Business Improvement Specialist - Southern Cross Pet Insurance

About us

Southern Cross Health Insurance is shaping a healthier Aotearoa New Zealand. Our purpose is simple: empowering our members to live well for longer. We're here to give peace of mind through timely access to quality care, inspire healthier living, and lead positive change across the health system. As a New Zealand-owned, member-based organisation, we're building a future where wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do -- delivering exceptional value for our members and creating an environment where our people thrive.

Now is an exciting time to join us. You'll be part of a high-performing, values-driven team where people are at the heart of everything we do -- and in return for your talent, you'll have the opportunity to grow, make an impact, and be proud of the difference your work makes.

About the role

Protect the pet life. Improve the way we do it.

At Southern Cross Pet Insurance, we're passionate about helping Kiwi pet parents protect the lives of their beloved cats and dogs.

Every day, we support customers through the unexpected, from playful pups with boundless energy to curious cats with a talent for finding trouble. Our purpose is simple: Protect the Pet Life.

We're looking for a Business Improvement Specialist to join our team on a fixed-term basis until 1 August 2027, helping us continuously improve how we work, deliver better customer outcomes and support sustainable business growth.

If you're naturally curious, enjoy solving complex problems and are passionate about making things better, this could be the opportunity for you.

About the role

As a Business Improvement Specialist, you'll play a key role in identifying opportunities to improve processes, systems and ways of working across Southern Cross Pet Insurance.

This is a fixed-term parental leave cover role until 1 August 2027.

You'll partner with stakeholders across the business to simplify complexity, solve problems, manage change and deliver meaningful improvements that enhance customer outcomes, business performance and operational effectiveness.

This is a role for someone who enjoys bringing people together, thinking critically and turning ideas into practical solutions.

No two days are exactly the same. One day you might be facilitating a process improvement workshop, investigating the root cause of a business issue or managing a system incident. The next, you could be supporting change adoption, documenting business processes or partnering with leaders to prioritise improvement opportunities.

What you'll be doing

·      Identify, prioritise and deliver process and system improvements that enhance customer and business outcomes.

·      Document, maintain and improve business processes and operating procedures.

·      Facilitate continuous improvement initiatives and support successful change adoption.

·      Manage improvement backlogs, priorities, risks and dependencies.

·      Lead and support business improvement initiatives in partnership with stakeholders and delivery teams.

·      Contribute to risk management activities, including audits, incidents, issues and controls.

·      Support planning and continuous improvement activities across the business.

·      Act as a trusted source of knowledge, guidance and support for stakeholders.

·      Analyse problems, identify root causes and develop practical solutions.

·      Apply sound judgement to balance customer outcomes, operational priorities and business risk.

·      Identify, communicate and manage risks, issues, dependencies and opportunities.

·      Engage and influence stakeholders to support successful outcomes and change adoption.

·      Manage business system incidents and issues, coordinating communication, resolution and impact mitigation.

·      Provide support and guidance to system users and stakeholders.

·      Coordinate testing and validation activities for system and process changes.

·      Help ensure compliance, regulatory and customer outcome requirements are consistently met.

About you

You're someone who enjoys improving how things work and helping others succeed. You thrive on solving problems, building relationships and finding opportunities to make a positive impact. You're comfortable working with ambiguity, balancing competing priorities and taking ownership through to delivery. You communicate clearly, think strategically and aren't afraid to challenge the status quo when there is a better way forward.

You'll ideally bring

·      Experience in business improvement, business analysis, process improvement, continuous improvement, project delivery or operational excellence.

·      Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to analyse root causes and implement practical solutions.

·      Excellent stakeholder engagement, influencing and relationship-building skills.

·      Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex information.

·      Confidence making decisions and taking ownership of outcomes.

·      Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.

·      A high level of professionalism, accountability and attention to detail.

·      A growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning and improvement.

·      Experience supporting business change and embedding new ways of working.

·      Exposure to process mapping, change management, project delivery, risk management or continuous improvement methodologies (preferred).

·      Experience within insurance, financial services or another regulated environment (preferred).

Why Southern Cross Pet Insurance?

Because culture matters.

At Southern Cross, our values aren't something we talk about once a year. They're part of who we are and how we work together every day.

Ngākau nui – always there
Āhurutanga – always real
Tikanga – always true

We're proud of our supportive, inclusive and genuinely caring culture. We celebrate success, help each other through challenges and believe great customer outcomes start with great employee experiences.

You'll join a team that values curiosity, continuous improvement and collaboration. We encourage people to challenge thinking, share ideas and help shape how we work in the future.

After all, protecting the pet life isn't just what we do. It's what we're passionate about.

Ready to join us?

If you're passionate about solving problems, driving improvement and helping create better outcomes for customers and colleagues, we'd love to hear from you.

Bring your curiosity. Bring your critical thinking. Bring your drive to make things better.

Apply today and help us protect the pet life.

We are proud to have taken the Pride Pledge, reflecting our commitment to inclusion and belonging. We also facilitate an active, employee‑led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Forum, which includes our Rainbow Network, Māori Network, Pasifika Collective, and Neurodiversity and Whānau Support networks.

If you share our commitment and passion, we'd love to hear from you.