Head of Application Management – Investment / Risk Tech

I'm working with a leading UK financial services organisation looking for an experienced Head of Application Management to lead a substantial team responsible for business-critical investment, risk and operational applications.

This is a senior leadership position combining strategic application ownership, operational service delivery, supplier management and technology governance.

The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring the application estate is stable, secure and aligned with wider business and technology strategy, while developing a high-performing team and driving continuous service improvement.

This is a Hybrid role with 2-3 days/week in the office.

What you'll be doing

• Leading and developing a large application management function, with responsibility for team performance, capability and succession planning.
• Taking ownership of application services supporting key investment and operational business functions.
• Establishing strong service management, incident resolution, problem management and operational governance practices.
• Managing strategic technology suppliers, outsourced services, commercial agreements and service performance.
• Overseeing operational budgets, resource allocation, financial reporting and cost control.
• Partnering with senior business and technology stakeholders to align application services with business priorities.
• Supporting technology change programmes, application lifecycle management and service transition into BAU.
• Ensuring appropriate risk management, security, regulatory controls and operational resilience across the application estate.
• Driving continuous improvement and consistent application management standards across technology teams.

What I'm looking for

• Significant experience leading application management, application services or enterprise application support teams. Specifically within Investment Management, or Risk Operations.
• A strong background in IT service management, ideally in a complex and regulated environment.
• Experience managing large, business-critical application portfolios and their associated suppliers.
• Strong commercial acumen, including vendor negotiations, contract management and budget ownership.
• A working understanding of application architecture, infrastructure dependencies, technology change and service transition.
• Proven experience leading managers and developing high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence senior technology and business stakeholders.
• Financial services experience, particularly investment management, asset management, wealth management or banking, would be highly relevant.

The opportunity

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a significant application management function within a well-established organisation, influencing how critical technology services are delivered and improved.

The role offers a competitive salary, excellent benefits and the opportunity to operate at a senior level within the wider technology leadership structure.

If this sounds relevant, please get in touch for a confidential conversation.

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