Business Change lead (SMRC)

SMCR Business Change Lead

Contract | Inside IR35 | London (Hybrid)

We are looking for an experienced Business Change specialist to lead the people and organisational side of a major SMCR regulatory change programme for a leading financial services client. This is a contract engagement, Inside IR35, paying £400 per day, based in London with a minimum of 50% office attendance.

About the Client

Morela is proud to be supporting a well-established change and transformation consultancy that partners with major financial services organisations on complex regulatory and business change. The consultancy is known for its people-led approach to change, helping clients land new ways of working that genuinely stick rather than simply delivering projects.

This engagement sits within a regulatory change programme focused on the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SMCR). Alongside the technology and testing workstreams, the consultancy is putting real weight behind the people side of the change, making sure new ways of working land properly and are embedded into BAU.

The Role

As SMCR Business Change Lead you will own the people and organisational aspects of the transformation, covering change strategy, impact assessment, stakeholder engagement, communications, training, business readiness and embedding change into BAU.

You will lead and support Business Change team members and work across senior stakeholders and multidisciplinary programme teams. The client has been very clear that this is a Business Change role, not a Project or Programme Management one. They want a genuine change specialist who has led organisational change across people, process, culture and behaviour.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the business change strategy and approach for the programme
• Carry out change impact assessments across people, process, technology, culture and behaviour
• Build and manage stakeholder engagement, including at senior level
• Shape and deliver communications and training to support adoption
• Lead business readiness activity and make sure change is embedded into BAU
• Identify, assess and mitigate change and operational risks
• Lead, support and develop Business Change team members
• Work closely with multidisciplinary programme teams to support technology-enabled change

Essential Requirements

• Significant experience leading business and organisational change across people, process, technology, culture and behaviour
• Proven experience leading teams through complex transformation or transition programmes
• Experience across Agile and Waterfall delivery environments
• Strong stakeholder relationship management and senior influencing capability
• Strong operational risk, readiness and analytical capability
• Proven change risk identification and mitigation experience
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Comfortable supporting technology-enabled change

Desirable Experience

• Financial services regulatory experience (SMCR exposure a real plus) or other regulatory change experience
• Experience working in Agile or hybrid delivery environments

Working Environment

• Contract role, Inside IR35
• Hybrid, with a minimum of 50% attendance at the London office
• Close collaboration with business users, SMEs, technology teams and third-party suppliers
• A regulatory change environment where quality, governance and clear evidence really matter

Interested? Get in touch with Adam Moore at with your CV and current availability.