Senior Business Project Manager

Senior Business Change Project Manager

Leeds | Hybrid Working (3 Days in Office) | Permanent |

Lead Transformation. Influence Strategy. Deliver Real Business Change.

At Markel, we're looking for an experienced Senior Business Change Project Manager to join our UK Business Change team and lead some of the most strategic, high-profile change initiatives across the business.

This is more than a project management role. You'll be responsible for delivering complex business change programmes that directly support growth, operational excellence, new product development, digital transformation, automation, and international expansion.

You'll work with Executive Sponsors, senior leaders, technology teams, and external vendors to turn ambitious ideas into successful business outcomes. If you're someone who thrives in complex stakeholder environments, enjoys solving challenging business problems, and wants to make a visible impact, we'd love to hear from you.

At Markel, insurance is more than a policy. It's a promise to help people move forward with confidence, embrace opportunities, and recover when the unexpected happens. Our people-first culture, entrepreneurial outlook, and commitment to doing what's right are what make us different.

Joining our UK Business Change team means you'll:

• Deliver business-critical change across a growing organisation
• Work directly with Executive partners and decision-makers
• Lead projects that genuinely influence the future direction of the business
• Be part of a collaborative, supportive team with a strong culture and reputation for delivery
• Enjoy the autonomy and trust to own complex programmes from inception through to implementation

You'll lead a diverse portfolio of strategic business change initiatives, including:

• New product launches and product development programmes
• Operational efficiency and process improvement projects
• Automation, AI and digital transformation initiatives
• Workflow and business process redesign
• Technology-enabled business change
• Claims and policy platform enhancements
• International business growth and expansion projects
• Vendor-led system implementation programmes

Typicaly, you'll lead multiple concurrent projects, balancing delivery, governance, collaborator engagement, budget control, and business readiness activities.

• Lead the delivery of complex business change projects from initiation through to implementation
• Chair Project Working Groups and Steering Committees
• Build strong relationships with Executive Sponsors and senior partners
• Lead project governance, reporting, RAID logs, and project controls
• Create and maintain detailed project plans and delivery roadmaps
• Handle budgets, forecasts, and financial reporting
• Work closely with Business Analysts, SMEs, Technology teams, Solutions Architects, and external vendors
• Drive decision-making, challenge constructively, and ensure accountability across project teams
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to agreed quality standards

We're looking for a confident and credible senior project professional who can operate effectively with partners at every level of the organisation.

Essential Experience

• Minimum 10 years' Project Management experience
• Consistent record delivering complex business change projects
• Experience working in regulated environments
• Strong collaborator management skills, including Executive-level engagement
• Experience running project budgets, forecasting and financial reporting
• Vendor and third-party supplier management experience
• Strong governance, risk and issue management expertise
• Experience running Steering Committees and governance forums
• Demonstrable ability to influence decisions and drive outcomes

• Insurance
• Financial Services
• Banking
• Another highly regulated sector

Insurance experience would be highly advantageous but is not essential.

• PRINCE2 Practitioner (preferred)
• APM Qualification
• Or equivalent recognised Project Management certification.

You'll have experience working across both:

• Waterfall
• Agile delivery environments

and understand how to apply the right approach for the project and participant landscape.

• Someone who consistently builds and nurtures positive relationships
• Comfortable challenging senior team members when needed
• A confident communicator and presenter
• Commercially aware and outcome-focused
• Highly organised and resilient
• Collaborative, approachable and team-oriented
• Someone who enjoys…