Head of Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence

vavemga; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Canopius in Manchester seeks a Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence Lead to embed a consistent approach across teams, shaping and delivering practical improvements aligned to business priorities and the end-to-end operating model.

The role spans process design, operating model improvement and delivery discipline, coordinating CI, Small Change, Projects and AI initiatives while embedding a culture of simplification and operational excellence throughout the organisation.

Qualifications

• Proven experience establishing or maturing continuous improvement capabilities in a complex organisation.
• Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma and operational excellence with pragmatic application.
• End-to-end process analysis and problem-solving to deliver measurable outcomes.
• Experience across change, projects, small change and agile delivery environments.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills for senior leaders and teams.
• Ability to build trusted relationships and sustain improvement opportunities.
• Insurance, London Market or financial services exposure is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Build a Continuous Improvement community to support Canopius and Framework.
• Maintain and apply the continuous improvement framework, standards and governance.
• Coordinate improvement activity across CI, Small Change, Projects and AI initiatives.
• Apply lean and change methodologies with focus on benefits and customer outcomes.
• Drive consistency in process design, governance and measurement.
• Develop and report improvement metrics and benefits realisation.
• Support leaders in building a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
• Maintain enterprise design standards and decision-making frameworks.
• Assess process impacts, dependencies and risks before changes progress.

Skills

CI leadership

Lean Six Sigma

Process improvement

Change delivery

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decisions

Regulated insurance experience

Job description

Canopius in Manchester seeks a Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence Lead to embed a consistent approach across teams, shaping and delivering practical improvements aligned to business priorities and the end-to-end operating model.

The role spans process design, operating model improvement and delivery discipline, coordinating CI, Small Change, Projects and AI initiatives while embedding a culture of simplification and operational excellence throughout the organisation.