Job Description

The People Plugin is proud to be partnering with ICR Group, an innovative insurance services and technology business, to recruit an experienced Operations Director.

ICR Group provides advanced software and agentic AI product solutions, combined with specialised on-ground support services for the insurance sector.

At the heart of the business is ICR’s temporary accommodation offering, supporting major insurers and their policyholders when people are displaced from their homes due to natural disasters, emergencies or property repairs.

With significant growth ahead and plans to diversify into new products, verticals and markets, ICR is now looking for a senior operations leader who can strengthen its core operating engine while helping build the business for its next stage of growth.

This is a highly influential role working directly with the CEO and leadership team, with genuine ownership over how ICR operates, scales and delivers for its customers.

About the Role

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Operations Director will take end-to-end ownership of ICR’s national operational function.

You’ll lead the teams responsible for booking and placement, extensions, supplier and accommodation networks and customer care, ultimately owning the experience from the moment a claim is received through to the policyholder moving out of temporary accommodation.

But this role is much broader than running day-to-day operations.

You’ll be responsible for turning ICR’s strategic plans into operational reality, building stronger systems and processes, improving performance and cost-to-serve, developing leaders and creating an operating model that can scale as the business grows.

You’ll work closely with Commercial, Product, Finance and the wider leadership team, while also acting as a senior operational partner to ICR’s major insurance clients.

This is a player-coach role. You’ll lead through capable managers and spend your time working on the business, but you also won’t be afraid to step into the detail when something difficult needs to be solved.

Key Focus Areas

Operational Leadership & Performance

• Own end-to-end operational delivery across the full temporary accommodation lifecycle.
• Lead operational performance across key measures including SLA attainment, time-to-place, cost per claim, complaints and customer experience.
• Take ownership of complex escalations, exceptions and sensitive operational decisions.
• Lead ICR’s operational response during catastrophe and surge events.
• Own workforce planning, operational budgets and cost-to-serve.
• Use performance data to identify where the business needs to improve and take action.

Build for Scale

• Review, map and redesign operational processes to remove friction and improve efficiency.
• Turn recurring problems and escalations into scalable systems and structural solutions.
• Build clear playbooks, operating rhythms, decision frameworks and escalation pathways.
• Improve handoffs between Operations, Commercial, Product, Finance and external partners.
• Create structure where needed without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Build an operation that can scale without relying on senior leaders to solve every problem.

Technology, Automation & AI

• Work closely with ICR’s Product and technology teams to improve the proprietary platform.
• Identify opportunities to automate repetitive work and improve speed, accuracy and service.
• Use data and operational insights to influence product development and priorities.
• Champion better use of systems, workflow tools, automation and AI across the operation.
• Ensure technology supports the team rather than creating additional complexity.

New Products & Markets

• Help design the operating model for new products, service lines and markets.
• Lead operational readiness including structure, capacity, supplier networks, systems, recruitment and go-live.
• Build repeatable operating models that can be adapted across different regions and services.
• Ensure new offerings meet ICR’s service standards from day one.
• Bring a broader general-management mindset as ICR continues to diversify.

Customer & Commercial Partnerships

• Act as the senior operational counterpart to ICR’s insurance partners.
• Build credibility and trust with senior stakeholders within major corporate clients.
• Partner with Commercial to onboard new insurance carriers and turn client requirements into effective operational delivery.
• Use data, service performance and operational insight to strengthen existing client relationships.
• Make balanced commercial decisions across customer outcomes, cost, contracts and reputation.
• Be confident navigating challenging conversations, overcoming objections and finding a pathway forward rather than accepting the first “no”.

Lead & Develop the Team

• Lead, coach and develop the operations leadership team.
• Create clear accountability and empower leaders to make good decisions independently.
• Build a high-performance culture with clear expectations, meaningful feedback and genuine development.
• Set the standard for customer communication and operational excellence.
• Avoid unnecessary micromanagement while maintaining visibility over performance and outcomes.
• Stay close enough to the work to understand what is really happening and step in when your experience is needed.

About You

You are an experienced operations leader who combines strong strategic thinking with genuine operational capability.

You know how to step back and improve the system rather than simply solving the same problem repeatedly.

You’re comfortable operating in an environment where not everything has already been built. You can bring structure to ambiguity, make decisions with incomplete information and move between strategic planning, people leadership, commercial conversations and operational problem-solving.

You’ll ideally bring:

• 10+ years’ experience across operations, service delivery or operational leadership.
• Experience owning an operational function end-to-end at a national or multi-region level.
• At least 3 years’ experience leading leaders across multiple locations, regions or operational functions.
• A demonstrated track record of scaling operations through growth.
• Strong capability across process improvement, service performance, workforce planning and operational efficiency.
• Experience building systems, frameworks and processes rather than simply inheriting them.
• Strong commercial judgement and confidence making decisions involving cost, contracts, customer outcomes and reputation.
• Experience working with large enterprise or corporate customers.
• Strong stakeholder management and the ability to confidently challenge, influence and negotiate.
• A track record of developing capable leaders and high-performing operational teams.
• Comfort with data, systems, CRM, workflow tools, automation and AI.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• A calm and decisive approach when operating under pressure.
• High levels of ownership, adaptability and initiative.
• Must pass a valid police check.

Experience within insurance, claims, accommodation, property services, logistics, travel, BPO/contact centre environments or other complex customer-led operations would be highly regarded. However, direct insurance experience is not essential. ICR is more interested in finding an exceptional operator who can learn the industry quickly and bring strong operational thinking from another environment.

Experience within a high-growth or scale-up business, launching new services or expanding operations into new markets would also be highly valuable.

Why Join ICR Group?

ICR is at an exciting point in its growth.

The core business has established strong relationships within the insurance sector, while its combination of technology, agentic AI and on-ground service creates significant opportunity to rethink how claims-support services are delivered.

This role provides genuine leverage to the CEO and real ownership for the person stepping into it.

You won’t be inheriting a perfectly defined operating model and simply maintaining it. You’ll have the opportunity to shape how the business operates, improve the way work gets done and build an operating engine capable of supporting ICR’s next stage of growth.

For someone with broader leadership ambitions, there is also the potential for the role to evolve toward general management and wider business leadership as ICR diversifies into new products, verticals and geographies.

The Values You’ll Work By

ICR’s values guide how the team works, makes decisions and supports both customers and one another.

People First
The people impacted by ICR’s work are often navigating difficult circumstances. The team approaches decisions with empathy while remaining practical, responsive and accountable.

Play as One Team
Success depends on Operations, Commercial, Product, Finance, partners and customers working together. This means collaborating openly, taking ownership and focusing on the overall outcome rather than individual functions.

Stay Curious, Keep Growing
ICR is continuously looking for better ways to operate. The right person will question existing processes, embrace technology and remain curious about what could be done differently.

How You’ll Benefit

• Join ICR at a significant stage of growth and diversification.
• Work directly with the CEO as a key member of the leadership team.
• Take genuine ownership of the national operations function.
• Influence how new products, services and markets are built.
• Lead and develop an established operations team.
• Work with major Australian insurance partners.
• Use technology, automation, data and AI to materially improve how the business operates.
• Build scalable systems and processes rather than maintaining a legacy playbook.
• Genuine opportunity to broaden toward general management as the business grows.
• Adelaide-based leadership role with regular travel to Sydney.

How to Apply

If this sounds aligned to your experience and future career goals, we’d love to connect.

Please submit your resume outlining your operations leadership experience. We’d particularly like to hear about operations you have scaled, processes or systems you have rebuilt, leaders you have developed and examples where your work has materially improved customer experience, service performance or commercial outcomes.

For a confidential discussion, contact Xanthe at xanthe@thepeopleplugin.com.