Head of COO Strategy & Portfolio Governance

TN United Kingdom; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Head of COO Strategy and Portfolio Governance to lead impactful change initiatives. This pivotal role involves managing a substantial change portfolio, ensuring effective governance, and aligning with corporate objectives. The ideal candidate will possess extensive project management experience, particularly in Financial Services, and demonstrate exceptional stakeholder management skills. With a focus on continuous improvement and strategic alignment, this position offers a unique opportunity to drive transformation within the organization while enjoying a competitive rewards package and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Competitive annual salary

Annual company & performance-based bonus

Contributory pension scheme

Life Assurance

28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays

Opportunity to buy/sell extra leave

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in project/program management in complex business settings.
• Strong understanding of the insurance industry and regulatory environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead governance and reporting for a significant change portfolio.
• Define and implement governance processes for the UK&I organization.

Skills

Project Management

Stakeholder Management

Change Management

Strategic Planning

Financial Services Knowledge

Education

Professional qualifications in project/program management

Job description

Join us as the Head of COO Strategy and Portfolio Governance for AXA UK and Ireland (UK&I), where you'll play a crucial role in shaping the future of our change initiatives. This key position within the Change Leadership team involves managing a substantial UK&I Change portfolio, ensuring effective governance, delivery assurance, and strategic alignment with AXA Group objectives. Take this opportunity to lead impactful change and drive our strategic objectives forward!

At AXA, we work smart, empowering our people to balance their time between home and the office in a way that works best for them, their team, and our customers. You'll work at least 40% of your week away from home, moving to the majority of your working week from September 2025. Away from home means either attendance at one of our office locations, visiting clients, or attending industry events. We’re also happy to consider flexible working arrangements, which you can discuss with Talent Acquisition.

What you’ll be doing:

1. Lead the governance and reporting for a sizeable investment change and transversal change portfolio, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy.
2. Develop, report, and communicate COO Strategy at all levels of the organization, ensuring the strategy meets both the Group ambitions in the Technology, Data, and Operational Excellence space and the COO function drives its agenda in support of UK&I business strategies.
3. Define and implement governance processes for the UK&I organization, reporting up to senior management and ensuring compliance with corporate delegated authorities.
4. Collate and optimize the investment profile for upcoming years, assessing progress toward strategic goals and aligning with corporate strategy.
5. Foster a culture of continuous improvement within the team, ensuring governance and oversight solutions meet the evolving needs of AXA UK&I.
6. Develop and maintain a project/program assurance capability, overseeing peer reviews and quality checks while promoting best practices across the organization.
7. Act as the Business Application Owner for change tools, supporting roll-out, training, and day-to-day operations, while focusing on automation and streamlined processes.
8. Define and manage a delivery assurance function that offers insights into key programs, ensuring confidence in outcome delivery and organizational standards.
9. Operate and enhance relevant control frameworks, proactively identifying areas for improvement to mitigate risks and improve outcomes.
10. Own the UK&I Portfolio Risk framework and reporting, collaborating with risk functions to plan and implement necessary activities.

Due to the number of applications we expect to receive for this role, we reserve the right to close this advert earlier than the listed closing date to ensure we’re able to effectively manage interest. Therefore, if you’re interested in joining us at AXA, please don’t hesitate to apply.

We know that some candidates may be discouraged from applying if they don't meet every requirement. If you’re excited by this job and the prospect of working at AXA but you’re not sure you tick every box, we’d still encourage you to apply.

What you’ll bring:

• Extensive experience in project/programme management in complex business settings, preferably within Financial Services.
• Professional qualifications in project or programme management are preferred.
• Strong understanding of the insurance industry, including regulatory and control environments.
• Proven ability to manage complex change and lead multidisciplinary teams.
• Track record of successful business-wide programme delivery beyond just technical or IT contexts.
• Relevant experience in Financial Services across different organizations is advantageous.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, influencing relationships at the highest levels.
• Advanced planning and organizing capabilities.
• Demonstrated commitment to exemplifying AXA values and behaviors.

As a precondition of employment for this role, you must be eligible and authorized to work in the United Kingdom.

What we offer:

At AXA UK, we’re appreciative of the people who work for us and our rewards package is reviewed regularly to reflect that. You can expect to receive:

• Competitive annual salary
• Annual company & performance-based bonus
• Contributory pension scheme (up to 12% employer contributions)
• Life Assurance (up to 10 x annual salary)
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Opportunity to buy up to 5 extra days leave or sell up to 5 days leave

#LI-Hybrid

Who we are:

AXA UK Support Functions power AXA’s three customer-facing business units, providing the infrastructure, support, and expertise to ensure our customers can always count on us. Whether you’ve got heaps of experience and qualifications behind you, or you’re just starting out, we’ll give you the support and opportunities to help you grow and develop with confidence.