Operational Excellence Lead - Process Automation & Strategy

Pontoon; Warwick; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Pontoon in Warwick is seeking an experienced Continuous Improvement Lead for a 6-month contract with hybrid working and occasional travel to Wokingham. The role focuses on driving process simplification, automation, and operational efficiency across multiple functions including Vendor Management, Procurement, Legal and Reporting.

Responsibilities include leading reviews of processes and governance, building an improvement backlog, and delivering measurable performance insights.

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

Process mapping

Stakeholder facilitation

Data-driven decision making

Ambiguity navigation

Tools

Power BI

Ivalua

Job description

Pontoon in Warwick is seeking an experienced Continuous Improvement Lead for a 6-month contract with hybrid working and occasional travel to Wokingham. The role focuses on driving process simplification, automation, and operational efficiency across multiple functions including Vendor Management, Procurement, Legal and Reporting.

Responsibilities include leading reviews of processes and governance, building an improvement backlog, and delivering measurable performance insights.