Associate Director, Retail Continuous Improvement

Optus Enterprise; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive remuneration

Flexible in-office arrangement (3 days

Modern, inclusive office environment

Parental Leave up to 16 weeks

Diversity initiatives & employee nets

Job summary

Optus is seeking an Associate Director, Retail Continuous Improvement to build and lead the CI function across the Australian Retail network. You will diagnose root causes, redesign processes, and deliver changes that are adopted and sustained, reporting to the GM Retail Operations.

You will lead a team of CI Managers, turning frontline insights into a prioritised improvement pipeline and ensuring measurable benefits across safety, customer outcomes and operational performance.

Qualifications

• Proven track record building or enhancing a CI/Transformation capability within a complex multi-site organisation.
• Demonstrated success delivering measurable customer, operational and commercial outcomes via process redesign and frontline adoption.
• Deep expertise in structured problem solving, process mapping, and root-cause analysis.

Responsibilities

• Build the Retail Continuous Improvement function from the ground up with governance and prioritisation.
• Lead and develop a team of four Continuous Improvement Managers.
• Turn customer feedback and operational data into a prioritised pipeline of improvement opportunities.
• Own end-to-end improvement initiatives from diagnosis to implementation and benefits realisation.
• Develop SOPs, playbooks and coaching approaches to embed improvements across stores and regions.
• Drive improvements in Retail Safety, First Contact Resolution and other priorities.
• Influence product, digital, IT, and risk partners to address root causes outside Retail's direct control.

Skills

Continuous Improvement

Operational Excellence

Transformation capability

Lean & Six Sigma

Job description

At Optus, our retail teams are closest to our customers and often have the clearest view of what could work better. Every day, they identify opportunities to improve the customer experience, simplify ways of working and remove friction from the business.

We're looking for someone with experience driving continuous improvement at scale to establish and lead Optus Retail's Continuous Improvement function from the ground up.

Reporting to the GM Retail Operations and leading a team of Continuous Improvement Managers, you'll create the operating engine that turns customer feedback, frontline insight and operational data into practical, measurable improvements across the Retail network.

Associate Director, Retail Continuous Improvement role is a hands‑on senior leadership role focused on near‑term operational performance. You'll identify what is slowing the business down today, diagnose root causes, redesign processes, deliver change at pace and ensure improvements are adopted and sustained.

Working alongside the Transformation & Delivery team, which owns longer‑term strategic initiatives, you'll focus on operational improvement opportunities that can be implemented, embedded and measured in the near term.

Where root causes sit outside Retail, you'll use evidence, commercial judgement and executive influence to drive accountability across Product, Digital, IT, Risk and other enterprise partners. Initial priorities are expected to include improvements in Retail Safety, First Contact Resolution and other operational outcomes that improve the experience for customers, teams and the business.

What you'll be doing

• Build the Retail Continuous Improvement function from the ground up, establishing its operating model, governance, prioritisation framework and ways of working.
• Lead and develop a team of four Continuous Improvement Managers, building capability in structured problem solving, change adoption and benefits realisation.
• Turn customer feedback, frontline insight and operational performance data into a prioritised pipeline of improvement opportunities.
• Prioritise initiatives based on customer, commercial, safety and operational impact, ensuring effort is focused on the outcomes that matter most.
• Own improvement initiatives end‑to‑end, from diagnosis and root‑cause analysis through to process redesign, implementation, adoption and benefits realisation.
• Develop practical operating standards, SOPs, playbooks and coaching approaches that enable stores and regions to embed and sustain improvements.
• Drive improvements in key operational priorities, including Retail Safety, First Contact Resolution and other strategic business outcomes as priorities evolve.
• Influence and hold Product, Digital, IT, Risk and other enterprise partners accountable for addressing root causes that sit outside Retail's direct control.
• Measure adoption, track realised benefits and ensure improvements deliver sustainable outcomes for customers, team members and the business.

What you'll bring

• A track record of building or significantly enhancing a Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence or Transformation capability within a complex, multi‑site organisation.
• Demonstrated success delivering measurable customer, operational and commercial outcomes through process redesign, frontline adoption and sustained behavioural change.
• Deep expertise in structured problem‑solving methodologies, including process mapping, root‑cause analysis and hypothesis‑driven improvement approaches. Lean and Six Sigma experience will be highly regarded.
• Experience leading teams and establishing clear standards for prioritisation, pace, governance, benefits tracking and continuous improvement delivery.
• The credibility and influence to engage frontline teams, senior leaders and enterprise stakeholders, while constructively challenging assumptions and driving accountability without formal authority.
• Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to prioritise opportunities based on customer impact, risk reduction, productivity, cost, revenue growth and resolution outcomes.

Why Optus?

Bring your expertise to a role where you'll build capability, influence change and help improve the everyday experience of customers and teams across Australia. At Optus, you'll be supported to make a meaningful contribution while working alongside passionate and collaborative people.

• Competitive remuneration, plus $80 monthly credit, 25% off Optus products and exclusive shopping discounts with our retail partners - making everyday life a little more affordable.
• Genuine Flexibility - work three days in the office, two days from wherever works best for you.
• Work in a modern, inclusive office environment that supports how people work best, with convenient access to public transport and local amenities.
• Great leave policies, including additional 'Connected’ days to focus on culture, family, health, community, or whatever matters most to you.
• Inclusive, carer-neutral paid Parental Leave of up to 16 weeks, because family comes first.
• Build meaningful connections through employee-led networks and diversity initiatives including Culture Connect, Elevate Women, Disability Network and Express Yourself (LGBTQIA+).
• Your wellbeing matters, so we offer with free counselling and support services, available 24/7in-person, by phone, SMS, or video.

At Optus, we are strengthened by others and that means valuing diversity and saying ‘yes’ to embracing individual differences. We are committed to ensuring that our application process provides an equal employment opportunity to all job seekers, including individuals from diverse gender, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, individuals with a disability, individuals identifying as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals who may have served in the armed forces or who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. We also want to do our best to make our recruitment process inclusive. If you require any adjustments or accessibility support to participate fairly and equitably in the recruitment process, please email [e-mail] or call 1800 309 170.

For more information on Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Optus, please visit https://www.optus.com.au/about/inclusion-diversity#LI-DD1