Head of Retail & Wholesale

Purpose of the role

Lead a portfolio of Retail & Wholesale clients, translating consumer demand, channel, inventory and supply-chain trends into commercial strategies that support resilience, profitable growth and franchise value. Deliver sustainable revenue, profitability and market share through deep sector expertise and trusted relationship leadership.

Accountabilities

• Development of strategic direction for relationship management, including the implementation of up to date methodologies and processes.
• Management of relationship management initiatives, including oversight of colleagues and their performance, implementation of departmental goals and objectives, oversight of department efficiency and effectiveness. .
• Relationship management of relationship management stakeholders, including identifying relevant stakeholders, and maintenance of the quality of external third party services.
• Development and implementation of policies and procedures for relationship management.
• Management of relationship management risk, including identification of potential risks, development of strategies to mitigate those risks, and maintenance of alignment between the bank’s relationship management and compliance functions. .
• Monitoring the financial performance of relationship management, including revenue, profitability, and cost control.
• Conducting thorough market research to understand market trends, competitive landscape, and regulatory changes to identify market opportunities.

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.

Key Accountabilities

• Own R&W portfolio P&L, market share, manage capital, ROTE, CTI/returns, client advocacy, profitability and sustainable franchise growth.
• Develop expertise across retailers, wholesalers, distributors, e-commerce businesses, consumer brands and associated supply chains.
• Assess consumer demand, pricing, margins, seasonality, inventory, supplier terms, fulfilment and international sourcing.
• Originate solutions across working capital, payments, cash management, FX, trade, store or distribution investment and digital transformation.
• Build strategic client and acquisition plans, with disciplined pipeline, opportunity and portfolio management.
• Represent Barclays with trade associations, advisers, investors, intermediaries and sector events.
• Bring market insight on consumer behaviour, channel shifts, cost pressure and supply-chain risk into commercial and risk decisions.
• Build internal sector capability and coordinate Product, Risk and Coverage partners.
• Regulatory engagement: Balance growth, risk, regulation and compliance.

• Stakeholder management: Build relationships that remove blockers and enable delivery.

Experience & Skills

Experience

• Experience in building our target operating models and broader sector propositions to drive the go to market strategy.
• Significant relationship banking, retail, wholesale, consumer or supply-chain commercial experience.
• Track record of growing complex client portfolios and delivering sustainable income and profitability.
• Experience assessing seasonal, inventory-led, omnichannel and internationally sourced business models.
• Experience delivering working-capital, payments, cash management, trade or FX solutions.
• Established network across retailers, wholesalers, suppliers, advisers or industry bodies.

Skills & Competencies

• Deep understanding of channel economics, margin drivers, inventory, seasonality and supply chains.
• Strong commercial acumen, P&L ownership and portfolio prioritisation.
• Strategic client engagement, origination, negotiation and executive influencing.
• Sound risk judgement under fast-moving consumer and trading conditions.
• External market leadership and the ability to translate trends into actionable insight.
• Effective enterprise coordination across Product, Risk, Coverage and operations.