Senior Governance Lead - Financial Services

Job Title:Senior Governance Lead - Financial Services
Location: London (hybrid - 3 days on site per week)
Salary/Rate: £795-895 per day inside IR34
Start Date: 03/08/2027
Job Type: Initial contract until 28/02/2027

Company Introduction
We have an exciting opportunity now available with one of our sector-leading consultancy clients! They are currently looking for a skilled Senior Governance Lead who comes from a banking/financial services background.

Job Responsibilities/Objectives
Own the EOL strategy and governance vision, setting direction and ensuring alignment to regulatory, risk and enterprise priorities. Establish and sponsor the EOL governance framework, including policy, accountability, decision rights and senior forums. Act as senior authority and escalation point for material EOL risk, regulatory exposure and delivery blockers. Influence and align senior business and technology leaders, securing ownership and sustained engagement. Shape the funding narrative to HO / Tokyo, clearly articulating value, risk reduction and outcomes. Ensure EOL is embedded into BAU and strategic planning, including inputs to the 2027-2030 plan.

The Senior EOL Governance Lead is accountable for defining and driving the end of life strategy and governance for a complex, multi year banking programme. Acting as the senior authority on EOL matters, the role ensures regulatory compliance, risk reduction and enterprise alignment while embedding EOL discipline into business as usual and long term strategic planning.

EOL Strategy & Vision

• Own and set the EOL strategy and governance vision, defining clear direction aligned to regulatory expectations, risk appetite and enterprise priorities.
• Ensure EOL objectives are outcome-driven, measurable and aligned to the wider change portfolio.
• Governance Framework & Oversight
• Establish, sponsor and maintain the EOL governance framework, including policies, decision rights, accountability models and senior-level forums.
• Ensure consistent application of governance standards across business and technology domains.

Risk, Regulation & Escalation

• Act as the senior authority and primary escalation point for material EOL risks, regulatory exposure and delivery blockers.
• Provide clear, defensible governance positions to support audit, regulatory engagement and senior management decision-making.
• Senior Stakeholder Influence
• Influence and align senior business and technology leaders, driving clear ownership and sustained engagement for EOL outcomes.
• Challenge appropriately, balancing delivery pragmatism with regulatory and risk obligations.

Funding & Executive Narrative

• Shape and articulate the EOL funding narrative to Head Office / Tokyo, clearly evidencing value, risk reduction and strategic outcomes.
• Support investment decisions through robust governance insight and forward-looking risk analysis.

Embedding into BAU & Strategy

• Ensure EOL governance is embedded into BAU processes, portfolio management and strategic planning.
• Provide authoritative EOL inputs into the 2027-2030 strategic plan, ensuring sustainability beyond the programme lifecycle.

Required Skills/Experience
The ideal candidate will have the following:

• Proven experience leading governance for large-scale transformation programmes within regulated banking or financial services.
• Deep understanding of technology end-of-life, regulatory risk, legacy remediation and control frameworks.
• Strong executive-level stakeholder management and influencing capability.
• Experience operating as a senior escalation authority across business, technology and risk functions.
• Ability to translate complex delivery and risk topics into clear, compelling executive narratives.
• Strong governance mindset with the credibility to challenge, assure and drive accountability at senior levels."

If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply now with your updated CV in Microsoft Word/PDF format.

Disclaimer
Notwithstanding any guidelines given to level of experience sought, we will consider candidates from outside this range if they can demonstrate the necessary competencies.
Square One is acting as both an employment agency and an employment business, and is an equal opportunities recruitment business. Square One embraces diversity and will treat everyone equally. Please see our website for our full diversity statement.