Global Operations - Operational Excellence Leader

AXA UK; London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global insurer seeks an Operational Excellence Leader to enhance performance, operational resilience, and compliance across international teams. This strategic role requires expertise in process improvement frameworks, strong analytical skills, and the capability to drive transformation in a fast-paced industry. Candidates should possess substantial leadership experience in operational excellence within insurance or finance, exemplifying a passion for performance excellence.

Qualifications

• Seasoned experience in Operational Excellence, especially in global processes.
• Deep functional expertise in Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.
• Ability to lead and mentor large, distributed teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead operational excellence vision and execution strategy.
• Oversee process optimization, compliance, and audit readiness.
• Drive continuous improvement programs to enhance quality and efficiency.

Skills

Strategic Thinking

Operational Expertise

Data-Driven Decision Making

Leadership & Influence

Change Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree or professional certifications (e.g., Six Sigma Black Belt)

Tools

MS Projects

Smartsheet

JIRA

Job description

Role Title: Global Operations - Operational Excellence Leader

Department: Global Risk Solutions (GRS): Global Operations

Location: US, UK (London), or Malaysia

Type: Permanent

About the Role:

Liberty Mutual’s Global Risk Solutions (GRS) Global Operations Team is seeking a seasoned and forward-thinking Operational Excellence Leader to lead our Operational Excellence function. This is a key strategic role responsible for driving performance improvement, operational resilience, quality assurance, compliance, and workforce optimization across our global delivery footprint.

The successful candidate will provide thought leadership, build and scale best-in-class frameworks, and partner with cross-functional teams to deliver measurable business outcomes. The role demands a strong combination of strategic vision, hands-on execution capability, and the ability to influence stakeholders across geographies and business units. This role is instrumental in ensuring that our operations are resilient, scalable, efficient, and aligned with business priorities.

The ideal candidate will bring deep functional expertise, a global perspective, and a passion for enabling performance excellence at scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Define and lead the global operational excellence vision, roadmap, and execution strategy in alignment with GRS priorities and global operations goals.
• Function Oversight: Oversee a global operational excellence team responsible for delivering on key areas including process optimization, quality frameworks, compliance, audit readiness, workforce management, and continuity planning.
• Performance and Transformation: Drive process re-engineering, automation opportunities, and continuous improvement programs to reduce cost, enhance quality, and increase efficiency across all functions and geographies.
• Risk & Resilience: Establish strong risk management practices, compliance frameworks, and business continuity plans to ensure the stability and sustainability of critical operations.
• Operational Governance: Build strong governance models, reporting cadences, performance metrics, and escalation mechanisms that ensure transparency and accountability.
• Collaboration & Influence: Act as a trusted advisor to global business and functional leaders, influencing operational decision-making through data, insights, and benchmarking.
• Culture Building: Champion a mindset of continuous improvement, customer centricity, and operational excellence across delivery centers and partner ecosystems.

Core Competencies & Skills:

Strategic Thinking:

·Ability to align operational goals with enterprise strategy, balancing efficiency with business value creation.

·Strong business acumen with a deep understanding of the insurance or financial services industry.

Operational Expertise:

·Demonstrated experience in process improvement (Lean, Six Sigma), operational risk management, audit, compliance, and resiliency planning.

·Ability to develop, scale, and operationalize frameworks across diverse delivery models (captive centers, third-party BPOs, etc.).

Data-Driven Decision Making:

·Strong analytical orientation with the ability to derive insights from operational data and performance metrics.

·Experience with building dashboards, KPIs, and benchmarking tools for proactive decision-making.

Project & Program Management:

·Proficient in managing cross-functional initiatives using tools like MS Projects, Smartsheet, JIRA or similar.

·Ability to scope, plan, track and deliver projects on time and within budget.

Leadership & Influence:

·Experience leading and mentoring large, diverse, and geographically distributed teams.

·Exceptional stakeholder management, executive presence, and influencing skills at senior levels.

Change Management:

·Strong capability to drive change initiatives, manage resistance, and embed new behaviors and processes across functions and regions.

Technology Fluency:

·Familiarity with operational tools (e.g., workflow platforms, audit systems, BCP tools, automation technologies, analytics platforms).

·Ability to partner with technology teams on digital enablement and transformation efforts.

Adherence to all relevant regulatory requirements forms part of your role, and the demonstration of behaviours as set out in the Conduct Risk Policy, as they relate to your role, is core to LSM's commitment to our Liberty Values, placing customers at the centre of our business and behaving with integrity.LSM expects you to understand your responsibilities relating to all regulatory and internal requirements, and to proactively demonstrate compliance with these requirements and behaviours at all times. These requirements include the Senior Managers and Certification Regime Conduct Rules, Solvency II, fair treatment of customers, Financial Crime, Data Protection, Conflicts of Interest, and Whistleblowing

Skills and Experience:

·Extensive progressive leadership experience in Operational Excellence, preferably in insurance, financial services, or global shared services/BPO environments.

·Deep expertise in continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma), quality frameworks, and risk-aware operational management.

·Proven ability to lead large, distributed teams and deliver impact across global operations.

·Strong analytical mindset and experience using data to drive performance insights and decision-making.

·Excellent communication, change management, and stakeholder engagement skills.

·Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree or professional certifications (e.g., Six Sigma Black Belt) preferred.

·Experience working in matrixed, cross-functional environments with a proven ability to lead without direct authority.

Preferred Attributes:

·Strategic thinker with a bias for execution and operational rigor.

·Comfortable navigating complex, matrixed environments with global teams.

·Passionate about building scalable, resilient, and future-ready operations.

About Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM

Liberty Specialty Marketsis part of Global Risk Solutions and the broader Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, which is a leading global insurer. We offer a breadth of world-class insurance and reinsurance services to brokers and insureds in all major markets.

Our people are key to our success. That is why "Put People First" is one of the five Liberty values which unite us as a global organisation. We bring this to life for our colleagues through:

• Offering a vibrant and inclusive environment and committing to their career development.
• Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). OurInclusion Matters frameworkand employee-led networks strengthen the diversity of our workforce and our inclusive environment.
• Reinforcing that collaborating together to share our unique perspectives help us make better decisions, deliver innovative solutions and pursue our ambitious goals.
• A supportive culture, which includes promoting a healthy work-life balance and working flexibly.

For more information, please follow the links below:

https://www.libertyspecialtymarkets.com/gb-en/careers/working-for-us

https://www.libertyspecialtymarkets.com/gb-en/careers/diversity-inclusion-wellbeing/diversity-and-inclusion