Operations Manager

We're looking for an experienced Operations Manager to join our Retail Services Function and lead high performing sales teams across Mediated Sales. This is an exciting opportunity to lead up to 14 Team Managers, driving sales performance, exceptional customer outcomes, operational excellence, and colleague performance through inspirational leadership and coaching.

You'll play a key role in achieving sales targets, optimising resources, and ensuring compliance with regulatory and operational standards, while embedding Nationwide's Customer First Behaviours and creating more rewarding relationships for both colleagues and customers. Working within our hybrid model, you'll collaborate with stakeholders across the business to identify customer needs, improve sales conversion and drive sustainable sales growth across Retail Services.

This is a 12 month secondment opportunity. 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 nearest regional office or hub. There will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration and in some locations you’ll be expected to spend at least two days a week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, in the office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works.

Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of our employees impacted by change, as such applications for redeployment candidates will be prioritised in this recruitment process. If you’re a colleague on long-term absence (for example, on parental leave) or a temporary worker, please use your personal email address to submit an application.

What you’ll be doing You will lead a continuous improvement agenda, driving enhancements in sales performance, conversion, productivity, quality, efficiency, and cost across the operation. Through inspirational leadership and coaching, you will foster a high-performance, customer-focused sales culture that delivers operational excellence and consistently achieves sales and performance targets while maintaining good customer outcomes.

You will translate sales objectives into clear team targets, review performance against plan and coach Team Managers to address gaps and improve results. Building strong relationships across a complex, cross-functional organisation and with third-party suppliers, you will collaborate effectively to deliver sales objectives and improve customer outcomes.

As a confident and credible influencer, you will engage with senior stakeholders, using your strong analytical, forecasting, and communication skills to provide sales performance insight, forecast demand and capacity, identify growth opportunities, support decision-making, and shape the future direction of the sales operation.

About you

As a minimum requirement, you must have the following skills and experience: Experience managing a sales team, with the skills to set sales objectives, allocate resources and manage delivery against agreed performance targets Sales coaching and performance management skills, including developing Team Managers and teams, diagnosing performance gaps and implementing improvement plans Influencing, negotiation and stakeholder management skills to secure support for sales plans and deliver cross-functional objectives Communication and presentation skills, including presenting sales results, risks and recommendations to senior leaders Operational risk management and regulatory compliance skills, including applying controls to sales activity and monitoring customer outcomes Sales forecasting, capacity planning and resource management skills to align team capacity with customer demand and sales targets Problem-solving and continuous improvement skills to identify and implement changes that improve sales conversion, productivity and quality Data analysis and interpretation skills to track sales performance against targets, identify trends and turn insight into clear actions 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: 25 days holiday, pro rata 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. Keeping your data and personal information confidential is important to us. To find out more about how we use and process your data, please read our Privacy policy . If you want to find out more about using AI in our recruitment process, please read more here . Disability Confident We’re not just guided by data, we’re driven by the real experiences of our people. We’re a Disability Confident Level 3 Leader, the highest level. That’s why we’re constantly evolving our policies and practices to make sure everyone feels genuinely supported, valued, and empowered to champion inclusion. Whatever your needs, we’re here to support you. If you need any additional support throughout your application journey, email our team at Recruitment Support . Apply safely with Nationwide Recruitment scams can look convincing, so take a moment to check the role is listed on our official careers site and read our guidance on Don’t be conned by a job scam. The hiring manager for this role is Simon Evans, and the main recruitment contact is Jemma Ives.