Senior Director Agriculture

An exciting opportunity exists within our Agricultural Team. If you are passionate and ambitious about playing a key role in supporting our growth ambitions in this interesting sector where we play a significant role in supporting the farming industry, please read on.

Our team of Agricultural Directors provide finance and support to farmers across the UK supporting food production and land management alongside the sectors drive towards net zero and increased sustainability. As an Agriculture Director you will support that vision.

This is a new national role reporting directly to the Head of Agriculture focused on developing and increasing our involvement and lending to Landed Estates across the UK.

At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this role, you will be part of our growing Business Banking team, meeting with and supporting customers across your assigned region. As such, you can be based Nationally, provided you are able to travel regularly to meet clients within your region. Additionally, there will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues through collaboration events at one of our locations. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will share further details on how this will work in practice. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.

Virgin Money is now part of Nationwide

Nationwide acquired Virgin Money in October 2024. Virgin Money continues to serve customers on the high street, and there will be a phased and considered integration over the coming years.

You’ll be employed by Nationwide from day one, delivering real impact and benefitting from a highly competitive range of benefits. We’re a workplace where you’re rewarded, recognised and celebrated.

Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of our employees impacted by change, as such applications for redeployment candidates will be prioritised in this recruitment process.

If you’re a colleague on long-term absence (for example, on parental leave) or a temporary worker, please use your personal email address to submit an application.

What you’ll be doing

As a key member of the Sector Agricultural Team, you’ll be primarily responsible for developing and growing our involvement in the Landed Estates market working closely with our regional directors to identify opportunities and in building long term relationships with this important sector.

You’ll be working collaboratively with the Agricultural Sector Leadership Team to evaluate and generate opportunities with new and existing customers to optimise income and return on equity whilst working with the wider team to promote best practice and support our offering to the market.

A significant part of the role will be building relationships and contacts across the UK with Estates, professionals and the wider rural support network to build on our excellent reputation in the farming sector.

Within this role it’s important that you remain aligned to our risk appetite as you’ll be accountable for risk and compliance to ensure we minimise our exposure to bad and doubtful debt.

About you

• Existing knowledge and experience of the Landed Estates sector, alongside a passion for and proven experience working within the UK agricultural market.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to engage and build lasting relationships with our agriculture customers and specifically the Landed Estate sector.
• Excellent qualitative and quantitative analytical skills (including Excel financial modelling skills) with an ability to understand and interpret financial statements and due diligence reports
• Excellent organisational and project management skills to deliver excellent levels of customer service, high standards of work and outstanding attention to detail
• Capacity to cope with complex situations, tight deadlines and to have a flexible approach to challenges and problem solving
• Experience of engaging with the local professional community
• Understanding of risk and compliance requirements in line with the role
• The ability to travel to meet customers across your region with ease

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind
• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand
• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development
• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The extras you’ll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• 30 days holiday, pro rata

• Private medical insurance

• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement

• Access to an annual performance-related bonus

• Training and development to help you progress your career

• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme

• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death

• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness

• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society

We forge our own path at Nationwide.

As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.

If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.

At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.

We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.

What to do next

If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us.

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.

Keeping your data and personal information confidential is important to us. To find out more about how we use and process your data, please read our Privacy policy.

If you want to find out more about using AI in our recruitment process, please read more here.

Disability Confident

We’re not just guided by data, we’re driven by the real experiences of our people. We’re a Disability Confident Level 3 Leader, the highest level.

That’s why we’re constantly evolving our policies and practices to make sure everyone feels genuinely supported, valued, and empowered to champion inclusion. Whatever your needs, we’re here to support you. If you need any additional support throughout your application journey, email our team at Recruitment Support.

Apply safely with Nationwide

Recruitment scams can look convincing, so take a moment to check the role is listed on our official careers site and read our guidance on Don’t be conned by a job scam.

The hiring manager for this role is Brian Richardson, and the main recruitment contact is Kirsty Packer.