Director of Corporate Services

This is an outstanding opportunity to join a market leading B2B & B2C service business and lead its Corporate Services function. Positioned in this still innovative and increasingly competitive but growing sector, they have built a strong reputation for innovation and service offering with strong service levels and objective delivery for the clients and customers. Strong commercial and entrepreneurial passion runs through the organisation.

They have grown strongly since their inception 20 years ago, despite recent entries to their previously largely uncontested marketplace, and are now focused on driving continued growth and enduring success.

This is an energised and service-rich culture, which every employee works diligently to foster. They are a complex company with a simple product offering to multiple markets, B2C, B2B and B2R. Long term relationships are critical to the business, but crucially, so are the internal processes that delivers long-term stability and foundations from which to driver increased growth. 

Combining the above with strong leadership, quality service product innovations, a lithe strategy adept at responding to market conditions and consistent focus on customer service, they have employed a highly commercial approach to their entire organisation, constantly challenging the status quo for long-term benefit.

A key element to that growth, strategic vision, entrepreneurial drive and market positioning is the recruitment of a highly commercial Director of Corporate Services.

The role as Director of Corporate Services is an outstanding opportunity to not only take a key role in an exciting, market defining business, but one that offers the chance to lead a critical central-function right at the heart of the business’s performance.

Reporting to the Managing Director with a dotted line to the CEO, the Director of Corporate Services will take a very active part on the Senior Leadership Team. The relationship with the MD will be critical to the onward leadership and success of the business, as well as its culture.

The Director of Corporate Services assumes overall control and accountability for managing risk, business planning, quality & customer relations in this B2B, B2C, B2R environment to support the delivery of the business strategy & plan.

They will be accountable for setting and tracking the company strategy in the above areas including the communication of it for both finance and non-finance professionals, as well as input on commercial initiatives, and the delivery of the broader strategy to deliver ongoing stated organic growth, and as part of the senior leadership team, the Director of Corporate Services is expected to demonstrate both a strategic and an operational mindset.

They will promote commercial understanding and develop initiatives to positively impact financial and commercial performance, and will seek to re-engineer existing practices to eliminate low or no value activities, ensuring efficient work flows.

Key deliverables will include:

• Annual Business plan & budget
• Governance 
• Business support
• Quality & Risk
• Customer Relations
• Regulatory compliance (incl. GDPR)
• Procurement & vendor
• Estates management
• Business Continuity & crisis management

This is a strategic leadership role in a fast-paced, high-change, customer focused business. Responding to that pace and focus and driving it, is a critical function of the Corporate Services function. The Director of Corporate Services will provide dynamic leadership to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness of all processes, refining and re-designing where necessary; crucially whilst seeking to gain commercial advantage.

Understanding and successfully managing the Corporate Services function will be vital for the long-term success of both the role and the business – not only in helping to ensure the business continues on its commercial trajectory, but also to ensure the values, mission and vision of the organisation as it continues to be at the forefront of decision-making and strategy, along with resolute customer service and ultimate satisfaction. Strategic and operational intelligence will be critical, as will a natural solution finding demeanour.

Maximising the structural performance of the business will be the primary task for the appointee, driving the best route to high growth and continued success.

Team development, leadership and inspiration are critical aspects of this role. Quality of the human resource, and overall staff retention is high across the business through operational, strategic and above all, personal leadership input and direction. The business has a strong ‘team’ ethos and culture and is known as a very employee engaged business. This role will be critical to that reputation as the business continues to grow.

The Director of Corporate Services will be one of the most influential people, and personalities within the business.

Responsibilities:

• Transform corporate data into commercial insights that support the Managing Director and overall Senior Leadership Team in making commercial decisions that will delivery of the Company Strategy
• Oversee the administrative, business planning, governance and risk management of the UK operation
• Provide the in-house expertise on Quality & Risk Management, Customer Relations, Procurement & vendor management, GDPR, Business Continuity, Crisis Management and regulatory compliance
• Ensure total compliance with all relevant UK legislation
• Management of the UK estates portfolio and business leases
• Work in partnership with the Senior Leadership Team to objectively evaluate investment projects across all functions, ensuring clear objectives, performance measurements and ROI
• Work in partnership with commercial functions to create a robust forecasting process that delivers accurate monthly, quarterly and annual financial predictions
• Recruit, lead and develop a highly skilled, engaged and commercially focused team that is recognised as a centre of excellence by the internal customers it serves

The Person

This is a high-profile leadership position as the Director responsible for the business’s Corporate Services, and ultimately its performance against the corporate strategy. The appointee will have a proven Leadership background within an SME/Entrepreneurial Service business, preferably with finance or procurement background, and/or Accounting/Procurement professional qualification. They will have experience on sitting on a strategic leadership team, even if as a junior member.

The appointee will already possess ‘Corporate’ experience, and as a component of that know what good structure, robust processes and sound financial rigour looks like, but they will also have had exposure to smaller, more lithe organisations, bringing in the broader commerciality of a smaller business and operating in an entrepreneurial environment. 

He/she will possess excellent interpersonal skills, be adept at mixing strategic planning & direction whilst retaining a hands-on capability, possessing strong process management abilities, and be a robust decision-maker and a ‘finisher’. The role involves providing strategic and operational leadership as well as practical support not only to the Commercial and Corporate functions, but also to the business as a whole.

The successful candidate will have strong influencing skills and be able to put across his or her ideas and views clearly to both peers, team members and the fellow members of the Leadership Team. In addition, he/she will have strong communication skills and be capable of liaising with a broad cross-section of departments, skillsets and capability levels to discuss all financial and structural matters, particularly to assist the compilation of, and adherence to budgets.

The appointee will exude enthusiasm and demonstrate an outstanding work ethic – this is a culture where hard work is expected, celebrated and rewarded. This is not a 9-to-5 job, but nor is it an onerous or needless hours culture. They will be constantly questioning those above and below them, but more importantly, constantly questioning (and challenging) themselves…

...but the appointee will have gravitas. It will be immediately obvious to all around them why they have been selected and appointed. They will have the behavioural and technical skills to earn and retain respect.

Alongside their astute leadership capabilities, they will be an ‘action’ style manager. Their attention to detail will be second to none, and will be contagious. They will never see themselves as ‘too big’ for any task within the department, and will gain huge satisfaction from developing the team in every regard, form and function.

The appointee’s CV will clearly demonstrate they…

• Create opportunities to drive change.
• Adopt innovative & creative approaches to problem solving at a strategic & Board level.
• Have the flair to flex your leadership style to fit the dynamic change & growth initiatives.
• Model a flexible & responsive approach to change
• Shape, develop & empower a high performing team to help them be the best they can be, through development and growth.
• Always communicate with passion and enthusiasm both to your team and the business.
• Possess a strong track record with managing senior stakeholder relationships with proven credibility and customer focus.
• Drive efficiency & process improvement, enhance productivity to realise strategic goals.
• Leverage data & tech insight to drive decision making.
• Can demonstrate holistic approach when managing risk
• Translate big picture concepts into robust delivery bringing your people with you every step of the way!
• Partner with key senior stakeholders to deliver business strategy & change agenda
• Have an exceptional track record of delivery of high profile, strategic programmes.
• Are an authentic leader, influencing your peers & colleagues.

Person Spec:

• Director level team leadership exposure within a Commercial and/or Corporate Function
• Preferably professionally qualified (finance, procurement or similar) with significant and team management experience, including coaching and development, minimum of 3 years in a leadership role.
• Ability to explain budgetary controls and management to non-finance colleagues
• Exceptional team player with proven ability to lead through influence
• A strategic thinker and able to communicate effectively (both written and verbal)
• Adept at balancing intense short-term pressures with overall long-term goals
• Experience presenting to and working with other senior management team members
• Natural control orientation but with the ability to judge risk profile against commercial opportunity
• Strong executive presence, polish and commercially savvy
• Experience at mentoring and personal development
• Demonstrable ability to understand and simply communicate complex concepts in a compelling, concise, and creative way
• Measured, but fun and dynamic in their management style, instilling a co-operative, high-energy, motivated team-oriented culture

Competencies/Behaviours:

• Operates within an empowerment-rich leadership framework and role-models leadership behaviours
• First-class commercial acumen and a real change agent.
• Strategic thinker who challenges conventional thinking and brings new commercial ideas and concepts to the table
• Strong influencer, able to actively listen, evaluate and influence a course of action that is right for the whole business
• Expert relationship builder who has the confidence, courage and conviction to confront reality, challenge others and right wrongs  
• Proven track record in a strategic leadership role
• Experience of delivering excellent results through leading and influencing a matrixed/remote team

Personal Characteristics:

• The ideal candidate will already have a reputation and track record of success as an exemplary corporate-style Director.
• Bright, dynamic, and possessing superior verbal and written communication skills, the successful candidate will have the engaging personality to inspire and create excitement with their team, as well as across the entire organisation.
• The successful candidate will also be strategic and innovative with an external awareness to understand the nuances of complex processes and procedures within a regulated environment.
• Utilising a highly solution based, consultative style; Be experienced in teaching and developing their team(s) to identify and define business needs and develop innovative solutions
• They will be a tireless, high-energy professional with an entrepreneurial flair and will possess a brand of confidence, which allows for delegation and empowerment to his/her team.
• He/she will be a team player that has experienced a broad-reaching but largely non-hierarchical structure.
• The individual must have demonstrated an ability to achieve or exceed his/her objectives while working in concert with other managers/directors. He/she must possess excellent interpersonal skills, the highest level of integrity, and be able to inspire trust and confidence.
• Finally, this executive must have a level of business maturity, flexibility and the instincts to adapt to a young, exciting, high-energy, dynamic environment characterised by high growth expectations and a collaborative culture…..and have a sense of humour and fun at all times.