Operations Director

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

Introduction to the role

The role purpose is to represent the LMA membership by providing leadership, technical support and expertise to the Lloyd's and London market to manage market operations activities, central services provision to LMA members, projects and initiatives to support the development of efficient and cost-effective business processes. The Operations Director at the LMA is one of the most influential operational roles across the Lloyd's marketplace. The role has strong relationships with managing agent Chief Operating Officers (COOs), Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Heads of Change and Lloyd's operations function led by Lloyd's COO. Over the coming years, the role will play a critical part in shaping and implementing Phase 2 of Blueprint Two across the market. The role also involves external engagement with key central services suppliers to the Lloyd's and London market such as Velonetic, LIMOSS and PPL. The role responsibilities will include operating as 'LMA Customer Representative' for the performance and evolution of central processing services supplied by Velonetic to Lloyd's managing agents and their brokers. This position, right at the heart of the Lloyd's marketplace, offers a unique and unparalleled opportunity to influence change in our marketplace.

Introduction to the Lloyd's Market Association

The LMA exists at the very heart of Lloyd's, a world-leading global marketplace for complex risk where solutions to challenges are delivered every day. All 56 Lloyd's managing agencies, with a total market stamp capacity of approximately £52bn in 2024, and all Lloyd's members' agents are members of the LMA. We represent our members' interests to organisations including governments, regulators, and the market's central supporting body, Lloyd's. We provide professional and technical expertise in areas ranging from model policy wordings to the implementation of innovative technologies. We connect with our members to identify and resolve issues facing the market and work in partnership with Lloyd's and the other market associations to influence initiatives and outcomes. We operate the market's most comprehensive technical education service, the LMA Academy. We exist to make the market a better place both for our members and for the market as a whole.

Job Purpose

The Operations Director supports the Lloyd's operations, delegated authority and technology communities in making the market a better place. We do this in three ways: through our technical expertise, our technical education through our Academy and by bringing together committees and panels across the LMA membership in order to establish and understand their priorities and to lobby Lloyd's, service providers and/or other trade associations on those priorities.

The role reports to the CEO, Sheila Cameron and sits on the LMA's Leadership Team.

The Operations Director leads the LMA's Operations team, currently made up of 7 employees.

A close working relationship with Lloyd's is a critical part of this role, as influencing Lloyd's and central services providers' position on various operations, technology and change topics is what our members expect of us. Collaboration on design, testing and delivery of Blueprint Two - phases 1 and 2 - and subsequent drive for market adoption of phase 2 capabilities, will be a particular focus in 2024 and 2025. To this end, a deep appreciation of how the technology infrastructure within a managing agent will be impacted by phase 2 of Blueprint 2 is very important. At times, this will require the LMA Operations Director to firmly represent managing agent views into Lloyd's and service providers, whilst at other times, it will be important to stand shoulder to shoulder with Lloyd's and those service providers in influencing the managing agent position. The role and related activities undertaken by the Market Operations team often require collaboration with other London market trade associations, so an appreciation of the priorities and motivations of these organisations and their membership will be beneficial.

Success for the role holder will come from being trusted and respected by the COOs and CIOs across managing agents, recognised as the go-to person for this community, from whom they seek advice and support on market matters. A constructive relationship with the Corporation of Lloyd's and the broader operations and service provider communities is crucial, where together we work in the best interests of the market as a whole.

Ensuring the LMA's Market Operations team performs to a high standard and executes in accordance with LMA and team objectives, aligned to the priorities of the LMA membership, as defined through the committees and groups the team supports, will be an important outcome.

Key Accountabilities

Team Leadership

• Effective leadership of the LMA Market Operations team -coaching, developing and motivating direct reports. This will include responsibility for fostering successful collaboration within the team and between LMA teams, ensuring that the team understands the strategic objectives of the LMA and that resources are effectively managed and mobilised to achieve agreed objectives.
• Provide day-to-day support to the team, which will include setting clear objectives that will help team members meet their goals, as well as managing any issues professionally, effectively and in accordance with LMA policies and procedures with support, as needed, from HR.

Operations and Change credibility

• Oversee the management of the LMA Operations Committee. This will include taking the lead in identifying issues, setting and driving the agenda, providing guidance, identifying and promoting solutions and ensuring the effective execution of actions.
• Represent and lead the LMA and its members on matters arising from the London market's modernisation agenda, particularly Phase 2 of Blueprint 2. This will include involvement in various working groups, committees and steering groups to ensure that LMA members exercise influence over the changing process and technology environment with considerations including, but not limited to, service definition and performance management, risk, change and commercial.
• Support, oversee and hold LIMOSS, PPL and Velonetic service providers to account whilst they discharge their respective duties including first and third-party service provision, oversight of "run", change projects and strategic sourcing, as applicable to each organisation.
• Promote the reputation of the LMA's operations and delegated authority activities by identifying and promoting educational events, identifying PR potential (e.g., providing input into newsletters, press releases, board reports and the LMA website) and by presenting to colleagues and externally.
• Maintain current knowledge of initiatives and developments within the LMA, Lloyd's, London and international markets insofar as they may be applicable or influence what happens in the Lloyd's Market. Portfolio oversight of all market wide change activity, working in collaboration with LIMOSS, Lloyd's and key service providers to the market.
• Identify opportunities to initiate market or internal LMA projects to the advantage of the LMA membership. At the same time, keep abreast of projects and initiatives in the LMA and wider market. Seek opportunities to support and promote projects internally and externally.
• Oversee the LMA's digital, technology, and cyber-security delivery and strategy across the LMA. Accountable for provision of technology services and support to LMA employees and maintenance of the LMA internal IT, through dedicated in-house resource and partnership with a third-party IT services provider. Take leadership responsibility for any technology reviews, upgrades, policies or provision that affect our workforce.

Stakeholder management

• Establish and maintain good working relationships with Lloyd's, in particular the COO and LMA members' COOs, other trade associations, central service providers, advisors/consultants as well as other relevant bodies, with the intention of establishing the LMA as a recognised expert, trusted advisor and partner on operations and change and associated market modernisation matters.
• Build credible and trusted working relationships with the LMA membership COO/senior operations and technology leadership community through regular interaction in order to understand market issues and provide information back to this community.
• Listen effectively to opinions of operations and technology leaders across the LMA membership; question, challenge and distil, occasionally diverse, opinion into a coherent, confident view which represents the best interests of the LMA membership as a whole.
• Respond to LMA members and other relevant enquiries or requests for assistance in a timely and appropriate manner. Communicate with them confidently and give prudent guidance on initiatives and developments, which will, in turn, help to ensure that the LMA's profile and credibility are reinforced.
• As a member of the LMA Leadership Team, work collaboratively toward the future sustainability of the LMA, ensuring a culture of teamwork and shared communication both internally and externally.

Ambassadorial

• Take the initiative in networking with the LMA membership to raise the LMA profile with peers, senior market practitioners and external stakeholders.
• Represent the LMA at market meetings and external groups in such a way as to promote the policies and reputation of the LMA and the interests of its members.
• Identify opportunities to initiate, support and promote market or internal LMA projects to the advantage of the LMA membership.
• Be a spokesperson for the LMA by dealing directly with the insurance trade press when required, ensuring the factually accurate information is shared, particularly on complex market operations topics.

Person Specification

• Proven track record and reputation in operations, technology and change management. Demonstrated credibility will most likely have been gained whilst in a senior operations, technology, change, claims, MGA or broking position.
• Demonstrable sound technical knowledge and understanding of the London insurance market, including front, middle and back office operations, central services, delivery or receipt of market-wide change initiatives, emerging market solutions and operational practices in order to be able to deliver astute support and advice to LMA members.
• Demonstrable sound technical knowledge and understanding of the London insurance market from the perspective of how data flows between various trading parties, including a deep understanding of the interaction of systems and data within a managing agent (e.g. PAS, GL, exposure management, claims, pricing etc) and how these systems and data can be leveraged by Phase 2 of Blueprint 2.
• Highly refined interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.
• Deeply passionate about the Lloyd's and London marketplace and dedicated to serving our members' interests.
• A successful track record in fulfilling leadership positions. Resilient and adaptable, able to realign positively to changing demands, objectives and priorities.
• Excellent communicator who adopts a collaborative style whilst at the same time will have the ability to speak deftly to Lloyd's &/or service providers on behalf of the LMA members and elicit a productive response at all levels.
• A strategic mindset that is underpinned by a desire to 'get things done', commercial acumen, natural initiative, creative thinking, confidence to make decisions/recommendations and/or challenge and a curious, questioning mind.

LMA Values

The LMA firmly believes that robust values at the heart of the organisation bolster its performance and enable the successful execution of strategy. We have five primary values that we strive to embody across the business in everyday practice. These are:

Trusted
Our expertise and independence enables us to influence, support and positively impact the market

Passionate
We are committed to help the market succeed and achieve great outcomes for our members

United
As a representative voice of our members, we connect and work as a team with our communities to achieve the best outcome for our members

Bold
We strive to be courageous in what we do, allowing us to lead, challenge and think innovatively

Inclusive
We enrich the marketplace by developing people and seeking ideas from a wide variety of backgrounds, culture and skills. We embrace a diverse and flexible workplace and take action against non-inclusive behaviour

By encouraging these values internally, the LMA hopes that they will permeate beyond the business and into the marketplace, helping create a more dynamic, modern, and productive working environment.

Employee Benefits

The LMA offers a comprehensive package of employee benefits. These include but are not limited to:

• A competitive pension package with a generous employer contribution.
• An industry-leading flexible working policy built on trust. We enable our employees to choose how and where they work, at the LMA's office in London EC3, or elsewhere in the UK, providing that it suits the interests of our members, the LMA team and themselves. We welcome an open discussion on flexible working and your overall working environment so we can explore solutions that suits both the business and the individual.
• Comprehensive holiday allowance which includes additional leave for key life events such as moving home, your child's first day at school and your marriage or civil partnership.