Job Description

Purpose of the role

To develop the proposition positioning both with prospects and existing customers, driving awareness and conversion across marketing channels, through compelling campaigns, working closely with product, proposition and channel owners. Will support on optimising communication to drive awareness through to conversion.

Accountabilities

• Review of research and analysis on target audience, market trends, competitors and industry innovation to identify the positioning of the proposition in the market to give us a unique competitor advantage.
• Identification of key benefits and features that differentiates Barclays proposition from competitors.
• Collaboration with marketing colleagues such as marketing, product and sales to ensure the proposition is communicated effectively across channels to drive customer and commercial metrics.
• Collaboration with internal teams, such as product development, to incorporate feedback on product features.
• Monitoring and improving proposition effectiveness through data driven insights to meet established KPIs.
• Analysis of key market insights and develop recommendations to the relevant stakeholders to support the strategic decision-making process on product development, portfolio management and pricing, where appropriate.

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.

This role in BPL:

The Head of Proposition & Go-to-Market is accountable for defining how Barclaycard Payments translates product capabilities into compelling, customer-led market propositions that drive commercial growth.

This role leads the design, articulation and activation of value propositions anchored in clearly defined customer segments and verticals. It ensures every proposition represents a strong, evidence-based fit between customer needs and our product capabilities—translating what we build into outcomes customers value and are willing to pay for.

The role embeds the Barclaycard Payments Value Proposition Design methodology across the organisation, establishing a consistent, rigorous approach from customer insight through to go-to-market execution. Acting as a central orchestrator, it connects Product, Marketing (CMO), Sales, Pricing, Data & Analytics and Operations to ensure propositions are not only well-designed, but effectively brought to market and delivered.

Through deep ownership of segment and vertical insight, the role drives a customer-first lens across the business—identifying priority opportunities, shaping proposition strategy, and ensuring alignment between market demand, product roadmap, pricing and go-to-market activity.

Ultimately, the Head of Proposition & Go-to-Market ensures that we are clear on who we are targeting, we solve real, prioritised customer problems and needs, and we bring propositions to market in a way that wins, scales and delivers measurable commercial value.                                        

Key Accountabilities

• Develop deep understanding of current and future customer segments, profiles, needs, and market trends.
• Lead the implementation and adoption of the BPL Value Proposition Design methodology across the business.
• Ensure products, services, and propositions deliver clear customer and commercial value.
• Partner cross-functionally with CMO, Sales, Product, Pricing, and Operations to shape and optimise propositions.
• Monitor proposition performance, customer outcomes, and segment trends to inform continuous improvement.
• Coordinate go-to-market activities, governance forums, and launch readiness for new propositions.
• Establish and maintain feedback loops to assess proposition effectiveness and drive ongoing refinement.
• Support prioritisation and strategic decision-making through customer insight and performance data.
• Engage collaboratively with other teams to create best-in-class operating models designed for value, speed and

Leadership and Organisation

• Lead and inspire across the organisation, bringing together teams from multiple business areas and motivating them to deliver against the Barclaycard Payments strategy
• Work in partnership with stakeholders within Barclays and Barclaycard Payments businesses, as well as with key functional and external partners, to establish a clear operating model
• Develop relationships and networks across Barclays demonstrating ability to be collaborative and strong enterprise leader
• Utilise your experience, knowledge and network to bring new ideas and create a culture of innovation aligned to technology trends in the Payments space. Establish a culture of continuous improvement within teams.
• Contribute to the development of a high-performance culture within TB & Barclaycard Payments Business, developing your teams, and ensuring that team and individual goals are commercial and achievable
• Embed a client centric culture led by customer research and insight, ensuring that good customer outcomes are at the centre of all decisions.
• Champion Barclays Diversity, Equity & Inclusion commitment by recruiting with diversity in mind and building diverse succession plans

Stakeholder Management and Leadership

• Builds Self Insight: Create an open culture where understanding own drivers, strengths and development areas is actively encouraged and valued
• Provides education and insight: Provide insight around other industry players and how they have been successful taking this approach
• Collaboration: Build a culture where involvement and sharing are seen as essential for the achievement of shared objectives and agendas. Set a clear agenda where business areas and functions understand their contribution to the future success of the organisation
• Developing Others: Set challenging objectives for personal, team and functional improvement and holds others to account in delivering these. Take the lead in driving succession planning, ensuring the organisation retains and develops the key talent needed for the future
• Enable High Performance: Set the standards of and assume accountability for performance required to achieve the organisation’s future goals and priorities. Enables leaders to take calculated risks by delegating trust and responsibility to deliver success in their area
• Build Relationships: Create and maintain a culture in which trust and mutual respect are valued, both with internal and external teams, challenging people and systems that do not support this
• Influence: Align teams behind a strong vision to achieve results and obtain buy-in across the organisation

Decision-making and Problem Solving

• Making Critical Decisions: Take a flexible, agile decision-making process to shape strategic direction, responding positively to changing internal and external circumstances. Promote a culture in which the needs and perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders and partners are at the forefront of decision-making.
• Drive Continuous Improvement and Innovation: Shape and drive a culture of review and improvement across the organisation. Strive to continually improve business processes that impact positively on the business and uphold the values.
• Define and Execute Change: Be a catalyst for change and inspire confidence in stakeholders with the quality and conviction of their vision, building support and sponsorship at all levels, ensuring the need for change is embedded in across the organisation.
• Build an Effective Control Environment: Champion a culture where all colleagues understand and follow the framework within which the bank follows risk and takes accountability for ensuring this. Take personal accountability for ensuring that processes, risks and controls are applied in way that achieves a good outcome for the bank and its customers/clients.

Risk and Control Objective

Accountable for ensuring the CMO team adheres to all internal and external regulatory policies to ensure the protection of Barclays group stakeholders including customers.

Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise-Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.

About BPL

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.