Managing Director - CFCI

At Close Brothers we look to recruit individuals from all different backgrounds and encourage you to apply even if you don't tick every box. We celebrate diversity, promote inclusivity and are open to discuss flexible work options to help you balance your work and home life.

The Managing Director will assume full responsibility for Close Finance Channel Islands (CFCI), an £80m lending business and subsidiary of Close Brothers Limited. CFCI operates primarily in the Channel Islands, focusing on small business and consumer lending markets. This role entails setting the strategic direction for the business, leading its growth, and serving as a statutory director.

CFCI comprises 23 employees across two locations, Jersey and Guernsey, generating approximately £30m in new business annually and serving a customer base of 8,000 borrowers. The leadership team includes an Operations & Risk Director, Head of Guernsey, and Guernsey Branch Manager.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership

• Define, communicate, and execute the strategic business plan to ensure future growth aligned with company goals.
• Regularly evaluate the external competitive environment and implement measures to maintain and grow market share.

Operational Management

• Ensure the business operates on sound commercial principles with an efficient and scalable structure.
• Organise and chair regular meetings on strategic planning, risk, loan operations, credit policies, Treating Customers Fairly, and portfolio performance.

Business Growth

• Drive new business targets and objectives by leading and developing the Sales teams.
• Expand the loan book through organic growth and explore acquisition opportunities or new ventures, presenting recommendations to the Directors.
• Set and agree on annual budgets with senior leadership and Close Brothers Motor Finance Directors.
• Implement and maintain the company's credit policy, ensuring adherence across the business.

Culture and Communication

• Set the tone by embodying the company's values and culture, while ensuring clear and consistent communication of corporate decisions.
• Establish effective communication and feedback mechanisms to gauge employee engagement and maintain alignment with organizational goals.
• Enhance the external reputation of CFCI through networking and promoting the business as a successful part of the Close Brothers group.
• Drive the management team to identify and capitalise on growth opportunities, fostering innovation and continuous improvement across the business.

Developing Our People:as a line manager, you will be responsible for inspiring and motivating your team, as well as developing performance through coaching. You will encourage your team to take responsibility for their own personal development and provide support through regular feedback.

WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU IF:

• Extensive experience in instalment or commercial credit within multiple lending organizations.
• Proven track record as a business leader, strategic thinker, and developer.
• Strong financial, risk management, and change management skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal and stakeholder management abilities, with the capacity to influence and inspire others.
• Highly skilled in numerical reasoning, with the ability to distil complex financial information into actionable insights.
• Familiarity with the complexities of a PLC balance sheet.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.

IT IS NOT ESSENTIAL BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU:

• Local market knowledge (advantageous but not essential).

We are an inclusive organisation and committed to ensuring our recruitment process is as accessible as possible to everyone. We will make adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition. If you need the job description or application form in an alternative format or would like to discuss the recruitment process with us, please email us or request a call back.

ABOUT US

For roles offering hybrid working:At Close Brothers we support employees to balance their work life priorities and in this role you will be able to enjoy a mixture of hybrid working.

Close Brothers is a leading UK merchant banking group providing lending, deposit taking, wealth management services and securities trading. At Close Brothers we provide financial support and advice to small businesses and individuals in the UK. Our purpose is to help the people and businesses of Britain thrive over the long term.

At Close Brothers Group, we are all connected by our mission to be the best place in the UK for wealth professionals and their clients.

We believe that everyone should think ahead, have a financial plan and invest wisely. Our clients are professionals, business owners, individuals, charities, families, and employers, who rely on our clear financial advice and investment management services to preserve and grow their long-term savings and investments.

We are a team of about 900 people based in 15 offices across the UK. Our geographic footprint means we can combine a local approach with face-to-face services to enable strong, long-term relationships with our clients.

Sustainability is fundamental to our purpose and we have a responsibility to help address the social, economic and environmental challenges facing our business, colleagues and clients. We strive to do the right thing and are dedicated to helping the charities that matter most to our people.

Our vision is to develop an open and inclusive company that ensures everyone is valued, respected and included, so that in years to come our business will represent a diverse and inclusive workforce from the top down.

We look to recruit individuals from all different backgrounds. If this job is of interest to you but you do not meet every criteria then we encourage you still to apply as we are open to providing training opportunities. As an early adopter of hybrid working we are open to discussing all types of flexible working options, helping you to balance your work and home life.