Head of Branches

Senior Leader opportunity on the Direct Retail Leadership Team as Head of Branches & Partnerships

We're seeking a high-impact leader to direct our Branch Network across Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland and to drive our Partnership strategy. A senior leader responsible for identifying growth opportunities, optimising service, and deliver our key strategic goals with a strong pipeline of opportunities.

What you'll do

•    Leads the design, implementation and regular review of the Retail Direct strategic development plan for branch network across NI & ROI, partnering with sales, operations, and product teams to deliver growth and excellent customer experience.

•    Responsible for the operational management to efficiently achieve customer service targets (SLAs, customer satisfaction, etc.) and optimise customer experience at all touchpoints of the customer journey across our branch and partnership channels.  

•    Define, implement, and embed a cohesive direct distribution strategy (branches, digital, and other direct channels) aligned to business goals.

•    Identify and execute opportunities to drive demand, grow revenue, and improve service outcomes.

•    Shape and manage a high-value partnerships program to extend reach and value.

•    Ensure customer-centric service and operational excellence across all distribution activities.

•    Maintain a robust pipeline of opportunities, with accurate forecasting and regular progress reviews.

•    Collaborate with leadership to ensure consistency across channels aligned to AXA values to achieve strategic targets while ensuring regulatory compliance.

About You
The ideal candidate is a senior leader with 10+ years in insurance, with a strong customer-centric focus and proven track record in leading sales and channel optimisation.

•    At least 10 years of experience with 5 years in a Senior management / leadership capacity 

•    Bachelor's degree or the equivalent combination of education and experience is required, and relevant insurance qualification such as APA, CII. 

•    Experience of leading sales and channel optimisation across branch and partner networks, with a strong customer-centric focus delivering sustained growth. 

•    Customer-first orientation with the ability to leverage data and insights. 

•    Demonstrates a commercial focus with highly effective planning and organisational skills. 

•    Shows strong leadership with a pragmatic, common-sense approach. 

•    Experience of driving digital and agile distribution transformations. 

•    Experience of operating within insurance regulatory and compliance frameworks relevant to branch/partner distribution. 

•    Experience of financial management for distribution, including budgeting, P&L, cost control, and familiarity with AXA product ranges. 

•    Experience of analysing market and customer trends to inform distribution strategy.

At AXA we work smart, empowering our people to balance their time between home and the office in a way that works best for them, their team, and our customers. You'll work away from home majority of your working week. Away from home means either attendance at one of our office locations, visiting clients or attending industry events.

This role is an allocated Controlled Function (CF1) under Fitness & Probity Regime, which means the successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced level of background screening requirements. You can find more information on

As a precondition of employment for this role, you must be eligible and authorized to work in Ireland and/or the United Kingdom.