Operational Excellence Lead

• Are you curious, excited by experimentation and always looking for a better way of doing things?
• Do you want to keep learning and developing whilst getting hands-on experience working in the embedded payments space?
• Do you want to have the opportunity to high-growth environment with a fast-paced and collaborative culture where you will work with some fantastic clients and partners?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

This is a great opportunity to support Modulr, the fastest growing payments business in the UK and Europe, in our ambition to scale effectively while maintaining robust, compliant, and efficient financial crime operations. We are seeking a candidate based in India to align with our “Office First” strategy, while collaborating with a geographically distributed team that supports both our UK and European entities.

About us

At Modulr, our vision is a world where all businesses are powered by embedded payments. Modulr enables businesses, from SMEs to Enterprise, initially across the UK and Europe to efficiently pay-in, collect and disburse funds instantly via a range of payment schemes, accounts, and card products.  

We have created an industry-leading API platform with comprehensive online tools and access, to meet the demands of daily business payments. We have two routes to market. Our Core Business Payments product allows customers in any sector to connect to us and our expanding network of accounting and payroll platforms, including Sage, Xero, BrightPay and IRIS to automate payments. Our Vertical Solutions targets a growing range of industry verticals which directly connect their IT platforms to our APIs and webhooks. We solve complex payment problems for hundreds of clients in a range of industries, including Travel, Lending, Wage Advance, and Investment & Wealth.  

We are deeply integrated into the payment eco-system. In the UK, we are direct participants of Faster Payments and Bacs. Modulr hold settlement accounts at the Bank of England. Our payment network connectivity includes CHAPS, Open Banking, SEPA, SWIFT and account issuance in multiple currencies. We are principal issuing members of Visa and Mastercard schemes across UK and Europe.  

Our regulatory permissions and governance structure are the foundations of our business. We are regulated and supervised as an Authorised Electronic Money Institution (AEMI) in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority and in the Netherlands by De Nederlandsche Bank.  

Modulr now has over 450 employees spread globally across offices in London, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, and Mumbai. 

Modulr values

• Building the extraordinary; going that extra mile.
• Owning the opportunity; be passionate and proud of the time you invest.
• Move at pace; reach goals faster whilst supported on your career journey.
• Achieve it together, working collaboratively and being a Modulite.

The role

The Operational Excellence Lead sits within the COO function and is responsible for leading quality, change, optimisation and transformation across Operations. This role drives a culture of continual improvement and operational excellence through the design, ownership and delivery of structured frameworks, governance and improvement activity. The role holder will ensure that Operations are high‑performing, highly effective and highly efficient, while operating in line with Modulr’s risk appetite and regulatory obligations.

The Operational Excellence Lead has responsibility for the following functional pillars:

• Training & Competency
• Quality Assurance
• Change & Transformation
• Continuous Improvement through AI/Automation initiatives
• Local Strategy and Deployment

The Operational Excellence Lead will report to the Head of Operational Excellence and will be responsible for leading a team and working cross‑functionally to drive sustainable improvements, support strategic initiatives, and ensure Operations are fully prepared to adopt change and transition it smoothly into BAU.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning & Deployment

• Develop, own and execute the Operational Excellence strategy and deployment plan in alignment with Modulr’s strategic goals.
• Translate business strategy into measurable operational improvement initiatives and local excellence plans.

Continuous Improvement Leadership

• Drive a culture of continuous improvement across Operations.
• Lead initiatives to reduce waste, improve lead times, increase quality and enhance efficiency using recognised methodologies where appropriate.
• Proactively evolve policies, procedures and operational ways of working to support business growth and expansion.

Analytics & Insight

• Use data and analytics to identify opportunities for improvement in service quality, efficiency, capacity and risk.
• Work closely with Product and Technology teams to shape and deliver data‑led improvement initiatives, automation and tooling enhancements.

KPI & Performance Management

• Develop, maintain and monitor key performance indicators to drive operational performance.
• Produce clear, insightful reporting for the HOE and senior stakeholders, highlighting trends, risks and opportunities.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Partner with teams across the COO function and wider business to identify pain points, streamline processes and improve outcomes.
• Act as a key operational voice in cross‑functional initiatives and programmes.

Process Standardisation & Documentation

• Create and maintain clear, effective Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure consistency, scalability and control across Operations.

Driving Quality, Training & Competency

• Own and deliver the Training, Quality and Competency Framework, covering onboarding, competency achievement and maintenance, and quality assurance.
• Ensure quality outcomes are measured, reported and continuously improved.

Change Governance & Delivery

• Govern and manage change and transformation initiatives to ensure on‑time, on‑budget delivery with appropriate risk and control oversight.
• Ensure Operations are engaged early in design and are operationally ready to accept delivery.

Customer Focus

• Champion a strong customer‑centric mindset, ensuring operational processes and touchpoints are efficient, seamless and deliver high‑quality outcomes for clients, regulators and internal stakeholders.

About you: 

• You have experience working in a operations leadership role within financial services, with a strong focus on quality, continuous improvement and risk management.
• You have a proven track record of designing, implementing and optimising operational processes to drive efficiency, performance and quality at scale.
• You are passionate about automation and modern technologies, including AI and data analytics, and actively seek opportunities to improve outcomes through innovation.
• You recognise the importance of strong governance, attention to detail and disciplined planning in a regulated environment.
• You are an experienced leader who delivers through others, with excellent communication and influencing skills and confidence operating at senior levels.
• You are comfortable working with Product and Technology teams to drive systems improvements, automation and operational readiness.
• You have experience managing complex stakeholder groups and presenting clear, data‑driven insights to senior management.
• You are customer‑focused, pragmatic and hands‑on, willing to roll up your sleeves to achieve outcomes while building scalable, sustainable solutions

Skills and experience

• 5–10+ years’ experience in operations, operational excellence, continuous improvement or transformation roles within financial services.
• Strong leadership, analytical thinking, change management and project management capabilities.
• Experience leading multi‑disciplinary operational frameworks, including Quality Assurance, Training & Competency, Workforce Planning and Change.
• Proven ability to deliver measurable benefits from continuous improvement and transformation initiatives.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience reporting to senior leadership.

What can Modulr offer you

You will be part of a cross disciplinary team(s), with co-workers located in Edinburgh, London, Amsterdam, and India. We are friendly and sociable, challenging but rewarding. We want you to push yourself and for us to support you in your future as we scale up and grow.

• Share Options Incentive Scheme.
• Company Bonus - the more successful we are together, the greater the reward.
• Flexible benefits - £1000 to spend on a variety of benefits for you to choose from which suit your lifestyle and needs. Including Private medical insurance, gym membership, health checks etc.
• Perkbox - enjoy freebies and discounts on many other products and services.
• 33 days holiday (including bank holidays) & your birthday off - choose which days you take off to relax and/or spend time with loved ones.
• Learning Opportunities – on joining Modulr you will embark on our 2-day onboarding programme, called ModStart, to be equipped with the Modulr know-how and arm you with the tools you need to be successful from day 1! But we do not want your learning to stop there so we will continue to provide you with the tools and capabilities through our learning channels and platforms.
• Modulr hands-on - join your colleagues for our company wide events throughout the year.
• Great workspace - Modulr thrives on innovation which is best done through in-person collaboration. This approach enables us to work together closely, exchange ideas, and create innovative solutions that drive our success. We ask our team members to be based in the office 4 or more days a week. We have state of the art offices located in Exchange Cresent Edinburgh, ScaleSpace in London, and WeWork in Amsterdam.
• Bike to work / E-bike scheme.

ModInclusion

At Modulr, we are working hard to build a more positive diverse and inclusive culture that helps everyone to feel they belong and can truly bring their whole self to work. Not only is it the right thing to do for everyone in the Modulr team, it’s also the right thing to do for our business, the community we operate in and attracting future talent. As part of our approach, we actively welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds.