Working at Vanquis: Behind What’s Next
Meet Jen Clark
Opening: Your Story
Tell us about yourself and what you do at Vanquis, without using your job title.
I work in the Tech & Change team at Vanquis, focusing on bringing together groups of brilliant colleagues to solve challenges and drive change in a controlled, sensible way. I spend my time working out where we go next, who needs to do what, where we might get stuck, and helping senior leaders make informed, efficient decisions that keep us rolling.
What attracted you to Vanquis, and why did you decide to join?
I was attracted to Vanquis because I wanted to cut my teeth on big projects, right in the heart of the City of London, in financial services with significant regulatory demands. I joined because my initial calls with the Talent Team and early interviews were such a positive experience.
The Next Chapter
What was happening at Vanquis when you joined, and what excited you about being part of it?
When I joined in June 2024, there were many changes, particularly a major investment in modernising our technology and data foundations. The exciting thing was the scale. I’d worked on complicated projects before, but joining Vanquis meant bigger systems, more stakeholders, and a lot more dependencies to consider.
What does “The Next Chapter Starts With You” mean to you personally?
For me, it’s about taking ownership of what comes next rather than waiting to be told or having it worked out by someone else. I’ve always been drawn to projects and organisations where there isn’t some perfect answer sitting on the shelf; you’ve got to ask questions, bring the right people together, make some important decisions and move onwards. Make the right decision, rather than waiting to make the right decision.
Ownership & Impact
Tell us about a change, improvement or idea you’ve helped bring to life.
One of the biggest projects I’ve been involved in has been building Vanquis’ new Snowflake-based Data & Analytics platform. A big part of my role has been helping turn this pretty complicated technology programme into something that our colleagues across the bank can use. That has meant coordinating engineering, product, testing, and business stakeholders; getting agreement on definitions; achieving a clear priority order; and making sure there’s always a line of sight from the business need, through development, into acceptance & use.
How does your work make a difference to customers, colleagues or the wider business?
I think a lot of what I do is fairly invisible when it’s working well, which is a good sign for a project manager! For colleagues, it’s all about clarity, constructively tackling problems, and working through anything that comes our way as a team. For the wider business, the data work is so important because a governed, single version of the truth means better information, better understanding, and better decision-making on behalf of our customers.
Problem Solving
What’s one challenge your team has solved that you’re particularly proud of?
I’m proud of the reputation that the Tech and Change team has built within Vanquis as a team that gets things done and wants to make things better. There’s a willingness to help and get stuck in and find a way through rather than saying ‘that’s not my problem’.
What’s a complex problem you’re tackling today that candidates might find exciting?
We are working through the challenge of moving away from legacy SAS technology and towards a more modern data estate. The interesting bit is that this isn’t simply a technology replacement. There are lots of existing reports, analytical processes and business dependencies built around the
legacy environment, so we have to work out what genuinely needs to be recreated in the new world, what we can improve and what can actually be retired.
This involves lots of interesting conversations around data, different analytics and insights use cases, and business value. It’s the kind of problem where there isn’t often an obvious answer, which makes life interesting.
Building What’s Next
Which piece of work will have the biggest impact over the next few years?
I think the Data & Analytics transformation will have a fantastic long-term impact. Getting the underlying data architecture right gives the bank a great foundation for reporting, analytics, and exciting future tech like A.I.
What excites you most about the future of your area?
The amount of change and the opportunities the leadership here have embraced around A.I. are really exciting. We’re using cutting-edge tools to improve the way we work, and the amount of investment and collaboration on that is great.
Technology & Innovation
What’s one misconception people might have about Technology & Change at Vanquis?
There’s sometimes a perception that Technology and Change is somewhere you hand a problem over to and wait for a solution to come back. It’s far more collaborative than that in practice, and I’ve seen that when the business is passionate about the problem and the solution, we get a far better outcome more efficiently.
What exciting problems are you solving with technology?
Fairly fundamental problems like how the bank manages and uses data. That includes bringing data into our data platform from various sources, replacing legacy technology, and, along the way, improving reporting and creating more reliable, trusted data for our colleagues.
Growth & Development
How have you grown professionally since joining Vanquis?
Confidence is probably my biggest area of growth. I’m much more comfortable operating at a bigger scale because the support network here is so strong. Colleagues have been kind, understanding, patient, and honest. When I joined, I received great advice: to see Vanquis as a place to be a truly authentic leader, challenge myself, and step out of my comfort zone, all because the people here provide a real safety net to try new things and take a few risks.
What advice would you give to someone looking to grow their career in your field?
Get comfortable being the person who asks the slightly annoying questions. If something doesn’t make sense, ask why.
Culture & Belonging
What has surprised you most about the culture here?
How helpful people are, particularly when you’re working across teams. There’s a lot of specialist knowledge across the bank, and I’ve found people very willing to explain things when I need more context, and people are always happy to connect you with the right person when you need it.
How would you describe your team in three words?
Curious, collaborative, determined.
Looking Ahead
How would you describe your team in three words? If we spoke again in two years, what would you hope to have achieved?
I’d like to look back and point to projects that delivered positive change not just in terms of technology but also in the way people work. I’d like to grow into a more senior role, tackle even more ambiguous problems, and help other project managers develop along the way.
Candidate Close
What’s the one thing you’d want candidates to know before applying?
Come prepared to learn a lot. There’s lots going on, and you won’t understand everything on Day 1 or Month 1, but as long as you’re curious and comfortable getting out of your comfort zone every once in a while, you’ll do brilliantly here.