Operational Excellence Lead

We’re looking for an experienced and driven Operational Excellence Lead to coach and embed a data-led OpEx agenda across our Customer Operations function. This is a high-impact role where you’ll be instrumental in driving measurable improvements in efficiency, cost-to-serve, and overall customer outcomes.

You’ll play a key role in shaping what “great” looks like, supporting leaders to build effective habits, and championing a culture of continuous improvement. With a strong focus on coaching and capability building, you’ll ensure customer experience remains at the heart of how the business operates.

If you’re passionate about operational excellence, developing high-performing teams, and delivering meaningful, lasting change, this is a fantastic opportunity to make a real impact.

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 job you'll be located at our nearest regional office or hub. There will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration and in some locations you’ll be expected to spend at least two days a week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, in the office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. 

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.

If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.

Responsibilities

What you’ll be doing

You’ll play a pivotal role in shaping how Operational Excellence is delivered across the organisation, balancing the need for short-term impact with long-term capability building. You will design and govern frameworks that drive consistency, transparency, and accountability, ensuring that benefits are not only identified but fully realised and sustained. Acting as a cultural anchor, you will challenge existing ways of working, simplify processes, and enable the organisation to operate smarter, faster, and more effectively.

About you

For this role, you will have/be:

• Proven experience delivering Operational Excellence or continuous improvement initiatives within complex, regulated, or large-scale environments 

• A strong track record of delivering measurable performance and improvements 

• Experience embedding new ways of working into business-as-usual environments and driving sustainable cultural change 

• Confident engaging with senior stakeholders, with the ability to influence across multiple teams and functions 

• Passionate about simplifying processes, improving customer outcomes, and developing capability in others

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.

Qualifications

The extras you’ll get

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

• 25 days holiday, pro rata

• Access to 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.

Please note that should you be successful in securing this role, the job title on our internal systems will be Performance Lead Manager.