Head of Business Applications
About BII
British International Investment is the UK’s development finance institution, owned by the UK Government. With a mission to solve the biggest global development challenges, we aim to create a virtuous circle of investment and impact. Your contribution will be essential.
It won’t be easy: we do the hardest work in the most complex markets. Be prepared to test your skills, get creative and say your piece as you take on high-profile work as part of a diverse team of exceptionally smart, passionate people.
In return, you can take your career to all-new places in a culture that rewards curiosity and collaboration, and balances high performance with wellbeing.
BII at a glance
75 years supporting sustainable business growth in developing and emerging markets
£8.1 billion in net assets
1,400+ businesses invested in
950,000 workers in the businesses we support
£9 billion in new investments planned in the next 5 years
600+ people in our diverse global team
3 key development objectives: Productive | Sustainable | Inclusive
The pitch
- This role is responsible for the application landscape within BII, ensuring overall coherence. As a champion for the business, it aligns strategic priorities and promotes optimal use and adoption of applications.
Responsibilities include managing applications across core platforms, including our portfolio management system and Microsoft Dynamics, ensuring overall system coherence, even for applications not directly under their ownership, is essential. - The role extends beyond our portfolio management system to other applications commonly used by the business, requiring a strong interest in and understanding of the business.
About the role
- BII’s technology estate is comprised of approx. 250 applications, most of which were purchased. These are hosted in the cloud, either as SAAS solutions or on BII’s Azure tenant.
- In-house development is expanding to integrate systems, automate processes, and create mobile friendly apps.
- As this role becomes more established within a growing BII, applications will require additional and more complex functionality. The overall operating model to support these applications will also need to evolve.
- Understanding the business is key and you will need to work closely with senior stakeholders in both business and support functions.
Reporting to the Chief Security Technology Officer, the Head of Business Applications is responsible for:
- Owning the application landscape, from the strategy to the delivery of applications aligned to the business strategy
- Leading a team of approx. 8 developers (mostly portfolio management system team + Microsoft Dynamics) and ensuring the right sourcing model is in place
- Owning the relationship with key vendors, including Blackrock
- Acting as champion for applications by aligning business requirements to strategic priorities and encouraging best use and adoption of applications; this includes acting as a gatekeeper for proposed changes, ensuring prioritisation, delivering appropriately sized solutions and resource allocation
- Building a strong collaborate working relationships with internal stakeholders such as Finance, Treasury, Investment Operations and Change Management
About you
- Leadership skills: Demonstrated ability to lead a Business Application / Development team in a mid-size Financial Service organisation (such as Private Equity / Investment Management / Investment Banking or NGO organisation), including developing highly technical professionals
- Financial services knowledge: Strong understanding in financial services systems, business functions, and drivers within an investment environment, as well as industry business practice and market trends
- Solution Delivery Experience: Proven track record of delivering fit-for-purpose application solutions aligned with business requirements, while balancing customization and standardization.
- Vendor Management: proven experience in effectively managing third-party vendors (experience working with BlackRock is a bonus).
- Strategic and Tactical Acumen: Ability to operate at both strategic and tactical levels.
- Effective Communication: Skill in communicating equally well with business users and technical professionals, including presenting to senior business levels (including C-suite). Proven experience building effective relationships across business lines and resolving conflicts.
- Portfolio Management Knowledge: Familiarity with portfolio management (preferably eFront), finance, and treasury systems. Additional skills in data management, Datawarehouse, M365, ITIL, Agile, and DevOps useful.
Candidates should be strongly motivated by BII’s development mission and ideally demonstrate some commitment to development or social goals through previous executive or non-executive activity.
Our cultural values
We look for team members who aspire, as we do, to work at our best and to be:
- Impact-led, commercially rigorous
- Tenacious in the face of challenges
- Collaborative and caring
British International Investment is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes all applicants regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or educational background.
Please provide a cover letter with your application.
All applications will be carefully reviewed by our hiring team. Shortlisted candidates will undergo a vetting process, which may include reference checks, background checks and other relevant assessments.
