Senior Operations Manager

We are seeking experienced Senior Operations Managers to lead a large function; this could be either Start & Set Up (Onboarding) or Everyday Banking (In life management & maintenance) and Borrow & Grow (Lending). These positions are critical to delivering outstanding customer outcomes across the Society. The role is accountable for ensuring world‑class customer service, operational efficiency, and excellent product and process expertise across all customer channels. With responsibility for end‑to‑end (E2E) fulfilment of customer journeys, you will ensure services are delivered accurately, consistently, and on time.

We support small- and medium-sized businesses as well as larger enterprises to build livelihoods, create jobs and power local economies. We are ambitious, we want to grow and scale our business, and we are investing in our Business Banking teams to get ready for growth and to deliver more ‘simply brilliant experiences’.  

Reporting to the Head of Business Operations, the Senior Operations Managers provide strategic and operational leadership of a large, centralised fulfilment function delivering consistent, high‑quality customer outcomes across the Society’s product ranges and distribution channels. The role has E2E accountability for customer journey fulfilment, balancing customer experience, operational efficiency, and risk management while delivering against agreed customer experience targets, growth targets, and customer service levels.

A core focus of the role is driving sustainable performance improvement through process simplification, optimisation, and reduced complexity, whilst ensuring operational capability remains aligned to strategic priorities. The post holder will provide strong, visible leadership, building organisational capability through the effective development, engagement, and performance management of a diverse team, and setting clear standards of accountability and professional excellence.

Working closely with senior leaders and cross‑functional stakeholders, the role plays a key part in shaping and delivering strategic change initiatives, ensuring customer outcomes, operational resilience, and conduct considerations are embedded into decision‑making. The Senior Operations Managers are accountable for maintaining robust operational governance, ensuring compliance with policy, regulatory requirements, and risk frameworks. Performance, service quality, and customer insight are actively monitored, with timely action taken to address issues, manage risk, and continuously enhance service delivery.

Leading and developing Operations Managers and a sizeable team, you will set clear expectations, drive performance, and embed a culture of excellence and continuous improvement. Operational governance is essential, including adherence to policy, regulatory and risk requirements, supported by robust performance and service monitoring.

At Nationwide, we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK-wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this job you'll be located at our Glasgow hub. There will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration events, this is anticipated to be weekly in Glasgow. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here. 

Whilst these locations are where we are primarily looking to fill the role, if you’re an internal applicant based in a different location, we would welcome your application and if successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this could work for this specific role. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here. 

Virgin Money is now part of Nationwide

Nationwide acquired Virgin Money in October 2024. Virgin Money continues to serve customers on the high street, and there will be a phased and considered integration over the coming years.

You’ll be employed by Nationwide from day one, delivering real impact and benefitting from a highly competitive range of benefits. We’re a workplace where you’re rewarded, recognised and celebrated.

If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can. If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.

What you’ll be doing

The Senior Operations Managers operate within an integrated delivery model to ensure consistent service across sites and products. You will lead a team of Operations Managers who lead E2E customer journeys. 

You will create a high-performance culture, ensuring you and your direct reports role model customer first and leadership behaviours. 

You will maintain exceptional relationships with key internal stakeholders including Technology, Marketing, Finance, Compliance, Risk, and Audit, as well as providing oversight of third‑party service providers. 

You’ll work closely with a range of Business Banking stakeholders, including the Contact Centre leadership team, Relationship Managers, the Change Management team, Product teams, Risk & Business Control functions, the Credit Team, HR, Recruitment, and Finance to ensure seamless customer journey delivery and regularly liaises with external bodies.

About you

As a minimum requirement, you’ll have:

• Proven experience leading large operational teams, within a regulated or financial services environment 
• Exceptional people leadership capability, with a track record of developing high‑performing teams 
• Demonstrated ability to drive operational performance, service improvement, and efficiency at scale 
• Experience delivering change, meeting plans and timelines, and embedding continuous improvement 
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively at all levels 
• Sound understanding of operational risk, governance, and control frameworks
• Experience in leading Operations Managers who manage end-to-end customer journeys 

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind

• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand

• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development

• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The extras you’ll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• 30 days holiday, pro rata

• Access to private medical insurance

• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement

• Access to an annual performance-related bonus

• Training and development to help you progress your career

• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme

• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death

• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness

• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society

We forge our own path at Nationwide.

As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.

If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.

At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.

We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.

What to do next

If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us. 

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.