Head of Command Centre Operations
As a key member of the Service Operations Leadership Team, you will drive operational performance, shape the future Command Centre operating model and lead teams through integration and organisational change. You will use data, automation and continual improvement to strengthen operational control, resilience and customer outcomes.
Significant previous experience leading a comparable Service Operations or Command Centre function is essential. Candidates must have a proven record of leading critical live operations, managing serious service disruption and operating credibly with senior and executive stakeholders.
The role formally deputises for the Service Operations Director and requires consistent, visible leadership at the centre of the operation. This is a full-time onsite role based in the Enterprise Command Centre in Swindon and is not a hybrid position.
In Service Operations, we protect the technology services on which our members, customers, colleagues and the effective running of our core business depend. We provide continuous operational oversight, detecting and responding to service disruption and ensuring that critical incidents are managed with pace, control and clear accountability.
The Command Centre sits at the heart of this capability. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week across Nationwide and Virgin Money, it brings together Event Management, Incident Management and Major Incident Management to protect service availability, minimise disruption and support the resilience of the organisation.
The Head of Command Centre Operations leads this critical Group function, ensuring it delivers strong operational performance today while continuing to evolve through integration, automation and changes in our business and technology landscape.
As mentioned earlier, this role is based full-time at our Swindon 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 the day-to-day performance of our 24-hour Command Centre operation, setting clear operational standards and ensuring effective monitoring, incident response, operational control and escalation across Nationwide and Virgin Money.
You will have overall accountability for the Event Management, Incident Management and Major Incident Management functions, including ownership of the Major Incident Management process and leadership of all Major Incident Management roles within the Group function.
During serious and critical incidents, you will provide senior operational leadership, coordinate business and executive stakeholder engagement, support critical decision-making and ensure that technology, business and third-party teams remain aligned through to service restoration.
You will use operational data, service trends and learning from incidents to improve performance and strengthen resilience. You will also shape the future Command Centre operating model, lead integration and organisational change, and increase the effective use of automation and data across the function.
About you
We’re looking for someone who:
- Must have significant previous experience leading a large-scale Service Operations, Command Centre or comparable live technology operations function
- Has a proven track record of leading critical 24-hour operations and maintaining operational control in a complex, high-pressure environment
- Has demonstrable experience providing senior leadership during serious service disruption, including executive escalation, business incident coordination and senior stakeholder management
- Has experience owning and improving Incident Management, Major Incident Management or Event Management processes and leading the teams responsible for their delivery
- Has successfully led large operational teams through organisational change, transformation or integration while maintaining effective live service
- Uses operational performance data, service insight and incident trends to improve service outcomes, control and resilience
- Can meet the requirement to work onsite full time from the Enterprise Command Centre in Swindon and deputise for the Service Operations Director when required
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:
30 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.
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The hiring manager for this role is Kate Bristow, and the main recruitment contact is Sameena Rehman.
Please note that should you be successful in securing this role, the job title on our internal systems will be HO Command Centre Ops.