Delivery Operations Lead

Simply Business; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

25 days leave

Parental leave

Sabbatical after 5 years

Private medical insurance

Bonus potential

Learning platform

Pension matching

Car salary sacrifice

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Simply Business is seeking a Delivery Operations Lead to join the Shared Services team. The role focuses on applying Lean principles to optimise software delivery, partnering with Product and Engineering to reduce waste and accelerate time-to-market.

You will lead data-driven process improvements, using Jira and BI tools to monitor health and drive actionable insights, while coaching teams toward continuous improvement in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Experience applying Lean, Six Sigma or TOC to software delivery.
• Hands-on data or software engineering background (2+ years).
• Strong Jira administration and tooling knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen to overhaul workflows.
• Build and maintain dynamic workflow maps to expose blockers.
• Standardise and automate tools across Shared Services.
• Analyse core flow metrics to identify issues and drive data-backed recommendations.
• Harness Jira, developer tooling, and BI platforms to visualize process health.
• Empower teams with self-service tooling and data advocacy to embed continuous improvement.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Jira administration

Data visualization

Software engineering

Executive storytelling

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Looker

Tableau

Job description

Who Are We?

We insure small businesses and enable big dreams - not just for our customers, but for our people and communities too. With over 1,000,000 active insurance policies, we protect builders, bakers, landlords and more than 1,200 other trades.

We're a technology company as well as one that sells insurance. That means we build, we fail, we learn and we improve. Through our global social impact strategy, called 'The Big Dreams Project', we're working to help 10,000 small businesses start or grow by 2030.

Why not check out our advert on YouTube: Simply Business TV advert 2024: 'Simply the Best'.

Job Category

Project Management

Position Type

Permanent

Target Openings

2

What Is the Opportunity?

Most organisations treat process optimisation as a side project. At Simply Business, we see it as the engine of our tech strategy. We're looking for a Delivery Operations Lead to step into our Shared Services department and transform how we build. We are looking for a highly analytical and collaborative Delivery Operations Lead with a software or data engineering background to join our Shared Services department. Reporting to the Delivery Manager, you will act as a systems-thinking champion to optimise the flow of work. The Delivery Operations Lead partners with Product and Engineering managers to implement global practices, identify systemic risks, and reduce waste. By optimising throughput, this role stabilises, then accelerates time-to-market and minimises operational costs.

Here’s What You’ll Be Doing

• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen practices to overhaul end-to-end workflows and eliminate system-wide bottlenecks.
• Build and maintain dynamic workflow maps that expose blockers, highlight opportunities, and map out broader system impacts.
• Standardise and automate tools across Shared Services to streamline our discovery and software delivery lifecycles.
• Analyse core flow metrics (throughput, lead time, cycle time) to root out underlying issues and drive data-backed recommendations.
• Harness Jira, developer tooling, and BI platforms (like Looker or Tableau) to visualise process health and quantify the impact of change.
• Empower teams through self-service tooling, peer training, and data advocacy to embed a continuous-improvement mindset.

We’re Looking For Someone Who Is

• Experienced in process mastery, with an expert grasp of Lean, Six Sigma, or Theory of Constraints applied directly to software delivery.
• Tech-minded at heart, with 2+ years of hands-on experience as a data or software engineer, alongside strong Jira administration skills.
• Skilled in data visualisation, capable of turning complex datasets into clear insights using tools like Tableau or Looker.
• A strategic communicator who can translate operational data into executive-level narratives that influence leadership without relying on direct authority.
• Adaptable, resilient, and comfortable cutting through ambiguity to bring clarity to fast-paced, evolving environments.
• An intentional collaborator and conscious change agent who values diverse perspectives, self-awareness, and guiding teams smoothly through growth.

(We know it's tough, but please try to avoid the confidence gap. You don't have to match all the bullet points above to be considered for this role.)

We are committed to maintaining an inclusive, supportive place for you to be you and do your very best work.

Ready to Build Systems That Actually Scale?

If you're an engineer at heart who loves untangling complex systemic puzzles, this is your sandbox. At Simply Business, we don't just tolerate optimisation - we rely on it to ship impactful software to hundreds of thousands of small businesses. You will have the autonomy, modern stack, and data-rich environment to build elegant, automated workflows that keep high-performing teams moving fast. No jargon, no rigid hierarchy - just real systems impact, high-throughput delivery, and an inclusive culture that values your engineering perspective.

What Are The Benefits Of Working At Simply Business

• we offer a great work-life balance where workloads are manageable and everyone has the flexibility to work hybrid
• on top of the 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), we offer the option to buy five more days of holiday with your flexible benefits
• our flexible parental leave allows you to approach an important time how you want - with six months full pay to the primary caregiver and four weeks full pay if you're the secondary caregiver
• our life event leave is an extra days leave every two years for those big moments in your life like moving house or your birthday. And our long-serving employees get a two week paid sabbatical after five years of service, then four weeks off after ten years of service
• private medical insurance through BUPA, that covers any pre-existing condition is a core benefit. Plus a health cash plan that covers your everyday medical expenses
• we offer a competitive salary based on your experience and the current market. Plus the potential to earn an annual bonus based on performance
• access to tools to support your personal development on our dedicated learning platform. As well as support for your mental health with access to counselling
• we match what you put into your pension up to five per cent. And pass on a tax-free sum that's four times your basic salary with our life assurance policy, with the option to increase it to ten times through our flexible benefit scheme
• our salary sacrifice car scheme gives you the option to buy a brand new, fully insured, and maintained car for a convenient fixed monthly amount taken from your gross salary (after 6 months service)
• our flexible benefits scheme gives you an allocated amount to use each year on benefits like critical illness cover, dental insurance, travel insurance, or a gym membership

Employment Practices

Simply Business is committed to providing equality and opportunities for all employees and candidates considering a career with us. We offer a workplace where colleagues are treated with respect and dignity. We don't (and won't) discriminate either directly or indirectly on the grounds of race, colour, religion, belief, political opinion, disability, nationality, ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation or relationship status at any stage of the hiring process or during the course of your employment.