Lead Operational Excellence Manager - Stratford Regional Centre - Westfield Avenue

Lead Operational Excellence Manager - Stratford Regional Centre - Westfield Avenue

About the job

Job summary

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it's really like to work at HMRC.

Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.

This is an exciting opportunity to join Tax Benefits and Enterprise Operations (TB&EOps), a vital part of HMRC responsible for delivering essential tax and benefits services. Our work supports individuals, families and businesses, helping to ensure customers receive the right support while maintaining confidence in the UK's tax and benefits systems.

As part of TB&EOps, you will contribute to the delivery of operational services that have a direct impact on customers and the wider economy.

Working in a dynamic environment, you will help address complex challenges, improve performance and support HMRC's commitment to delivering trusted, efficient and customer-focused services.

You will work with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders across HMRC and government, building strong relationships to achieve shared objectives. The role offers opportunities to support change, drive improvements and contribute to solutions that enhance service delivery and the customer experience.

We are looking for individuals who are motivated by public service and committed to delivering high-quality outcomes. You will will lead our governance and compliance activities, providing oversight of governance frameworks, assurance, audit readiness, compliance obligations, risk management, portfolio assurance, and reporting.

In return, you'll join an inclusive and supportive organisation that values learning, development and continuous improvement.

You'll have the opportunity to broaden your experience, develop new skills and build a rewarding career within one of the UK's largest government departments.

If you are looking for a role where you can make a meaningful contribution, embrace new challenges and help deliver services that matter to customers across the UK, we'd love to hear from you. Join Tax Benefits and Enterprise Operations and be part of a team delivering with purpose, professionalism and pride.

Job description

The Tax, Benefits & Enterprise Operations (TB&EOps) Lead Operational Excellence Manager is accountable for establishing and embedding a culture of operational excellence across HMRC's critical tax and enterprise platforms, including ETMP, Unity and EOPS services.

The role will lead the governance, assurance, service optimisation, resilience, continuous improvement and operational readiness agenda for some of HMRC's most business-critical services. The postholder will ensure that operational practices are scalable, measurable, efficient and aligned to Platform as a Product principle whilst supporting major transformation programmes, including SAP S/4HANA migration, Sovereign Cloud adoption and wider digital modernisation.

The role acts as the senior authority for operational excellence, driving improvements across service management, supplier performance, operational controls, risk reduction, automation, resilience, cost efficiency and customer outcomes.

Person specification

Operational Excellence Leadership

• Define and implement the TB&EOps Operational Excellence strategy.
• Establish consistent operational standards, KPIs and best practices across all TB&EOps capabilities.
• Create a culture of continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making.
• Develop operational maturity assessments and improvement roadmaps.
• Benchmark operational performance against industry and Government standards.

Service Governance & Assurance

• Lead governance and assurance across platform deliveries and critical live services.
• Ensure compliance with operational, security, resilience and audit requirements.
• Provide independent challenge and assurance for major operational decisions.
• Oversee service reviews, operational health assessments and improvement plans.
• Drive audits across suppliers and delivery teams.

Continuous Improvement & Automation

• Identify and eliminate operational inefficiencies, recurring incidents and service bottlenecks.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma and Service Management practices.
• Promote automation, observability and self-healing capabilities.
• Drive reduction of operational toil and manual intervention.
• Establish measurable benefits realisation from improvement activities.

Reliability, Resilience & Service Stability

• Lead operational readiness and resilience reviews for critical services.
• Ensure robust disaster recovery, business continuity and service continuity arrangements.
• Oversee capacity, availability and performance management practices.
• Drive improvements in service reliability and platform resilience.
• Provide leadership during major incidents and operational crises.

Supplier & Partner Performance Management

• Lead operational performance governance with strategic suppliers.
• Establish and monitor operational SLAs, OLAs and contractual obligations.
• Ensure suppliers deliver continuous service improvements and value for money.
• Challenge supplier performance and drive corrective action where required.
• Support commercial and contract management activities.

Operational Transformation

• Ensure operational considerations are embedded throughout programme and project lifecycles.
• Lead service transition and operational acceptance activities.
• Support large-scale transformation initiatives, including SAP S/4HANA migration and platform modernisation.
• Ensure new services are supportable, secure, resilient and operationally ready.

Data, Reporting & Insights

• Establish operational dashboards and performance reporting.
• Drive the use of service data and analytics to inform decisions.
• Deliver executive-level reporting on operational performance, risks and improvement outcomes.
• Develop operational scorecards aligned to business and platform objectives.

Leadership & People Development

• Lead, coach and develop a multidisciplinary operational excellence team.
• Build capability across TB&EOps in service management, operational engineering and continuous improvement.
• Foster a culture of accountability, learning and innovation.
• Act as a role model for operational leadership across the organisation.

Key Accountabilities

The postholder will be accountable for:

• Operational performance across TB&EOps services.
• Continuous improvement portfolio and benefits delivery.
• Operational readiness of major platform changes.
• Service resilience and recoverability.
• Governance and assurance effectiveness.
• Supplier operational performance.
• Risk reduction and control effectiveness.
• Operational cost optimisation.
• Service management maturity improvements.

Essential Criteria:

• Proven leadership in large-scale operational, governance, service management or live service environments.
• Experience managing mission-critical platforms within highly regulated environments.
• Strong background in IT Service Management (ITIL) and operational governance.
• Experience driving operational excellence, continuous improvement and automation initiatives.
• Experience managing suppliers and outsourced service providers.
• Demonstrable track record of improving service performance and operational outcomes.
• Experience leading through complex organisational or technology transformation.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with senior business and technology leaders.

Desirable Criteria:

• SAP ECC, SAP S/4HANA or Enterprise Platform experience.
• Experience within Government or Critical National Infrastructure environments.
• Lean, Six Sigma or Operational Excellence certification.
• Platform Governance and modern operations practices.
• Experience implementing Platform as a Product operating models.
• Experience with cloud migration and transformation programmes.

Full time only

Due to operational needs, these posts are full-time; however, applicants who need to work a more flexible arrangement are welcome to apply.

We can't guarantee that we can meet all requests to work flexibly as any agreement will be subject to business ability to accommodate. Any request to work a more flexible arrangement should be made prior to your acceptance of the provisional offer.

Further Location Information

Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a 'Further Location Preferences (optional)' field within the application form, will not be considered.

Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of 71,725, HM Revenue and Customs contributes 20,778 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues' Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it's really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience.

Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name-blind CV including your job history and previous skills and experiences.
• A 750-word Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, making reference to the essential criteria and person specification outlined in the advert.

Please complete a separate statement (Max 250 words) for the Desirable Criteria where applicable.

This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy-holder where candidates have the same scores at interview.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift

In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on your.CV.

At full sift your CV, and your Personal Statement, will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

Interview

During the panel interview, your experience will be assessed.

Interviews will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. Please note that circumstances may arise that require the planned interview format to change.

We will endeavour to provide you with as much notice of any change as possible.

Eligibility

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. Mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we may not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, or have withdrawn yourself in error and need your application reinstated whilst the campaign is still live, please contact us via: [email protected] - Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example - 'Please re-open my application - (insert vacancy ref) & vacancy closing date (insert date)'.

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.

Exceptionally, candidates who are not successful at this grade may be considered for appointment to similar roles at a lower grade where the eligibility criteria are met.

If this applies, we will contact you directly.

Sponsorship

We have assessed this role against both Home Office and HMRC criteria and we are unable to offer sponsorship for a Skilled Worker Visa. This means the vacancy is not open to applicants who require visa sponsorship.

The HMRC app can help you with your application

The HMRC app can provide you with your past 5 years' employment history, making the process of filling in your application quicker and easier.

If successful in your application, you will need your National Insurance number for the onboarding process.

Download the HMRC app now and save your National Insurance number to your digital phone wallet.

How to download the HMRC app and sign up for an account

Download the free HMRC app from the App Store or Google Play store.

If you have an HMRC online account already, sign straight in using your ID and password. If not, you can prove your identity by answering some questions or providing your photo ID.

You'll then be able to access the app quickly and easily by signing in using a 6-digit PIN, your fingerprint, or facial recognition.

You can find guidance for technical issues on GOV.UK: Technical support with HMRC online services.

Merit List

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for.

Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.

Criminal Record Check

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Hybrid working at HMRC

HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time).

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process.

To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact the UBS Recruitment team via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the "Assistance required" section in the "Additional requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Technical Support

If you are experiencing problems that cannot be resolved by our 'help' section, then technical support is available. You will receive a reply in 2 working days.

Additional Security Information

Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy.

You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.

From 1 April 2026, applicants will be required to meet updated nationality and residency requirements so that National Security Vetting (NSV) checks can be conducted. If this affects you, we will give you more information at the appropriate time.

Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:

Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.

Terms and Conditions

Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required.

Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.

HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD).

This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.

Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants - GOV.UK.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed.

The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).