AI & Process Transformation Specialist

Places for People • Full-time • Preston • 6h ago

At Places for People, we hire People, not numbers! So, if you like the sound of one of our jobs, please apply - you could be just who we're looking for! Of course, experience and track record are important, but we're more interested in hiring someone that embodies our People Promises. That's someone that does the right thing, is enthusiastic and motivated to grow, believes in Community spirit, is respectful and enjoys their work. As the UK's leading Social Enterprise, we're dedicated to creating inclusive and thriving Communities for both our Customers and Employees.

So, what are you waiting for? Join a community that cares about you!

More about your role

You will play a key role in transforming service charge and finance processes by using modern technology, specifically Microsoft Copilot, to create smarter, more efficient ways of working. This role is focused on identifying opportunities to reduce manual effort, improve data quality and deliver consistent, scalable processesscalable processes that can support future growth.

This is not just about improving individual tasks, you will take a whole‑process view, reviewing end‑to‑end service charge and finance activities to identify inefficiencies, risks and opportunities for automation. You will lead the design and implementation of practical, technology‑enabled solutions that improve accuracy, strengthen financial control and reduce turnaround times across key processes such as service charge setting, year‑end reconciliations and month end reporting.

Working closely with Finance, IT, Data and operational colleagues, you will lead process reviews and design practical solutions that improve accuracy, turnaround times and customer outcomes. Your work will directly support better decision‑making and help future‑proof our service charge and financial processes.

This is a hybrid role working out of Preston 2-3 days a week.

For more information, download a copy of the job description.

Essential Criteria

Proven experience in driving process improvement, leading end‑to‑end process mapping, and delivering automation and transformation initiatives within finance or service charge environments.
Proficiency in Microsoft tools, particularly Excel and Power BI, with exposure to AI specifically Co-Pilot,
Strong analytical skills with experience working with large or complex data sets within similar sized organisations
Ability to translate stakeholder requirements into effective process or technology solutions
Confident stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and drive change across teams.

More about you

As our AI & Process Transformation Specialist you will be responsible for identifying, designing and delivering process improvements that make a real difference to how we work. You will map end‑to‑end finance and service charge processes, highlight inefficiencies and lead the implementation of automated and AI‑driven solutions.

You will enjoy working collaboratively, bringing people together to embed standardised and well‑controlled processes across the organisation. You will be comfortable presenting insights to senior stakeholders, creating clear process documentation and ensuring all improvements align with financial controls, regulatory requirements and Places for People policies.

At Places for People, we are committed to a safe working environment so a basic DBS check is mandatory.

Benefits

We are a large diverse and ambitious business, which will give you all the challenge you could wish for.

We know that there's always more we can do to make you smile, that's why we offer a comprehensive benefits package with each role, yours will include:

Competitive salary with regular annual review
Pension with matched contributions up to 7%
Bonus scheme for colleagues
35 days holiday (including bank holiday) with option to buy or sell days
Healthcare cashback plan for everyday medical costs - up to £500 savings per year
Access to wellbeing support such as counselling and flu jabs
Private GP and health support services available
Access to a rewards platform with retail and lifestyle discounts
Savings on groceries, travel, shopping and home products
Ongoing training and development opportunities
Access to professional qualifications and career progression
Internal development programmes and learning support
Recognition schemes such as Star Awards and Colleagues Awards
Strong focus on inclusion, wellbeing and colleague engagement
Free membership to Places Gyms

What's next?

If you meet the criteria and are ready to make the next step in your career then click apply. You will be redirected to our careers site where you can discover more about the role, read a full job description and apply directly to us.

As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we offer a guaranteed interview to candidates who are disabled, neurodiverse, or have served in the Armed Forces, provided they meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to be considered under this scheme, please indicate this in your application. We are dedicated to creating a supportive and accessible recruitment process for all.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview experience, please let us know. We're happy to work with you to ensure you have the opportunity to perform at your best.

If you are a Places for People customer and you're looking for support with your application, please contact our skills and employment team on skillsemployment@placesforpeople.co.uk.

We understand the importance of a supportive and inclusive work culture so please talk to us at interview about flexibility you may need. We can't promise to give you exactly what you want, but we promise not to judge you for asking. For this role we are open to discussing the possibility of reduced hours, flexible start and finish times or compressed hours.

If you are a recruitment agency please note we operate a PSL and do not take cold calls

Safeguarding

At Places for People, safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. We are committed to creating safe communities for our customers and colleagues by protecting children, young people, and adults at risk from harm, abuse, and neglect.

We follow robust safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring all employees, volunteers, and contractors uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and accountability. Our recruitment process includes pre-employment checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where applicable, to promote a safe and secure working environment.

By joining Places for People, you are expected to contribute to our safeguarding culture, following our policies and reporting concerns to protect those in our communities

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