Operations Manager - Small Business

We have an exciting opportunity within Business Direct for an Operations Manager - Small Business Relationships to come and join our busy team.  

As an Operations Manager you will lead and support a team of Relationship Managers to deliver heartfelt customer service, ensuring an exceptional experience for customers while balancing the strategic priorities of the team. As a key business stakeholder, you will develop and monitor performance measures to assess outcomes, drive success, and ensure the team continues to meet both customer and business objectives.

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 spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, based at either our Glasgow or Northampton office. If you’re based at our Glasgow office, this will apply from 1 April 2027 and ahead of that there will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration events. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here. 

Virgin Money is now part of Nationwide

Nationwide acquired Virgin Money in October 2024. Virgin Money continues to serve customers on the high street, and there will be a phased and considered integration over the coming years.

You’ll be employed by Nationwide from day one, delivering real impact and benefitting from a highly competitive range of benefits. We’re a workplace where you’re rewarded, recognised and celebrated.

If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.

What you’ll be doing

As a Virgin Money People Leader, you will play a pivotal role in driving a positive and inclusive culture, embedding the organisation's Purpose principles across the team. You will ensure colleagues consistently demonstrate the values, behaviours, and actions that support customers in becoming happier about money, while fostering engagement, development, and high performance. As a member of the Small Business Leadership Team, you will work collaboratively with colleagues to drive performance, deliver strategic objectives, and contribute to the wider success of the function. 

You will take responsibility for ensuring that all regulated activity is conducted in accordance with relevant policies, procedures, and standard operating processes. Maintaining high standards of governance and compliance, you will ensure risks are effectively managed and all activities are carried out within the appropriate regulatory framework.

You will lead and champion a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging innovation and identifying opportunities to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness. Through ongoing evaluation of processes and performance, you will help drive improvements that support both customer satisfaction and business success.

A key aspect of the role will be supporting the training, coaching, and development of Relationship Managers within Business Direct. By raising capability, strengthening skills, and fostering professional growth, you will help build a high-performing team equipped to meet evolving customer and business needs.

The team is dedicated to supporting customers within the agriculture sector, building strong relationships and delivering specialist support to this important customer group. While an understanding of the sector would be beneficial, previous experience in agriculture is not essential, making this an excellent opportunity for candidates from a range of backgrounds.

About you

• Proven leadership skills, this role is all about people so we need you to have a passion for going above and beyond to coach and mentor your team to achieve excellence 
• Knowledge and understanding of Business lending policies and procedures 
• Ability to manage and prioritise both your own and Team workload 
• Experience of working in a fast paced, time critical environment.  
• Compelling influencing and communication skills 
• Knowledge of risk and regulatory guidelines 
• Proven ability to drive change in a positive and collaborative manner 

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

• 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.

Please note that should you be successful in securing this role, the job title on our internal systems will be Operations Manager Small Business Relationship.