Our Purpose
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.
Title and Summary
Director, Operational Resilience Strategy, Framework and Engagement
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the Chief Operating Office in Vocalink Limited, a Mastercard business, which provides Critical National Infrastructure to the UK.
• Vocalink is the UK company that enables the payments of 90% of salaries, 70% of utility bills, most ATM transactions and every cheque cleared in the UK.
• We provide services to over 60 million citizens, and the UK private, public and third sectors.
• In 2024, we processed 14 billion transactions, with a value of more than £10 trillion.
• Vocalink products include Bacs Direct Credits, Bacs Direct Debits, Faster Payments, the LINK ATM network for cash withdrawals, and the Image Clearing Service (ICS) that supports cheque clearing.
Operational Resilience
Vocalink complies with the Bank of England’s requirements on Operational Resilience. The Bank defines operational resilience as ‘the ability of Financial Market Infrastructures (FMIs) and the sector as a whole to prevent, respond to, recover and learn from operational disruptions’ with a particular focus for Vocalink on protecting financial stability, preventing threats to the transfer of payments, and enabling the safety and efficiency of the Recognised Payment Service Operators.
In Vocalink, the Chief Operating Office has overall accountability for the Operational Resilience Framework including policies and procedures, working closely with the Important Business Services owners in the Product and Commercial Services teams, as well as “Pillar” owners across Technology, Security, Data, Facilities, People and Third Parties.
The team also work closely with key stakeholders across the financial services industry and particularly the Recognised Payment Service Operators.
Overview of Role
The Director, Operational Resilience Strategy, Framework and Engagement will play a critical role in ensuring Vocalink has a suitable policy framework in place, which meets both regulatory requirements and industry best practice, and that Vocalink continues to demonstrate continuous improvement across the spectrum of Operational Resilience requirements.
This role will report to the Vice President Operational Resilience, who is responsible for the Operational Resilience Framework, policy and methodologies and embedding the Strategy and Target Operating Model across Vocalink.
In this role, you will be accountable for:
• Maintaining the Operational Resilience Framework, Policy and methodologies, ensuring Vocalink is aligned to changes in regulation and industry best practice
• Leading key elements of the Operational Resilience Framework, such as the Written Record, policy document refreshes, operating model and mapping IBS assets.
• Leading on the development and tracking of the Operational Resilience Strategy, monitoring and reporting on progress and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Leading on all regulatory responses on Operational Resilience, ensuring high quality of responses, as well as managing internal stakeholder engagement.
• Maintaining the Operational Resilience Hub, ensuring content is up to date, relevant and useful for colleagues.
• Facilitate cross-functional co-ordination on Operational Resilience, identifying further opportunities for interlock activities to ensure cohesive delivery of resilience objectives.
• Leading on the development of training, whether that be for colleagues across Vocalink, or the Executive Committee and Board, ensuring content is relevant and suitable and supports Vocalink’s continuous improvement journey as UK CNI.
• Ensuring Vocalink is represented across relevant industry fora, such as CMORG and other CNI meetings, attending where appropriate, ensuring internal alignment of messaging, and preparing briefing packs
• Support the VP, Operational Resilience with RPSO engagement to ensure alignment on key Operational Resilience components, such as Important Business Services, and Impact Tolerances.
You will need to:
• Work closely with the key Executive-level stakeholders across Vocalink
• Work closely with Operations, TPRM, Technology and Security to ensure Operational Resilience is embedded, and that any continuous improvement activity is understood.
• Work with the Risk team who provide oversight, check and challenge to Operational Resilience across Vocalink.
• Build effective and influential relationships with key stakeholders across Vocalink.
About You
You are likely to have the following:
• Education: at least an undergraduate degree.
• Experience: a good understanding of Operational Resilience in financial services.
• Passion for payments and an understanding of solutions.
• Process: an eye for detail and an understanding of process.
• Communication: excellent written and verbal communication skills
• People leadership: the ability to influence in a matrix environment
• Skills and attributes:
o An ability to deal with ambiguity, complexity and competing priorities and to quickly assess, simplify and articulate challenges, solutions and recommendations.
o An ability to get things done, and to see the bigger picture.
o An ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines and react quickly to changing priorities.
o A proven relationship builder with strong influencing skills who can interact effectively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
o A proactive self-starter who has a passion for learning, doing and making a difference.
o A strong team player and collaborator with a team-first ethos and low ego.
o Commercial and business acumen.
o Excellent and engaging oral, written and presentational skills.
o A role model for the Mastercard Way.
Corporate Security Responsibility
All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:
Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices;
Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;
Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and
Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.