Programme Director – Separation and Carve Out (BPL)

Programme Director – Separation and Carve Out – BPL

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.

We are now in a key phase of the Payments Acceptance Transformation, where the programme is mobilising for execution and locking down resources, planning and design. Execution is focussed on two core elements of activity:

Firstly - separation and carve-out: segregation of the asset perimeter, operating structure, and transfer into an independently licenced entity (initially Barclays owned)

Secondly - investment in new features and capabilities to improve the products and services offered to existing customers

This role will primarily be focussed on:

•Set-up and operationalisation of standalone Legal Entity (inc. policy / procedure scope and EUC)

•Regulatory licenses submitted and obtained

•Perimeter definition and transfer (assets and people)

•Separation of Technology and Data

•Definition and management of TSAs / IGAs

•Client migrations, contract novation and scheme outcomes

Purpose of the role

To manage change projects that help the organisation achieve its strategic objectives, while ensuring that projects are delivered on time, within budget, in control and in compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies and procedures. 

Accountabilities

• Management of change projects within the organisation, ensuring that they are delivered on time, within scope, budget, and to the required quality standards.
• Development and management of project plans that outline the scope, objectives, timelines, and resource requirements for change projects.
• Communication with stakeholders, including senior management, project teams, and external partners, to ensure that they are informed about project progress and that their needs and expectations are being met.
• Management of project teams, ensuring that they are properly resourced and that they have the necessary skills and expertise to deliver on project objectives.
• Management of project budgets, ensuring that projects are delivered within the agreed budget.
• Creation of reports on project progress to ensure that proposed solutions are delivered on time and within budget.
• Management of project risks, ensuring that risk, assumptions, issues and dependencies are identified, assessed, and mitigated as necessary.
• Facilitation of change management activities, including training and communication, to ensure that change projects are successfully implemented and embedded in the organisation.

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.