Operational Excellence Lead — Hybrid, Process Automation

Pontoon; Wokingham; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Pontoon is seeking an experienced Continuous Improvement Lead in Wokingham on a hybrid basis for a 6‑month contract. The role targets process simplification, automation and efficiency across Vendor Management, Procurement, Legal and Reporting to deliver measurable business improvements.

You will run end‑to‑end process reviews, establish a continuous improvement backlog, define KPIs and dashboards, and partner with digital teams to embed automation and data‑driven decisions.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in continuous improvement 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 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 KPIs to assess process effectiveness.
• Design frameworks for portfolio assessment to support governance and investment management.
• Develop mechanisms providing 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 delivering meaningful insights into portfolio and supplier performance.
• Collaborate with 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 workflow automation design.
• Collaborate with digital teams to embed automation in core VMO processes.
• Advocate for data‑driven and digital‑first practices across the VMO function.
• Build strong relationships across Procurement, Commercial, Delivery, PMO, Finance and Technology teams.

Skills

Continuous improvement

Process mapping

Stakeholder management

Facilitation

Data-driven decision making

Written communication

Tools

Power BI

Ivalua

Job description

Pontoon is seeking an experienced Continuous Improvement Lead in Wokingham on a hybrid basis for a 6‑month contract. The role targets process simplification, automation and efficiency across Vendor Management, Procurement, Legal and Reporting to deliver measurable business improvements.

You will run end‑to‑end process reviews, establish a continuous improvement backlog, define KPIs and dashboards, and partner with digital teams to embed automation and data‑driven decisions.