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Business Support Manager – Financial Operations & Delivery

Citizens Financial Group
Full-time
On-site
Johnston, Rhode Island, United States
Description
The Business Support Manager – Financial Operations & Delivery is a senior, execution-focused role responsible for the financial management, operational coordination, and delivery enablement of a portfolio of initiatives within the Technology and Data organization. This role partners closely with senior leaders, finance, sourcing, and vendors to ensure capital and operating expenses (CapEx/OpEx) are accurately tracked, forecasted, and aligned to delivery commitments.
This position sits at the intersection of financial oversight, operational execution, and cross-functional coordination, acting as a trusted partner to leadership by providing accurate data, clear insights, and disciplined follow-through. The role requires strong Excel-based financial acumen, executive presence, and the ability to challenge assumptions while ensuring delivery remains within approved budgets.
Primary focus is day-to-day operational execution (approximately 60%), with tactical planning and continuous improvement (approximately 40%).
Key Responsibilities
Financial Management & Operational Execution
  • Own and maintain budget trackers covering financial actuals, forecasts, and remaining capacity across both CapEx and OpEx.
  • Partner with senior leaders to ensure delivery commitments align with approved budgets and forecasts.
  • Monitor financial performance, identify variances, risks, and constraints, and proactively surface issues with clear options and recommendations.
  • Coordinate closely with Finance (CapEx and OpEx), Sourcing, and external vendors to ensure contracts, spend, and forecasts are accurate and current.
  • Ensure financial data integrity through disciplined validation, reconciliation, and documentation.
Delivery Enablement & Coordination
  • Support multiple initiatives or workstreams by ensuring funding, resources, and contracts are aligned to delivery needs.
  • Act as a central point of coordination across leaders, delivery teams, finance partners, sourcing, and vendors.
  • Identify and manage dependencies, risks, assumptions, and constraints related to funding, resourcing, and vendor engagements.
  • Enable leaders to meet their delivery goals by providing timely, accurate information and by challenging plans that do not align with financial realities.
Insights, Analysis & Decision Support
  • Analyze complex data sets to identify trends, risks, and opportunities related to financial performance and delivery execution.
  • Translate financial and operational data into clear, actionable insights that inform leadership decisions.
  • Create clear, concise materials (primarily Excel-based, with limited presentation support) to support decision-making.
  • Identify process pain points and recommend improvements to reduce manual effort, increase accuracy, and improve transparency.
Governance & Controls
  • Ensure initiatives adhere to required governance standards, documentation, and financial controls.
  • Maintain accurate reporting against plans and budgets in line with Program Office and Finance expectations.
  • Support audits, reviews, and leadership inquiries with well-documented, defensible data.
Continuous Improvement & Flexibility
  • Apply an automation-first mindset to reduce manual tracking and improve repeatability (e.g., Excel, SharePoint, Power Automate).
  • Flexibly support additional needs such as short-term delivery coordination or facilitation when required, without being a dedicated scrum master or agile lead.
  • Foster a culture of accountability, accuracy, and value delivery across partners.
Required Qualifications
  • Strong, hands-on proficiency in Microsoft Excel (advanced formulas, trackers, reconciliation, scenario analysis).
  • Demonstrated experience managing budgets, forecasts, actuals, and financial tracking in a complex environment.
  • Proven ability to partner with senior leaders and influence outcomes through data, insight, and executive presence.
  • Experience coordinating across multiple functions (Finance, Sourcing, Technology, Vendors).
  • Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities with minimal supervision in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.
  • Clear, confident communicator able to challenge assumptions and push back when plans do not align with financial constraints.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience in financial services or a regulated environment.
  • Familiarity with CapEx and OpEx concepts (formal accounting background not required).
  • Experience supporting technology, data, or transformation initiatives.
  • Exposure to automation tools such as Power Automate, Power Apps, or SharePoint.
  • Knowledge of vendor management, contracts, and sourcing processes.
  • Experience with process modeling, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement.
Key Skills & Attributes
  • Financial and operational discipline
  • Data-driven decision support
  • Executive presence and stakeholder management
  • Attention to detail and accuracy
  • Persistence, ownership, and follow-through
  • Ability to challenge assumptions constructively
  • Customer- and value-oriented mindset

Hours & Work Schedule

  • Hours per Week: 40

  • Work Schedule: Monday-Friday
  • Hybrid: 4 days per week on-site, 1 day remote