Head of Agency London - COO Lending Operations

Head of Agency London – COO Lending Operations

The Head of Agency London is accountable for the effective execution of the Agent role for EMEA lending activities, ensuring accurate delivery within a robust control environment and full adherence to ING policies and UK regulatory expectations. The role leads, develops and coaches the Agency London team, fostering a collaborative, high‑performance culture with a focus on stakeholder engagement.

As a member of the UK Operations Senior Management team, the role works closely with UK Front Office and key partners to support safe growth and strong client outcomes. Accountability includes service management and oversight of sourced services, proactive risk management, and driving a digital and continuous‑improvement mindset to deliver a best‑in‑class client experience.

Responsibilities

• Customer experience – ensure that team action the client’s requests in a timely and accurate manner and ensure that all times the team proactively take on the responsibility to ensure that we deliver an end-to-end seamless client experience, and where possible using data to help us manage this effectively. Strive to constantly improve based on NPS insights.

• Improvement Mindset – lead by example by always demonstrating an improvement mindset with the goal of improving the client experience, user experience, improving our control framework and continuing to develop our execution capabilities, all where possible driven by data and in close collaboration with the Global Process Lead Agency.

• User Experience – ensure that we create an environment that allows the Agency team to identify potential improvements to the user experience and to ensure that such ideas are raised following the relevant governance. Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders.

• People Development – ensure that we have a framework and safe environment in place that allows us to grow, build and deepen talent so that we can grow individually and as a team, to be the best people working for the best bank in EMEA

• Capacity Management – manage the workload and capacity in the team by ensuring we have the right structure in place, that we are dynamic yet smart with how deploy our capacity and ensure that we have transparency with our stakeholders in terms of future projections with the target of always being open to support the deal flow presented.

• Regulatory / Compliance – always ensure that Agency operates in full compliance with ING policies, external regulatory requirements and governance standards, including ownership and oversight of Financial and Non‑Financial Risk, RCSA execution, and event and issue management, with regular updates into COO Risk & Finance governance.

• Risk Champion – Lead by example, demonstrating strong ownership of the Agency risk profile, including proactive identification, assessment and remediation of risks through RCSAs, issues and events, and ensuring timely escalation and reporting through relevant COO Risk forums. Act as control owner for Operational Resilience and Business Continuity (CBS / BCM) activities ensuring scenario testing, documentation and remediation actions are delivered in line with regulatory expectations.

• Market Intel –ensure that you keep abreast of any relevant market developments, that any developments are communicated to relevant stakeholders and where relevant to the team timely, and provide support to the Global Process Lead of any developments.

• Data Led – ensure that we are using all relevant available data to help us shape and steer the Agency team and ensure that the Agency team embraces the digital journey by identify and assisting in potential improvement areas

• Budget – Assisting the Global Process Lead in setting the annual budget and ensuring Agency stays within dynamic plan.

• Change Management - Identifying the need for change shaping a vision, building alignment, and mobilizing commitment, and monitoring progress to achieve the desired outcomes.

• Corporate representation - Represent ING as an Agent in external relations and internally across the London Front Office, COO and Operations leadership forums, contributing to market discussions and strategic initiatives.

• Service management - The role includes service management and oversight of sourced and third‑party services supporting Agency activities, ensuring performance, risk and control standards are met in line with regulatory expectations.

Competencies

• Balances Stakeholders - Anticipates and balances the needs of multiple stakeholders. Speaks clearly about the need for ING to adhere to strong ethics and show cultural savvy when working with internal and external stakeholders.

• Builds Networks - Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside ING. Has a presence in the wider industry and across various boundaries; is active in the conversations that shape the landscape.

• Business Insight - Applies knowledge of the business and the marketplace to advance the end goals. Fully understands the policies and procedures and other external factors affecting ING and the role of Agent.

• Decision quality - Makes good and timely decisions that keep ING moving forward whilst staying in control. Pushes for the use of sound logic and data when making decisions.

• Drives vision and purpose - Paints a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action. Regularly and enthusiastically describes how people's efforts make a difference.

• Ensures accountability - Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. Tracks team metrics and milestones, redirecting effort, as necessary, for continued progress.

• Instills trust - Gains the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity. Builds trust among people and groups by ensuring honest and upfront communication; maintains transparency.

• Manages complexity - Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.

• Manages conflict - Handles conflict situations effectively, with a minimum of noise. Treats conflict as a chance to have an open discussion and identify better solutions; finds common ground and builds consensus among multiple stakeholders.

• Optimises work processes - Knows the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement. Sees that problems are well examined, and improvements are raised to the Global Process Lead.

• Plans and aligns - Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals.

• Strategic mindset - Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into future plans. Effectively integrates long-term opportunities and challenges with day-to-day activities.

We are looking for:

An inspiring, approachable and Agency conversant leader displaying the following behaviours:

• Ability to take responsibility, steer the team and realisations based on facts and data; managerial courage to question and make decisions.

• Ability to work successfully in a team environment and make sure we work together as one team; taking into account different habits, beliefs, languages and time-zones, etc.

• Strong organizational sensitivity; ability to understand and take into account the underlying issues, opportunities and dynamics of an international organization with multiple functional lines and one hierarchical line and deal with multiple (sometimes conflicting) interests.

• Ability to display style flexibility to teams and adapt plan, approach and behaviour to the different needs, cultures and situations.

• Ability to empower teams to act autonomously and hold them accountable yet at the same time provide sufficient support and guidance when needed.

• Ability to think out of the box and drive the client and user experience.

• Focus on execution and proactively managing risk through collaboration, ability to bring people together to work towards the same purpose.

• Strong focus on interaction, you like to connect people, and clear communication is a matter-of-course for you allowing you to build trust with the team and all stakeholders.

• Ability to simplify complexity and drive and execute operational excellence.

Proven track record and technical skills:

• Deep knowledge and understanding of Wholesale Banking clients and products, ideally from an Agency / Operational perspective

• Min 8 years’ proven track record in an Operations department

• Knowledge of the end-to-end Lending value chain

• A personality and the capabilities to optimally function within an operational environment.

• Experience in executing as an Agent through the cycle.

• Experience in work in and helping to develop high-performing teams.

• Experience with steering on output / data.

• Excellent level of English.

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