Operations Enablement Lead

Southern Cross Medical Care Society; New Zealand; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Southern Cross Pet Insurance is seeking an Operational Team Leader to guide the Operational Enablers team in Hamilton. You will develop people, set priorities and drive improvements that benefit customers and the business.

You will lead quarterly planning, monitor risk, and embed new ways of working while fostering accountability, learning and innovation across operations. This fixed post supports growth and capability across the service.

Qualifications

• 3 to 5+ years' experience in a leadership or influencing role within a service environment.
• Demonstrated people leadership experience, including coaching, capability development, feedback and performance support.
• Experience in operational excellence, business improvement, quality assurance, change management or project delivery.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to communicate clearly across all levels of the business.
• Excellent planning and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage competing demands, dependencies and risk.
• Curiosity about technology, automation and AI, and a practical approach to applying them responsibly.
• Insurance, financial services or regulated industry experience would be advantageous.
• A relevant business qualification, or equivalent experience, would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop the Operational Enablers team, creating a safe, inclusive and accountable environment where people can thrive.
• Set clear priorities, empower sound decision making and support the team to deliver meaningful outcomes.
• Lead quarterly planning and manage the team portfolio, balancing capacity, risks, dependencies and competing priorities.
• Drive business improvement and operational excellence initiatives that reduce friction and improve outcomes.
• Champion change adoption by engaging stakeholders and helping embed new ways of working.
• Oversee quality assurance activities and frameworks that strengthen coaching, training, processes and controls.
• Partner with leaders and delivery teams to improve customer experience, operational performance and workforce capability.
• Use data and insights to identify trends, measure success and translate findings into practical improvements.
• Support operational risk management through effective incident management, controls, governance and audit support.
• Build capability in automation, technology and AI-enabled ways of working, supporting safe and responsible adoption across the business.

Skills

Leadership

People development

Stakeholder engagement

Data-driven decisions

Change management

Project delivery

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Southern Cross Pet Insurance is seeking an Operational Team Leader to guide the Operational Enablers team in Hamilton. You will develop people, set priorities and drive improvements that benefit customers and the business.

You will lead quarterly planning, monitor risk, and embed new ways of working while fostering accountability, learning and innovation across operations. This fixed post supports growth and capability across the service.