Strategic Finance Analyst Payments & Value-Added Services - BPL

Job Description

Purpose of the role

To provide financial expertise and support to specific business units or departments within the organisation, and act as a liaison between the finance function and various business units, helping to bridge the gap between financial data and business decisions.  

Accountabilities

• Development and implementation of business unit financial strategies, plans and budgets, using insights to evaluate the financial implications of strategic initiatives and recommend appropriate actions.
• Development of financial models to forecast future performance, assess investment opportunities, and evaluate financial risks for business units, and to analyse the impact of business decisions on financial performance and provision of recommendations.  .
• Cross functional collaboration to provide financial insights and guidance to business unit stakeholders.
• Identification of opportunities and implementation of financial process improvements that streamline financial operations.
• Support to business units in identification, assessment, and mitigation of financial risks, including provision of training and guidance to business units on financial risk management and compliance practices.
• Analysis and presentation of financial data to provide insights into business performance, identify trends, and support decision-making.

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.

The Strategic Finance Analyst Payments & Value-Added Services role partners with Go-to-Market, Product, and Finance teams to drive commercial decision-making across the payments business. The role is responsible for financial modelling, forecasting, and analysis to evaluate pricing strategy, scheme and interchange economics, payment network partnerships, and value-added services, while translating complex financial data into clear insights and presentations for finance stakeholders and senior leadership.

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.

To be successful as a Strategic Finance Analyst, you must have the following essential skills:

• Experience in financial analysis, forecasting, and financial modelling, with the ability to build and maintain complex models
• Advanced Excel skills, including the use of large datasets to generate commercial and financial insights
• Knowledge of the payments industry, including payment networks, scheme fees, interchange, and related commercial drivers
• Experience within payments organisations, with the ability to translate complex data into clear recommendations for stakeholders

Some other highly valued skills may include:

• Experience working within a private equity-backed organisation, with exposure to high-growth, commercially focused environments
• Experience in the fintech sector, with an understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with scaling financial products and services

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

This role is located within our London office.