Head of Capability and Transformation (Financial Planning)
Location: Dublin, IE
Full Time Permanent position
Hybrid role based in our City Centre offices
What we offer
We offer a comprehensive benefits package including competitive salaries and bonuses, robust Learning and Development support, excellent Defined Contribution pension and comprehensive Wellbeing initiatives and support.
Role Overview
The purpose of this role is to lead the strategic evolution of advice delivery within Financial Planning, shaping how our advisers and managers will serve customers in an increasingly digital and AI‑enabled world. Rather than simply running today’s model, this role will define and deliver the capability, culture and ways of working needed for the next 3–5 years – including the roadmap for adviser and manager roles, the skills and behaviours required, and the learning, coaching and development approaches that will bring this to life.
As Head of Capability and Transformation, you will drive the Financial Planning change agenda end‑to‑end – from setting the vision and building business cases for future‑fit capabilities, to harnessing data, AI and customer insight to re‑design how advice is experienced and scaled. You will lead and inspire a team that enables advisers and managers to perform at their best, ensuring that sales support, sales operations and talent development are tightly aligned to this “future of advice” strategy and to the Division’s commercial goals.
Team Background
This role sits within the Financial Planning Division and reports to the Director of Financial Planning. It operates across 3 distribution channels: Advice 360, Advice Partners and Strategic Partnerships, with a customer base of 360,000. The Division has over 250 advisers who deliver advice to >50,000 people each year.
The role holder will play a critical part in helping the Division achieve its current and future year financial goals.
The role will have line management responsibility for at least 2 direct reports and lead a team of approximately 10 people; its influence extends across the full Financial Planning division.
One of the most critical elements to this role will be to create a vision and plan for how sales advisers and managers skills and behaviours will evolve to meet changing customer expectations.
More specific responsibilities will include
As Head of Capability and Transformation, this role will involve:
Driving transformation of advice delivery
Lead the definition of how the roles of adviser and manager need to transform to meet the demands of a more digital and AI‑enabled Financial Planning business.
Understand the role AI will play in delivering scalable and efficient advice to our customers and the impacts on organisational roles. Lead on plans to implement an AI strategy for Financial Planning.
Own the end‑to‑end roadmap for adviser and manager capability, setting out the skills, behaviours and leadership expectations required over the next 3–5 years and ensuring training curricula, coaching and on‑the‑job development are aligned to this roadmap.
Identify the optimal AI capabilities to support the roles within Financial Planning (e.g., mystery shop, point of sale, voice of customer feedback and activation).
Deliver Strategic Leadership and Change for Financial Planning
Provide strategic leadership on the evolution of adviser and manager roles, using external insight and internal analytics to anticipate future requirements. Ensure that training, talent and operating model plans remain aligned to this “future of advice” roadmap.
Lead the development of business cases for investment in operational improvements and future‑fit capabilities.
Work with the Director of Financial Planning on developing the AI North Star for the business to ensure the business remains at the cutting edge of developments and is prepared for future change.
Provide thought leadership on how best to enhance the delivery of advice with digital & AI capabilities to meet evolving customer expectations.
Oversee the sales support function, ensuring advisers and teams have the resources, information, and operational support required to achieve sales targets.
Represent Financial Planning by leading the engagement with key internal stakeholders, such as Marketing and CX, Products and Propositions, Customer Solutions.
Work with Group HR (recruitment and Learning and Development) to identify and implement “always on” recruitment and a talent development programme that aligns with the Financial Planning vision and roadmap to prepare all staff for the evolving Financial Planning environment.
Collaborate with Brokerage to find shared opportunities across the value chain and communities of best practice.
Monitor, report and recommend actions on key financial metrics (sales, net flows, margin, persistency, expenses).
What you will help us to achieve
The ideal candidate will have / be:
Proven leadership experience in financial services, ideally within personal financial planning or advisory.
Strategic thinker with a track record of driving change and being future focused.
Strong digital skills and evidence of embracing emerging AI technologies.
Experience in designing and delivering training and development programs.
Excellent stakeholder management, relationship management and collaboration skills.
Strong operational management skills, with a track record of delivering process improvements and supporting sales teams.
Fitness & Probity
This role is a ‘controlled function’ as defined by the Central Bank Reform Act 2010 Regulations 2011. Any appointment will be conditional on the company being satisfied that the appointee meets the requirements as set out in the Fitness and Probity standards issued by the Central Bank. This requires the company to complete prescribed due diligence to assess the appointee’s fitness and probity. Further details on this due diligence process are available from ILFS Human Resources.
Equal Opportunity
Irish Life is proud to be an Equal Opportunities employer. We have created an environment of inclusion and growth to help people achieve their potential, to ensure they can bring their whole selves to work and to feel valued. We celebrate diversity of thought and perspective and want all of our employees to feel valued, respected and supported. We have built a culture that promotes equality and inclusion for all of our current and future employees and strive to ensure that our behaviours, processes and practices are aligned to this culture.
Irish Life Financial Services supports Equal Opportunity.
If you require any accommodations during the recruitment process please contact lifecareers@irishlife.ie and we will be delighted to ensure you are fully supported to be your best.
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