dickson group story
"We're as passionate about insurance as we are about motor sport."
That spirit, competitive, community-rooted, and always moving forward, runs through everything Dickson Group does. Community, Localness, Customer Care, and Innovation shape how the business serves its customers, how it integrates new teams following acquisitions, and how it looks after its people. It is a business where traditional values and forward-thinking ambition sit comfortably side-by-side.
That combination of ambition and authenticity is evident in how the Group has grown. From a single branch in Omagh to 15 locations across Northern Ireland, every step of that journey has been built on relationships: with customers, with communities, and with the people who make up the Dickson Group team. The acquisition strategy that has brought multiple regional brokers into the fold has worked precisely because the Group has never lost sight of what made it successful in the first place.
The incoming COO will be joining a leadership team that is committed to building on those foundations, creating an environment where people feel genuinely supported, motivated, and able to build long-term careers. It suits senior leaders who are comfortable with autonomy, who earn trust through delivery, and who are motivated by the opportunity to make a lasting impact in a business with real momentum behind it.
The role
Job Type:
Permanent
Location:
Omagh, Co Tyrone (on-site or hybrid working)
Reporting to:
Managing Director
As COO, you will sit on the Board, have full operational oversight across the Group, and report directly to the Managing Director. Your mandate is clear: to enhance the operating model, build a high-performance culture, drive standardisation across the Group, and lead the operational infrastructure needed to support Dickson Group's ambition to double its insurance premium under management to £100 million.
What You'll Do
- Design and execute a unified, cross-border operational strategy across all Group entities in NI and ROI
- Lead acquisition integration, designing a repeatable framework that protects culture and brings new businesses smoothly into the Group operating model
- Build and embed a people-first culture that drives engagement, and attracts and retains the calibre of talent needed for sustained growth
- Own the end-to-end customer experience, defining and embedding consistent standards across all 15+ branches
- Take executive ownership of the Group's IT strategy and technology roadmap, driving AI adoption, data platform development, and cyber security governance
- Oversee the Group's Audit and Compliance function, ensuring FCA and Central Bank of Ireland obligations are met consistently across all entities
What You'll Bring
- Senior operational leadership experience in a complex, multi-site organisation - whether as a COO, MD, or equivalent
- A people-first mindset with the ability to build high-performance cultures and improve engagement across dispersed teams
- Experience of designing and implementing cultural integration programmes following M&A activity
- A background in operational standardisation, building repeatable processes and scalable governance frameworks
- Technology leadership capability, with experience driving digital transformation and IT strategy
- The interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence to thrive in an entrepreneurial, privately owned business environment
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
- The successful candidate will be a senior operational leader who combines strategic thinking with a genuine passion for people and culture
- They will have operated at COO or equivalent level in a multi-site, complex organisation and will possess the capability and experience to build the kind of operational infrastructure that allows a business to scale without losing its identity
- They will be energised by the scale of the mandate and will understand instinctively how to operate effectively within a founder-led, family business culture where relationships and results carry equal weight
