Head of Third Party Management

About Allica Bank Allica is the UK’s fastest growing company - and the fastest-growing financial technology (Fintech) firm ever. Our purpose is to help established SMEs, one of the last major underserved opportunities in Fintech. Established SMEs are the backbone of local communities - representing over a third of our economy - yet have been largely neglected both by traditional high street banks and modern fintech providers. Role Description Allica works with 300+ third parties that deliver services our customers and colleagues depend on. Managing the risk, resilience and value of those arrangements is a business need, and as a regulated bank they are also subject to demanding and evolving supervisory expectations. This role designs, owns and drives adoption of the end-to-end third-party management framework (sourcing, contracting, onboarding, ongoing assurance and exit), holds the business accountable for operating it consistently, and is accountable both for third-party risk being understood, controlled and held within appetite, and for the Bank meeting its regulatory obligations for its third-party arrangements. The mandate is Bank-wide: this role sets the standard, owns the tooling and holds the data, and is accountable for the framework delivering control in practice. Accountability for each individual supplier relationship sits with the relevant business or service owner. It measures adherence and works alongside owners to resolve what is outstanding, escalating where that support has not moved the position. Its authority comes from the framework it owns, the governance it runs and the evidence it brings, backed by clarity, credibility and persistence. Principal Accountabilities Strategy and framework • A coherent Bank-wide operating model. Set the procurement and third-party management strategy, governance and roadmap so that commercial decision-making and risk management operate as one joined-up discipline. • Proportionate control throughout the lifecycle. Own policies, standards and control requirements that apply greater scrutiny where risk and materiality are higher, while keeping the process practical for lower-risk arrangements. • Clear and exercised accountability. Define decision rights across supplier owners and the relevant first-line functions, secure approval through the appropriate governance bodies, and ensure responsibilities are understood, exercised and evidenced in practice, intervening directly where they are not. • A function that keeps pace with the Bank. Translate business growth, regulatory change, new technology and lessons from incidents or assurance into a prioritised improvement roadmap supported by evidence of control effectiveness. Procurement and commercial management • Commercial value that is visible and evidenced. Create a consistent approach to demand, sourcing, benchmarking, negotiation, renewal and savings validation so the Bank can demonstrate the value achieved from third-party spend. • Stronger outcomes from material negotiations. Lead or support significant contracts and renewals, bringing market insight, leverage and disciplined trade-offs while protecting service quality, resilience, customer outcomes and the control environment. • Contracts that work as control instruments. Working with Legal, ensure contractual positions reflect the nature and materiality of the arrangement, including service levels, information and audit rights, data and security, subcontracting, business continuity, termination and exit requirements. Set those requirements before negotiation opens, and escalate through governance where the terms achievable fall short of risk appetite. • Fewer avoidable last-minute decisions. Maintain a forward view of procurement activity, expiries and renewals so the Bank has time to test the market, remediate control gaps or execute an alternative strategy. Third-party risk and governance • Ensure the third-party register is accurate, current and