Senior Performance Improvement Manager

Bletchley, Buckinghamshire
MAINSTAY RECRUITMENT SOLUTIONS LTD
Senior Performance Improvement Manager
Location: Home based with frequent travel across the Midlands, Southern England, South Coast sites and regular meetings at Birmingham office locations
Salary: 60,000 – 70,000 plus bonus, 5,200 car allowance and benefits

Role Overview

An established organisation supporting Service Family accommodation across the UK is seeking a Senior Performance Improvement Manager to help drive service improvement, operational efficiency and innovation across a large and complex contract portfolio. This is a high-impact role focused on identifying smarter ways of working, improving customer outcomes and helping operational teams deliver a better overall service. Working closely with the Continuous Improvement Lead and teams across housing, facilities management and home insurance, you will play a key role in shaping new ways of working and identifying opportunities for change. The role requires someone who is naturally curious, analytical and comfortable challenging existing processes in order to drive better outcomes. This is not a people management role, but it does require someone who can work independently, build strong relationships and bring energy, enthusiasm and fresh thinking into the business. You will use data, operational insight and research to identify opportunities for improvement, recommend new technologies and support the development of more effective ways of working. The successful candidate will be someone who enjoys problem solving, is highly comfortable with numbers and reporting, and has the confidence to work closely with stakeholders across all levels of the business. Attitude is key here. The business is looking for someone dynamic, forward-thinking and keen to learn, with the ability to spot opportunities that others may miss.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify, develop and deliver performance improvement initiatives across housing, FM, home insurance and operational service delivery functions
• Analyse KPI performance, operational data, customer feedback and service trends to identify areas for improvement
• Investigate root causes of underperformance and identify sustainable, long-term solutions
• Use data and numerical analysis to prioritise opportunities based on operational impact, customer benefit and commercial value
• Research, identify and recommend new technologies, systems, reporting tools and innovative approaches to improve service delivery
• Support the introduction of new processes, systems and ways of working that improve efficiency and customer outcomes
• Work closely with the Continuous Improvement Lead and operational teams to shape and deliver improvement plans
• Develop business cases for change, clearly outlining the rationale, expected benefits and return on investment
• Facilitate workshops, improvement sessions and problem-solving meetings with operational stakeholders
• Challenge existing ways of working constructively and encourage teams to think differently about service delivery and performance
• Improve data visibility, reporting capability and performance tracking across the business
• Produce clear and detailed reports, presentations and dashboards for senior stakeholders
• Use Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft 365 tools to analyse performance data and present findings
• Support the development and refinement of KPIs, service measures and reporting frameworks
• Monitor the success of improvement initiatives, ensuring that changes are embedded and benefits are sustained over time
• Build strong relationships across operational teams, support functions and senior leadership groups
• Represent the function at meetings, providing clear updates, recommendations and insight-led reporting
• Maintain a positive and professional image with key external stakeholders and client representatives

Essential Requirements

• Proven experience within a performance improvement, business improvement, continuous improvement or operational excellence role
• Strong analytical capability with the ability to interpret large volumes of data and identify trends, risks and opportunities
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and strong understanding of Microsoft 365 tools
• Experience using data, reporting and numerical analysis to support business decisions and prioritise improvement activity
• Comfortable researching and identifying new technologies, systems and innovative ways of working
• Ability to develop business cases, reports and presentations for senior stakeholders
• Experience facilitating workshops, problem-solving sessions and improvement meetings
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence, challenge and engage stakeholders at all levels
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously
• Self-motivated, proactive and able to work independently without the need for direct supervision
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to balance customer, operational and financial priorities
• Degree educated or able to demonstrate a similar level of academic capability
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel frequently across Southern England and to Birmingham office locations
• Ability to obtain and maintain SC Clearance

Desirable Background

• Experience within housing, facilities management, property services, insurance or customer-focused operational environments
• Experience using Power BI or similar reporting and visualisation tools
• Knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma or process mapping
• Experience working within complex, multi-site or contract-led environments
• Previous exposure to public sector, defence or accommodation-related contracts

Benefits

• Bonus
• 5,200 car allowance
• 25 days annual leave
• 6% matched pension contribution
• Private medical cover for self and partner
• Life assurance at 2x annual salary
• One professional subscription paid per year