My career at Vanquis: Josh, Analyst

London | November

My career at Vanquis: Josh, Analyst

From Customer Service Agent in our Bradford office to Portfolio Performance and Insight Analyst in London, Josh has recently relocated to pursue a new opportunity in our Analytics department. Here he shares his career journey with us so far, how he's settling into his new role and life in London and some lessons learned along the way...

Where did you start your Vanquis journey?
I started in August 2015 as a Customer Service Agent in the Bradford office. I hit the ground running and secured Senior within three months of passing probation. I was then successful in my application for a Trainee Team Leader role, following which I was heavily involved with the Loyalty and Balance Transfer initiatives. I then joined the Customer Analytics team up there, focussed on producing MI to support projects which underpin aspects of GamePlan (our Operations strategy at Vanquis). One of the main ones was optimising resource within Operations by multi-skilling our colleagues so they can serve our customers across different campaigns, depending on the timely requirements. Another was relaunching the Team Leader role across Operations which looked to reduce any time consuming/manual work, meaning more of their time could be focussed on developing their teams.

And now? You’ve recently relocated to the London office…
I have! An opportunity presented itself to join their analytics department. The position is a hybrid role; split between Portfolio Performance and Decision Science. I have been in the position for three months now and I am really enjoying it. It presents challenges, often daily – but the support has been excellent and I am pleased with my current output. I feel confident moving into 2019 that I can contribute real value in both areas.

How are you settling into life and work in London?
Really well, the three months I have been down here have gone super-fast! In terms of the city itself; there is so much going on, there’s the option to do something every single night its great ... and the transport - by large - is very good. The office environment has been a big adjustment: new teams, faces, atmosphere, but it still maintains the same culture. I have felt very welcome since being here so I thank all for that! I love the fact that if I want to go back up to visit, there is the flexibility from management as well as the functionality within technology to mean I can work out of the Bradford office.

What was your experience before joining Vanquis?
Practical experience; none. I did however study Accounting, Business Finance and Management at The University of York which gave me a good theoretical grounding.

What support/training did Vanquis provide that you felt aided your career progression?
Vanquis has provided me with a great platform to progress, and my 1:1 conversations have always left me with great perspective and direction. That being said, I’m very self-driven and my motivation to succeed has turned potential opportunities into reality.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in getting to where you are now?
I think people that know me will say patience for sure. I don’t feel like a progression timeline has to have precedent in order for it to be achievable, so I regularly challenge myself to progress ahead of the curve.

Can you suggest some ways others could obtain the necessary experience needed?
When afforded the opportunity, dive straight in at the deep end. Seek things that will sit you outside of your comfort zone, because I find that’s where you truly learn. A big one for me is asking questions; whether it’s a “what’s this?” question, or a “can I get involved in XYZ?” – you have to share what you’re thinking – can’t wait for somebody to ask for you.

Any advice for someone thinking of applying for a role at Vanquis?
Whether it’s from Customers or Employees, Vanquis are great at listening, they make great strides year on year to positively act on ‘noise’. I haven’t worked for one, but I hear regularly from new employees that the culture is very much equivalent to that of a start-up, so you truly feel valued as oppose to feeling like a cog in a wheel.

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