Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement Lead

Pontoon; Wokingham; Hybrid; GBP 101,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Pontoon is seeking an experienced Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement Lead in Wokingham to drive process simplification, automation, and efficiency across multiple functions. This hybrid role focuses on identifying manual processes, redesigning workflows, and delivering measurable business improvements in Vendor Management, Procurement, Legal and Reporting.

The role demands expertise in process mapping, governance design, data-driven decision making, and stakeholder facilitation to

Qualifications

• Significant experience in continuous improvement, operational excellence, or portfolio management.
• Strong capabilities in process mapping, service design, and operating model development.
• Proven experience in designing governance frameworks and using data to drive decisions.
• Excellent stakeholder management and facilitation skills.
• Exceptional written communication and document development abilities.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguous and evolving environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead comprehensive reviews of existing VMO processes, controls, and governance frameworks.
• Identify and implement opportunities to simplify, standardise, and enhance operations across VMO activities.
• Re-engineer end-to-end processes to eliminate inefficiencies and improve user experience.
• Establish a continuous improvement backlog and delivery roadmap.
• Introduce measurable performance indicators to assess process effectiveness.
• Design and implement frameworks for portfolio assessment that support governance and investment management.
• Develop mechanisms that provide insights into demand, supplier utilisation, and performance metrics.
• Embed portfolio-level decision-making into governance forums and reporting cycles.
• Support quarterly and executive reviews with insightful analysis and recommendations.
• Define KPIs and dashboards that deliver meaningful insights into portfolio and supplier performance.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to enhance reporting quality and decision-making effectiveness.
• Develop analytics to identify trends, risks, and areas for intervention.
• Translate complex data into actionable recommendations for senior stakeholders.
• Identify manual processes ripe for automation and lead the design of workflow automation solutions.
• Collaborate with digital and technology teams to embed automation in core VMO processes.
• Advocate for data-driven and digital-first practises across the VMO function.
• Build strong relationships across Procurement, Commercial, Delivery, PMO, Finance, and Technology teams.
• Facilitate workshops to identify business challenges and co-create improved frameworks.
• Influence senior stakeholders to drive the adoption of new standards and governance approaches.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence throughout the organisation.

Skills

Continuous improvement

Operational excellence

Portfolio management

Process mapping

Service design

Operating model development

Governance frameworks

Stakeholder management

Facilitation

Written communication

Ambiguity handling

Tools

Power BI

Workflow automation

Ivalua

Job description

Job Title: Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement Lead

Location: Wokingham (Hybrid)

Contract Length: 6 months

We are seeking an experienced Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement professional to drive process simplification, automation and operational efficiency across a large corporate environment. This role will focus on identifying manual processes, improving end-to-end workflows and delivering measurable business improvements across Vendor Management, Procurement, Legal and Reporting functions.

Key Responsibilities

Continuous Improvement & Process Optimisation

• Lead comprehensive reviews of existing VMO processes, controls, and governance frameworks.
• Identify and implement opportunities to simplify, standardise, and enhance operations across VMO activities.
• Re-engineer end-to-end processes to eliminate inefficiencies and improve user experience.
• Establish a continuous improvement backlog and delivery roadmap.
• Introduce measurable performance indicators to assess process effectiveness.

Portfolio Assessment & Decision Support

• Design and implement frameworks for portfolio assessment that support governance and investment management.
• Develop mechanisms that provide insights into demand, supplier utilisation, and performance metrics.
• Embed portfolio-level decision-making into governance forums and reporting cycles.
• Support quarterly and executive reviews with insightful analysis and recommendations.

Data, Reporting & Insights

• Define KPIs and dashboards that deliver meaningful insights into portfolio and supplier performance.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to enhance reporting quality and decision-making effectiveness.
• Develop analytics to identify trends, risks, and areas for intervention.
• Translate complex data into actionable recommendations for senior stakeholders.

Automation & Digital Transformation

• Identify manual processes ripe for automation and lead the design of workflow automation solutions.
• Collaborate with digital and technology teams to embed automation in core VMO processes.
• Advocate for data-driven and digital-first practises across the VMO function.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong relationships across Procurement, Commercial, Delivery, PMO, Finance, and Technology teams.
• Facilitate workshops to identify business challenges and co-create improved frameworks.
• Influence senior stakeholders to drive the adoption of new standards and governance approaches.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence throughout the organisation.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Essential

• Significant experience in continuous improvement, operational excellence, or portfolio management.
• Strong capabilities in process mapping, service design, and operating model development.
• Proven experience in designing governance frameworks and using data to drive decisions.
• Excellent stakeholder management and facilitation skills.
• Exceptional written communication and document development abilities.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguous and evolving environments.

Desirable

• Experience in supplier management, commercial governance, or procurement.
• Familiarity with portfolio management methodologies, Power BI, and workflow automation.
• Experience in using Ivalua
• Understanding of regulatory environments and Lean Six Sigma methodologies.

This is an exciting opportunity for an operational excellence professional who combines strategic insight with practical delivery. If you are ready to challenge existing practises and drive transformative improvements, this position offers a chance to make a substantial impact in a vibrant organisation.