Group Data Operations Manager

Who are we?

Howden is a collective – a group of talented and passionate people all around the world. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 18,000 employees spanning over 100 countries.

People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

Job Purpose: 

The Operations Manager will be responsible for overseeing operational support teams and driving the development of Service Reliability Engineering (SRE) practices. This role will be pivotal in ensuring the reliability, availability, and performance of our data-driven services while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

 
Key Responsibilities: 

Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor a diverse team of operational support professionals, fostering an environment of collaboration, accountability, and professional growth.  

• Develop and implement strategies to enhance team performance and customer service delivery.

Service Reliability Engineering

• Build and establish a comprehensive Service Reliability Engineering framework that aligns with the company's business objectives and enhances the reliability of our data services.  

• Collaborate closely with platform engineering teams to ensure that the architecture, design, and deployment of data platforms facilitate high availability, scalability, and resilience.  

• Implement best practices for incident management, change management, and problem resolution to minimize service disruptions and enhance user experience.

Continuous Improvement

• Drive a culture of continuous improvement by identifying opportunities for optimizing processes and workflows that support the data platforms.  

• Work with platform engineering and product teams to conduct regular post-mortems and root cause analyses on incidents, translating findings into actionable improvements across systems and processes.  

• Champion the integration of automated monitoring, testing, and alerting systems that enhance the overall responsiveness and reliability of our data services.

Operational Support Management

• Oversee day-to-day operations of the support teams to ensure timely resolution of issues, effective service monitoring, and proactive system health management.  

• Facilitate communication and collaboration between operational support and engineering teams to ensure that operational challenges are addressed during the design and deployment phases of data projects throughout handover and transitions.

Performance Metrics and Reporting

• Develop and track key performance indicators (KPIs) related to service reliability, incident response times, and operational effectiveness.  

• Prepare reports and presentations for senior management to communicate progress, challenges, and opportunities for improvement while providing insights into operational performance and service levels.

Line Management

• Recruit, hire, train, mentor, and supervise internal and external operations staff. 

• Assign tasks, delegate responsibilities, and monitor the overall workflow of the team. 

• Provide regular performance feedback and conduct performance evaluations of team members. 

• Develop staff career paths, identify and plan professional development opportunities for the team. 

• Ensure that data operations staff understand their roles and responsibilities, and that they adhere to data governance policies and procedures. 

Experience/Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field (master’s preferred).  

• Proven experience in managing operational support teams within data or technology divisions.  

• Strong background in Service Reliability Engineering principles, practices, and methodologies.  

• Experience collaborating with platform engineering or software development teams, specifically in the context of data platforms.  

• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to drive root cause analysis and manage complex incidents.  

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with a focus on teamwork and collaboration.  

• Proficiency in relevant tools and technologies, including monitoring and alerting systems, incident management platforms, and data analytics.

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity – there is no one Howden type. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new

• We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges

• We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond

Reasonable adjustments

We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs.  Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*.

If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.

Permanent