Head of Process Excellence

hiscox; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Hiscox seeks a Head of Enterprise Process Excellence to define the strategy and scale capabilities across the group. The role focuses on simplifying how work is done, improving scalability, and delivering measurable value for customers and employees.

Reporting to the Head of Transformation Practice and Capability, you will lead cross-functional initiatives, shape governance and tooling, and drive continuous improvement across a complex insurance organisation.

Qualifications

• Degree and process excellence credentials (e.g., Lean Six Sigma Black Belt)
• Extensive experience leading process improvement or transformation in complex environments
• Insurance sector experience is essential and beneficial for understanding regulatory and operational context
• Proven track record delivering measurable operational and commercial value
• Experience establishing or scaling process excellence capabilities, governance and tooling
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and influencing skills across senior stakeholders

Responsibilities

• Shape and deliver a Group-wide enterprise process excellence strategy and roadmap aligned to business priorities
• Identify and prioritise opportunities to simplify, standardise, automate and improve critical end-to-end processes
• Build the enterprise foundations for success including methodology, governance and capability development
• Provide oversight and performance tracking across process excellence activity in BU and Group Functions
• Lead selected improvement programmes where additional capability is needed
• Evaluate and adopt enabling tools and technologies in partnership with Group IT

Skills

Leadership

Process improvement

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt

Job description

Job Type: Permanent

Build a brilliant future with Hiscox

Position: Head of Enterprise Process Excellence

Reporting to: Head of Transformation Practice and Capability

The Role

This is a rare opportunity to shape and lead enterprise process excellence at Hiscox. As the organisation accelerates its operational maturity agenda, this role will be central to simplifying how work gets done, improving scalability and control, and creating better experiences for customers and employees alike. A new Enterprise Process Excellence function is being established at Group level to provide the vision, standards and momentum needed to turn process excellence into a sustained competitive advantage.

The Head of Enterprise Process Excellence will set the strategic direction for process improvement across Hiscox and build the foundations that enable it to succeed at scale. This includes defining the methodology, standards, tooling, governance, operating model and capability required to drive measurable business outcomes. The role combines strategy and delivery: influencing senior stakeholders, identifying high-value opportunities, and, where needed, directly leading improvement programmes in areas where process excellence capability is still being built. It is a hands-on leadership role for someone who enjoys creating momentum, raising capability and embedding a culture of continuous improvement across a complex organisation.

Reporting to the Head of Transformation Practice and Capability, this role will work in close partnership with Business Unit and Group Function leaders to identify opportunities, unlock value and accelerate enterprise-wide change. Supported by a capable team, the successful candidate will play a visible leadership role in shaping how Hiscox improves, adapts and grows.

Key Responsibilities

• Shape and deliver a Group-wide enterprise process excellence strategy and roadmap aligned to business priorities
• Ensure process excellence initiatives support wider business goals, customer needs and operational performance ambitions
• Identify and prioritise opportunities to simplify, standardise, automate and improve critical end-to-end processes
• Build the enterprise foundations for success, including methodology, governance, tooling, standards and capability development
• Provide oversight, visibility and performance tracking across process excellence activity in Business Units and Group Functions
• Personally lead selected improvement programmes where additional capability or leadership is needed
• Lead the evaluation and adoption of enabling tools and technologies in partnership with Group IT and other stakeholders
• Define and monitor meaningful KPIs to measure progress, demonstrate impact and communicate value
• Coach, support and influence process excellence teams, leaders and champions across the organisation
• Design and deliver engaging learning and coaching approaches that strengthen process excellence capability across Hiscox
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and disciplined execution across the business

Candidate Profile

• A degree in a relevant discipline and/or recognised process excellence credentials such as Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt
• Significant experience leading process improvement, operational excellence or transformation work in complex environments
• A strong record of delivering impactful improvement programmes that create measurable operational and commercial value
• Insurance sector experience is essential, with a strong understanding of insurance operations, process complexity and the regulatory environment
• Experience establishing or scaling process excellence capabilities, including methods, tools, governance and vendor management
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to translate insight into action
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the credibility to work across functions and engage senior stakeholders
• Confidence using and shaping the adoption of process excellence and automation tools, including process mapping and mining, workflow, robotics, intelligent automation and AI-enabled solutions
• Experience operating in an international matrix environment, ideally within financial services, would be highly valuable

Beyond technical expertise, this role calls for someone with strong delivery focus, sound commercial judgement and a pragmatic approach to solving business problems. The right ...