Assistant Manager, COO – France, Belgium and Luxembourg

Seeking a dynamic Assistant Manager to join the Chief Operating Office (COO) of Barclays Europe, supporting operations across France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping operational strategy across three European markets, contributing to high-level decision-making, risk management, and transformation within a global institution. You’ll gain exceptional visibility and insight into end-to-end banking operations while building deep partnerships across geographies and business lines.

Accountabilities: 
Governance Support – France, Belgium, Luxembourg

• Serve as Secretariat for Country Management and Risk & Controls Forums, ensuring effective oversight across Operational, Reputational, Compliance, and Financial Crime Risk.
• Prepare meeting materials, record minutes, and ensure follow-up of key actions across forums.

Branch COO Support

• Partner with local Chief Operating Officers to manage governance, track issues to resolution, and support regulatory engagement.

Resilience and Crisis Management

• Support regional resilience planning and readiness initiatives.

Strategic Project Delivery

• Collaborate with global project teams and local stakeholders to deliver regulatory, operational, and employee-related initiatives.
• Support system implementations real estate projects, and other cross-functional programs.

Regulatory and Audit Engagement

• Assist in audit and regulatory interactions, ensuring readiness and consistent engagement across the region.

Essential Skills & Qualifications:

• Degree in Finance, Business Management, or relevant qualification (e.g., Audit, Risk).
• Proven project management capabilities.
• Strong understanding of the financial services sector and relevant regulatory frameworks.
• Working knowledge of enterprise and operational risk, controls, and governance practices.
• Skilled in stakeholder management with strong collaboration, influence, and negotiation abilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, with strong reporting and presentation skills.
• Highly organised, adaptable, and able to manage competing priorities under pressure.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook), and familiarity with AI tools like Copilot.
• Fluency in English and French is essential.

This role is based in Paris, with regional oversight responsibilities.

Purpose of the role

To provide operating and administrative support to senior leaders, simultaneously shaping and executing long-term strategic change, whilst helping to navigate complex challenges in the performance of their roles.

Accountabilities

• Implementation of Target Operating Model, business development, and financial and non-financial resource allocation, providing strategic insight and thought leadership.
• Strategic support to and oversight of demand pipeline and the book of work, including assistance in the development and execution of strategic initiatives, projects, research, and analysis to support decision-making.
• Support to and guidance for operational efficiency and colleague/customer/client experience within the organisation, including the identification of areas for improvement, streamlining of processes, and implementation of best practices to enhance productivity, effectiveness and experience.
• Management of of people plan, talent development and succession planning including the identification of high-potential employees, provision of mentorship and guidance, and support to leadership development and diversity initiatives.
• Communication with internal and external stakeholders, management of communication channels and ensuring effective coordination across different departments and teams.
• Participation in compliance activities such as SMR and other regulatory registrations/certifications, as well as support for crisis management and risk mitigation, including the development of contingency plans, coordination of responses to emergencies, and business continuity.
• Management of all organisational/team requirements relating to technology, real estate, people and communications in conjunction with relevant partners across the firm.
• Enablement of oversight of risk management and compliance with internal and external requirements, including internal Governance on critical control activities in partnership with the CCO team, such as Records Inventory and RCSAs.
• Cost control and workforce management of the Business/Function, including involvement in financial analysis and planning, forecasting, and monitoring of financial performance against targets.

Assistant Vice President Expectations

• To advise and influence decision making, contribute to policy development and take responsibility for operational effectiveness. Collaborate closely with other functions/ business divisions.
• Lead a team performing complex tasks, using well developed professional knowledge and skills to deliver on work that impacts the whole business function. Set objectives and coach employees in pursuit of those objectives, appraisal of performance relative to objectives and determination of reward outcomes.
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People 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.
• OR for an individual contributor, they will lead collaborative assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will identify new directions for assignments and/ or projects, identifying a combination of cross functional methodologies or practices to meet required outcomes.
• Consult on complex issues; providing advice to People Leaders to support the resolution of escalated issues.
• Identify ways to mitigate risk and developing new policies/procedures in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Take ownership for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work done.
• Perform work that is closely related to that of other areas, which requires understanding of how areas coordinate and contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the organisation sub-function.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategy.
• Engage in complex analysis of data from multiple sources of information, internal and external sources such as procedures and practises (in other areas, teams, companies, etc).to solve problems creatively and effectively.
• Communicate complex information. 'Complex' information could include sensitive information or information that is difficult to communicate because of its content or its audience.
• Influence or convince stakeholders to achieve outcomes.

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.