Continuous Improvement Lead

Capital One (Europe) plc; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Capital One UK is seeking a proactive Continuous Improvement Lead to bridge strategy and hands-on delivery in a hybrid role based in our Nottingham office. You will lead cross-departmental projects to enhance customer experience, reduce waste, and improve contact centre performance, acting as the operational link between senior leadership, technology partners and suppliers.

You will translate strategic goals into actionable opportunities, build solid business cases, and drive measurable

Qualifications

• Two+ years of experience using structured methodologies such as LEAN or Six Sigma.
• Strong analytical and numerical abilities to spot trends in data.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills across levels in the organization.
• Experience in a regulated environment and contact centre context preferred.

Responsibilities

• Translate operational strategy into meaningful improvement opportunities.
• Lead cross-departmental projects to improve customer experience and reduce waste.
• Build and refine multi-faceted business cases across departments to transform service delivery.
• Collaborate with technology, suppliers and teams to drive operational improvements.
• Drive change with senior leadership and stakeholders through data-backed recommendations.

Skills

Analytical mindset

Numerical ability

Problem solving

Communication skills

Decision making

Stakeholder influence

LEAN / Six Sigma

Tools

LEAN / Six Sigma

Job description

Nottingham Trent House (95002), United Kingdom, Nottingham, NottinghamshireContinuous Improvement Lead

Our Mission

We’re on a mission to be a force for good in lending. Throughout our almost 30-year history, we’ve consistently been recognised as a great place to work; in 2026, Capital One was officially ranked 9th in the UK’s Best Workplaces™ list. Hear from our team about what it’s like working at Capital One UK.

About the role

We are seeking a proactive Continuous Improvement Lead to bridge high-level operational strategy and hands-on delivery. In this role, you will lead cross-departmental projects aimed at enhancing customer experience, reducing waste, and streamlining contact centre performance. You will act as the key operational link between senior leadership, technology partners, and outsourced suppliers to drive meaningful, data-backed change.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead on the translation of Operational strategy into meaningful improvement opportunities
• Drive the direction of travel across prioritised Bold Goals and Vision Impacting projects, being seen as the key Ops point of contact
• Lead on the building and refinement of business cases, which are multi-faceted and cross departmental in nature, as we look to enhance outcomes for for our customers and transform how we service our customers within the contact centre
• Partner with technology, outsourced suppliers and other teams, to drive material Operational improvements as we continue to invest in our agent tooling and digital journeys
• Influence change at senior leadership level, whilst have the ability to drive action across peer group, unlocking tangible results
• Apply management skills such as communication and change leadership, to help drive key priorities like technology changes, and continuous improvement activities

How you’ll be doing it

• Conducting industry research and benchmarking, whilst coupling with learnt experiences to appropriately steer initiative identification and delivery
• Undertake problem solving, driving change and efficiencies to create better experiences for our customers
• Understanding, analysing and translating data into robust business cases, which evidence the impact of opportunities, before seeing them through to fruition
• Use a variety of methodologies, techniques and tools to define, manage and improve processes such as Statistical analysis, Business Process Management, Lean and Six Sigma
• Prioritise changes that add the most value to the business and customers, whilst seamlessly delivering those into the Operation, positively impacting our cost portfolio
• Supporting projects by partnering with process, technology and suppliers to ensure processes are efficient and focus on key business objectives
• Reviewing processes end-to-end, through the eye of the business, customers and other key stakeholders, and introducing innovation into the process with impactful results
• Responding quickly to rapidly changing market conditions and improving business processes, by eliminating waste and enhancing quality, whilst achieving and maintaining optimal levels of process performance.

What we’re looking for

• Strong in-built analytical mindset, a high level of numerical ability which enables you to quickly spot trends and opportunities in raw data
• Experience in understanding key operational processes, systems and technologies across multiple lines of business and at pace
• Minimum of two years experience of using a structured methodology such as LEAN or Six Sigma, with Green/Black belt being advantageous
• A skilled problem solver, able to complete root cause analysis to gain insights and solve problems for the business
• Have managed key strategic process design, process improvements or continuous improvements
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, and excellent influencing skills with the ability to operate effectively at multiple levels across the organisation
• A strong decision maker, with the ability to combine business experience and insights from a range of sources to make effective recommendations and influence senior stakeholders
• Experience in a regulated environment, with contact centre experience preferable

Where and how you'll work

This is a permanent position based in our Nottingham office.

We embrace a hybrid approach to work. You'll spend three days a week in the office (Tuesday-Thursday), with Monday and Friday being dedicated work-from-home days.

Our offices are designed to inspire and support you. At our Nottingham head office, you'll find an on-site gym, restaurant and dedicated Learning Loft. Our London office boasts a rooftop running track and coffee bar.

What’s in it for you

We invest in the growth of our people alongside our business. You will have extensive opportunities to learn and develop your career, including access to up to £5,000 in funding for external qualifications.

In addition to career development, our comprehensive benefits package is designed to grow with you, ensuring your wellbeing is prioritised at every stage of your career:

• Wealth & Future: Competitive pension and performance-based bonus schemes
• Holidays: Start with 25 days of annual leave, increasing with tenure. Need more? You have the option to buy 5 additional days.
• Health: Access premium care through our private medical insurance.
• Family Support: We champion your milestones with enhanced parental leave.

A full list of our benefits is available here.

What you should know about how we recruit

We pride ourselves on hiring the best people, not the same people. Building diverse and inclusive teams is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. We want to work with top talent: whoever you are, whatever you look like, wherever you come from. We know it’s about what you do, not just what you say. That’s why we make our recruitment process fair and accessible.

We value diversity, inclusion and belonging at our core. We empower our associates to do great work by creating an inclusive culture—one that values diverse perspectives, foster collaboration and encourages innovative ideas—and a place where associates of all backgrounds can thrive by bringing their most authentic selves to work. We call this our Culture of Belonging, and it rests at the heart of our business.

Our associate-led Business Resource Groups were created to help support our diverse population and include over 10 groups across our offices. Because each Business Resource Group is as unique as the population it serves, they offer a range of activities, networking opportunities, special events and learning programmes to associates.

Capital One is committed to diversity in the workplace.

If you require a reasonable adjustment, please contact [e-mail]. All information will be kept confidential and will only be used for the purpose of applying a reasonable adjustment.

For technical support or questions about Capital One's recruiting process, please send an email to [e-mail].

Who We Are

At Capital One, we're building a leading information-based technology company. Still founder-led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Fairbank, Capital One is on a mission to help our customers succeed by bringing ingenuity, simplicity, and humanity to banking. We measure our efforts by the success our customers enjoy and the advocacy they exhibit. We are succeeding because they are succeeding.

Guided by our shared values, we thrive in an environment where collaboration and openness are valued. We believe that innovation is powered by perspective and that teamwork and respect for each other lead to superior results. We elevate each other and obsess about doing the right thing. Our associates serve with humility and a deep respect for their responsibility in helping our customers achieve their goals and realize their dreams. Together, we are on a quest to change banking for good.