Operations Relationship Manager

SunLife UK; West of England; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Pension scheme

Job summary

SunLife UK is seeking an organised Relationship Manager to oversee strategic suppliers and outsourced operations. The role is based in Bristol and focuses on governance, cost control and delivering high-quality service to customers.

You will build strong supplier relationships, negotiate effectively, and provide clear reporting to senior stakeholders while ensuring contracts are followed and outcomes are customer-centric.

Qualifications

• Strong supplier management experience with a track record of delivery.
• Experience in governance, risk and performance reporting.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Ability to identify cost-saving and efficiency opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Build strong relationships with supplier contacts to ensure timely delivery across outsourced operations.
• Own supplier governance frameworks and drive solutions for agile service performance.
• Act as SME, identifying opportunities to leverage new ideas, technology, and innovation.
• Provide clear governance reporting and trend analysis for senior management and boards.
• Maintain robust processes and controls aligned to evolving business needs.
• Identify and deliver continuous improvement to reduce cost and enhance service quality.
• Ensure QA processes are evidenced and meet business requirements with customer outcomes in mind.

Skills

Supplier management

Governance

Negotiations

Reporting

Communication

Process improvement

Job description

We're looking for an organised and experienced Relationship Manager to oversee strategic suppliers supporting the SunLife business. You'll bring proven experience in supplier management, with a strong track record of delivery in fast-paced environments.

You'll have a sharp focus on best practice, simplification, quality, and cost control- ensuring our supplier network consistently delivers high standards, supports business objectives, and contributes to positive customer outcomes.

This is a varied role, managing multiple outsourced operations, including customer service and telephony, gift sourcing, print production, mailroom and postal services. These services play a key role in how customers experience our products and communications.

You'll combine strong relationship management with commercial acumen, ensuring adherence to contracts, effective negotiation, and high-quality reporting for senior stakeholders, while maintaining a clear understanding of how supplier performance ultimately impacts the end customer.

Here's what you'll do for us (aka accountabilities)

• Build strong, collaborative relationships with key supplier contacts to ensure high-quality, timely, and efficient delivery across outsourced operations
• Own supplier governance frameworks and drive solutions that support an agile business strategy and consistently strong service performance
• Act as a subject matter expert, proactively identifying opportunities to leverage new ideas, technology, and innovation
• Produce clear, insightful governance reporting and trend analysis, highlighting service performance, risks, and impacts on customer outcomes for senior management, committees, and boards
• Maintain and enhance robust processes and controls aligned to evolving business needs
• Identify and deliver continuous improvement opportunities to reduce cost, improve efficiency, and enhance overall service quality
• Ensure quality assurance processes are well-evidenced and consistently meet business requirements, with customer outcomes appropriately considered

Here's what we will do for you (aka benefits)

As well as offering a creative and exciting office environment on the riverside in Bristol, we offer a competitive salary, bonus and pension scheme and other employee benefits. We also take the development of our colleagues very seriously too - so you'll be supported and encouraged every step of the way.

Our internal Brightening Squad work hard (and with a healthy budget) to help make SunLife a fun and sociable place to work and with various charitable events and initiatives throughout the year, there's always a chance to give a little back ourselves.

How you'll be successful (aka measures)

• Strong relationship management underpinned by effective governance and clear, actionable insights
• A reputation as a trusted expert and proactive partner across the business, maintaining external SME knowledge to support business growth
• Ability to manage multiple priorities calmly and effectively, maintaining consistent delivery across key services
• Confident escalation of risks, breaches, and compliance concerns in line with policy, recognising potential impact on customers and the business
• Accurate, timely, and audience-appropriate reporting, clearly linking performance to operational and customer outcomes where relevant
• Demonstrable process improvements with measurable impact on cost, efficiency, and service quality
• Visible ownership- celebrating successes and driving solutions when challenges arise

Who you'll be working with (aka stakeholders)

• Operational 3rd parties including key partners, customer service, telephony, print, mailroom, and postal suppliers
• Marketing teams
• IT and Change teams
• Risk and Governance

What we want you to bring to the table (aka skills and experience)

• Strong partner and supplier management experience, including governance, negotiations, and day-to-day oversight
• Proven experience in process management and continuous improvement
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• Resilience and composure under pressure, with a solution-focused mindset

What it feels like to work here (aka environment)

SunLife is a small, evolving business where change is constant. You'll thrive if you enjoy a fast-paced environment, working with a supportive team that values both high performance and having fun.