Please fully complete the application form questions as requested, as any incomplete submissions may not be reviewed.

The Bank of England is a distinctive institution and our rewards are one of the things that set us apart. As well as enjoying a competitive salary you will work in a collaborative, inclusive environment, with a subsidised restaurant, flexible working opportunities and plenty of wellbeing initiatives.  

This specific role offers a competitive salary, along with our comprehensive benefits package as follows:

•    A non-contributory, career average pension giving you a guaranteed retirement benefit of 1/95th of your annual salary for every year worked. There is the option to increase your pension (to 1/50th) or decrease (to 1/120th) in exchange for salary through our flexible benefits programme each year.
•    A discretionary performance award based on a current award pool.
•    A 7% benefits allowance with the option to take as salary or purchase a wide range of flexible benefits. (Note that from April 2023 and for the Benefits year 2023/24, this will increase to 8%)
•    26 days annual leave with option to buy up to 12 additional days through flexible benefits. (Note: effective from April 2023)
•    Private medical insurance and income protection.