Operational Team Leader - Southern Cross Pet Insurance

About us

Southern Cross Health Insurance is shaping a healthier Aotearoa New Zealand. Our purpose is simple: empowering our members to live well for longer. We're here to give peace of mind through timely access to quality care, inspire healthier living, and lead positive change across the health system. As a New Zealand-owned, member-based organisation, we're building a future where wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do -- delivering exceptional value for our members and creating an environment where our people thrive.

Now is an exciting time to join us. You'll be part of a high-performing, values-driven team where people are at the heart of everything we do -- and in return for your talent, you'll have the opportunity to grow, make an impact, and be proud of the difference your work makes.

About the role

At Southern Cross Pet Insurance, we believe our people make all the difference. Whenever possible, we look to grow talent from within and create opportunities for our people to take the next step in their career. 

If you're looking for a leadership opportunity where you can develop people, influence meaningful change and help shape the way we work, we'd love to hear from you. 

This is an exciting opportunity to lead our Operational Enablers team and play a key role in strengthening capability, quality, change adoption and business improvement across SCPI. You'll work closely with leaders across the business to help create better outcomes for our people, our customers and our operations. 

About the role 

As the Operational Enablement Team Leader, you'll lead a team of specialists while partnering across the organisation to improve customer and operational outcomes. 

This is a fixed-term, parental leave cover opportunity through till January 2028. The role is based in Hamilton, Waikato.

This role combines people leadership with operational excellence, quality assurance, change leadership and continuous improvement. You'll help ensure our teams have the capability, insights and support they need to succeed while fostering a culture of accountability, learning and innovation. 

In this role, you'll: 

• 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. 

About you 

You're an empowering leader who enjoys helping people grow, solving complex problems and improving the way work gets done. You build strong relationships, bring others on the journey and are motivated by creating positive outcomes for customers, colleagues and the business. 

You'll bring: 

• 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. 

• Confidence using data and insights to identify opportunities, support decision making and measure improvement. 

• Experience with process improvement, operational risk management, controls and change adoption practices. 

• 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. 

Ngākau nui. Āhurutanga. Tikanga. 

Join a proud and diverse team that's always there, always real, always true. 

At Southern Cross, we foster a caring, inclusive and honest culture where people feel valued, supported and empowered to do their best work. We believe diverse perspectives make us stronger, and we encourage our people to bring their whole selves to work each day. 

We know it is our people, culture and wellbeing that drive our success. That's why we invest in opportunities for professional growth while creating an environment where people can thrive personally too. 

Ready to make an impact? 

If you're a leader who enjoys developing people, driving continuous improvement and creating better outcomes for customers, this is your opportunity to make a real difference. 

Join a team that is passionate about learning, improvement and enabling success across the business. Bring your leadership, curiosity and commitment to excellence, and help shape the future of Operational Enablement at Southern Cross Pet Insurance. 

Our people make all the difference in our success. If this sounds like the next step in your career, we'd love to hear from you.

We are proud to have taken the Pride Pledge, reflecting our commitment to inclusion and belonging. We also facilitate an active, employee‑led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Forum, which includes our Rainbow Network, Māori Network, Pasifika Collective, and Neurodiversity and Whānau Support networks.

If you share our commitment and passion, we'd love to hear from you.