Head of Payment Onboarding - BPL

This is a key strategic leadership role within the Head of Payments Leadership Team, responsible for Leading the onboarding experience from application through underwriting. This role focuses on ensuring a smooth and positive experience for new customers with key aspects including developing and implementing onboarding strategies aligned with company goals and customer needs, managing a team, and driving key performance indicators (KPIs) related to onboarding success.  Fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment ensuring continuous evaluation is undertaken to improve the onboarding process and enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and customer satisfaction.  Champion the customer's perspective and advocate for their needs throughout the onboarding journey.  Establish strong relationships with key stakeholders, both internally and externally.

• Oversee daily operations and ensure smooth functioning of all departments.
• Develop and implement strategic plans to achieve organizational goals.
• Ensure compliance with industry regulations and standards.
• Lead and mentor a team, fostering a collaborative and productive work environment.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency and productivity.

Barclays’ payments acceptance business provides critical infrastructure to the UK economy, processing billions of pounds of payments annually for both small businesses and domestic and international corporate clients.

In April 2025, we announced a long-term partnership with Brookfield Asset Management to grow and transform the payments acceptance business by broadening the range of services offered, enhancing the experience for both existing and prospective clients. Leveraging extensive client relationships and deep experience of UK payments, we will create an environment of continuous innovation - activated by Brookfield’s global private equity expertise in payments, technology, operational transformation and corporate carve-outs - to ensure the business is strategically positioned for long-term growth.

Barclays will invest approximately £400m in the new business, the majority of which will be incurred during the first three years. Performance-linked incentives will drive greater alignment between the partners, underpinning the long-term commitment to the transformation. Barclays and Brookfield will work to create a standalone entity over time, continuing to use the Barclaycard Payments (BPL) brand and acting as the sole payments acceptance services provider to Barclays’ clients for a minimum of ten years. 

For more information on our partnership with Brookfield, please visit Barclays.com.

Purpose of the role

To manage the scoping and implementation of products and services for newly onboarded and existing clients globally, helping clients leverage our product capabilities and delivering income for the business. 

Accountabilities

• Delivery of client Product & channel implementation projects from inception through to agreed closure and handover to business-as-usual.
• Collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to identify and implement products/services that meet client requirements.
• Definition, agreement, and execution of project management plans that meet client and internal stakeholder needs, delivering projects in a proficient and controlled manner.
• Day-to-day co-ordination of implementation activities including regular communications with stakeholders and monitoring progress against plan.
• Identification, assessment and management of risks/issues that should they occur, will affect delivery of project objectives.           .
• Provision of subject matter expertise and support to clients and internal stakeholders throughout the implementation project lifecycle.  Acting as a conduit to other subject matter experts across the business to ensure swift and accurate resolution of complex queries and issues.
• Development and implementation of procedures and controls to mitigate risks and maintain operational efficiency.  Identification of areas of improvement and providing recommendations for change across business areas and operations.
• Development of reports on performance and communication of trends and other findings to senior leaders.
• Identification of industry trends support development of operational best practices and inform product/service development.
• Participation in projects and initiatives to improve client service/implementation efficiency and effectiveness.

Director Expectations

• To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
• They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
• Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
• Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
• Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
• Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
• Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
• Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
• Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
• Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
• Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.