ABRDN

Project Lead, Process Strategy & Optimisation, CEO Office Investments

Edinburgh Full time

Job Description

At Aberdeen, our ambition is to be the UK’s leading Wealth & Investments group.

Strengthening talent and culture is one of our strategic priorities. We strive to make Aberdeen a great place to work so that we can attract and retain the industry’s best talent.

Our people put our stakeholders at the heart of everything they do by helping us to make a positive difference to the lives of our clients, customers, colleagues, shareholders, and society.

We are focused on growing our direct and advised wealth platforms and repositioning our specialist asset management business to meet client demand. We are committed to providing excellent client service, supported by leading technology and talent.

Aberdeen comprises three businesses, interactive investor (ii), Investments, and Adviser, each of which focuses on meeting and adapting to our clients’ evolving needs:

  • interactive investor, the UK’s second largest direct-to-consumer investment platform, enables individuals in the UK to plan, save, and invest in the way that works for them.
  • Our Adviser business provides financial planning solutions and technology for UK financial advisers, enabling them to create value for their customers.
  • Our Investments business is a specialist asset manager that focuses on areas where we have both strength and scale to capitalise on the key themes shaping the market, through either public markets or alternative asset classes.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Process Strategy & Optimisation, the Project Lead is responsible for mapping, analysing, and improving business processes across the Investments business, acting as a trusted advisor to support strategic process management and optimisation. The role is split equally between supporting delivery responsibilities, such as process analysis, optimisation, and advisory, and project management, leading strategic projects including end-to-end process mapping, RCSA reframing, and other initiatives to support the Process Strategy & Optimisation team’s delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Map and document end-to-end business processes using standard methodologies (e.g., BPMN), advising teams on effective process design.
  • Analyse processes to identify inefficiencies, risks, and improvement opportunities, presenting findings and recommendations to stakeholders.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to define process ownership and accountability (RACI).
  • Maintain process documentation and ensure accessibility for stakeholders.
  • Investigate and address process issues flagged by stakeholders, identifying root causes of inefficiencies or weaknesses, and advising on solutions to improve process clarity, efficiency, and ownership.
  • Coordinate and manage strategic projects, including end-to-end process mapping, RCSA reframing, and other initiatives to support the Process Strategy & Optimisation team’s delivery.
  • Develop and maintain project plans, timelines, and deliverables, ensuring projects are delivered on time and to a high standard.
  • Support the allocation and coordination of project resources, facilitate workshops and meetings, and manage stakeholder engagement throughout project lifecycles.
  • Track and report on project progress, risks, and milestones, escalating issues as required to ensure successful delivery.
  • Champion a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence across the Investments business.

About the candidate:

  • Experience in business process analysis, process improvement, or project delivery, ideally in a consultancy or advisory capacity.
  • Demonstrated project management skills, with experience leading strategic initiatives.
  • Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to influence and advice stakeholders.
  • Familiarity with process mapping tools and methodologies (e.g., BPMN, Lean, Six Sigma).
  • Experience with risk/control frameworks (e.g., RCSA) is an advantage.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer. If you have a disability and would like to apply to one of our UK roles under the Disability Confident Scheme, please notify us by completing the relevant section in our candidate questionnaire. One of our team will reach out to support you through your application process.

Our benefits

There's more to working life than coming home with a good salary. We have an environment where you can learn, get involved and be supported.

When you join us, your reward will be one of the best around. This includes 40 days’ annual leave, a 16% employer pension contribution, a discretionary performance-based bonus (where applicable), private healthcare and a range of flexible benefits – including gym discounts, season ticket loans and access to an employee discount portal. You can read more about our benefits here.

Our business

Enabling our clients to be better investors drives everything we do. Our business is structured around three distinct areas – our vectors of growth – focused on our clients’ changing needs. You can find out more about what we do here.

An inclusive way of working

Whatever way you like to work, if you have the talent and commitment to join our team, we’d like to hear from you.

At Aberdeen we’ve adopted a ‘blended working’ approach. This approach combines the benefits of face-to-face collaboration, coaching and connecting in our offices with the flexibility of working from home. It enables colleagues to find a balance that works for their roles, their teams, our clients and our business.

An inclusive culture, where diverse perspectives drive our actions, is at the core of who we are and what we do. If you need assistance with your application, or a reasonable adjustment to your interview arrangements – for example, because you are neurodivergent, or have a physical, sensory, cognitive, mental, visible or invisible disability – please let us know and we’ll be happy to help.

We’re committed to providing an inclusive workplace where all forms of difference are valued and which is free from any form of unfair or unlawful treatment.  We define diversity in its broadest sense – this includes but is not limited to our diversity of educational and professional backgrounds, experience, cognitive and neurodiversity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief and ethnicity and geographical provenance.  We support a culture that values meritocracy, fairness and transparency and welcomes enquiries from everyone.

If you need assistance or an adjustment due to a disability please let us know as part of your application and we will assist.