United Kingdom · Business transformation and change · Principal/Manager (12-16 years)

Process Excellence and Improvement Manager

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

See how AI is changing this job, and get the full read by email.

As a Process Excellence and Improvement Manager, a good place to start on AI-Driven Process Orchestration & Automation is Planning Automation Across a Department, a free Future Fluency module at Level 5. You'd practise working out what in your department's work could be automated, what should not be, and what to recommend.

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One email: what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for, where it leads, and where to start free. With a link back here. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

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  • Experience bandPrincipal/Manager (12-16 years)
  • Direct reports5-8 reports
  • Reports toDirector, Enterprise Process Excellence
  • UK framework levelUsually a manager, or the deepest specialist in a team

Also advertised as Head of Business Process Transformation · Senior Manager, Operational Excellence · Transformation Programme Lead · Business Improvement Manager

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in what real qualifications cover

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

EAL Level 4 Diploma in Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (Development Competence) Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited · Level 4 · covers 3 of 6 standards
ETCAL Level 4 NVQ Diploma in Business Improvement Techniques ETC Awards Limited · Level 4 · covers 2 of 6 standards
EAL Level 4 NVQ Diploma in Engineering Manufacture Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited · Level 4 · covers 2 of 6 standards
EAL Level 4 NVQ Extended Diploma in Engineering Manufacture Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited · Level 4 · covers 2 of 6 standards
iCQ Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership iCan Qualifications Limited · Level 5 · covers 1 of 6 standards
Qualifi Level 5 Extended Diploma in Business Management Qualifi Ltd · Level 5 · covers 1 of 6 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Leading the carrying out of Six Sigma process mapping EAL Level 4 Diploma in Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (Development Competence)
Business Process Management iCQ Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership
Business Operations Qualifi Level 5 Extended Diploma in Business Management

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Automation Fluency building AI into how work runs
Systems Fluency seeing the whole picture
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Process Excellence and Improvement Manager

3 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Leading the carrying out of Six Sigma process mapping Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited · covers 3 of 6 standards Level 4
  2. Business Process Management iCan Qualifications Limited · covers 1 of 6 standards Level 5
  3. Business Operations Qualifi Ltd · covers 1 of 6 standards Level 5
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Process Excellence and Improvement Manager?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • AI-Driven Process Orchestration & Automation
  • Ethical AI & Responsible Automation Design
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Process Excellence and Improvement Manager plan as you set up, starting with the free Automation Fluency module. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

Keep this read. One email with what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for and where to start free. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

3What this role really is

This job means leading a team that improves how a business works, making processes smoother, faster and less costly. You guide the team through complex business processes, find the snags, and put fixes in place. It is a hands-on management role. You still get involved in big projects, but the main job is getting the best from your team and delivering results that show up in the numbers.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Signavio / Celonis (Process Mining & Modelling) Expert

Defining the enterprise governance model for process mining, using platform insights to justify multi-million-pound transformation initiatives, and guiding your team in complex model building and dashboard configuration.

Microsoft Visio / Lucidchart (Process Mapping) Advanced

Establishing and enforcing documentation standards for your team, reviewing complex multi-layered maps (e.g., cross-functional swimlanes, VSMs), and ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture frameworks.

Minitab / JMP (Statistical Analysis) Advanced

Reviewing and validating your team's statistical analysis, designing complex experiments (DOE), and ensuring analytical rigour is applied to major business cases and benefit realisation plans.

Tableau / Power BI (Data Visualisation & BI) Advanced

Governing the deployment of enterprise-wide performance dashboards, ensuring a single source of truth for transformation programme metrics, and guiding your team in complex data shaping and dashboard creation.

Anaplan / Workday Adaptive Planning (Strategic Planning) Intermediate

Modelling the financial and resource impact of the entire transformation portfolio, connecting process improvements to the P&L, and presenting these insights to senior leadership.

Jira / Smartsheet (Project & Work Management) Advanced

Overseeing your team's project plans, managing dependencies, allocating resources across your portfolio, and tracking progress against key milestones for transformation workstreams.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Project Methodology & Approach Follows prescribed methodology, seeks guidance on deviations. Selects appropriate methodology for routine projects, consults on complex ones. Designs and tailors methodology for complex projects, seeks input on enterprise standards.
Budget Allocation (Project Level) No authority, informs supervisor of needs. Recommends expenditure up to £5K, requires manager approval. Recommends expenditure up to £20K, requires manager approval.
Team Hiring & Performance No authority. Provides input on candidate fit. Interviews candidates, provides strong recommendations.
Process Design & Implementation Executes process mapping and documentation tasks. Designs 'To-Be' processes for routine improvements, seeks review. Leads 'To-Be' design for complex workstreams, gains stakeholder consensus.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Team Project Delivery & Impact
The number of completed process improvement projects delivered by your team, along with their verified financial or operational benefits.
Target · Lead a portfolio of projects delivering >£500K in annualized cost savings or revenue enablement.

Your team completes 4 major projects in Q3, leading to a combined £620K in identified and verified annualised savings across customer onboarding and invoice processing.

Process Cycle Time Reduction
The percentage reduction in the end-to-end time taken for a key business process (e.g., Order-to-Cash, Procure-to-Pay) that your team has worked on.
Target · Achieve an average 20% reduction in cycle time for major processes under your team's remit.

Your team's work on the customer complaint resolution process reduces the average time from initial contact to resolution from 72 hours to 55 hours, a 23.6% improvement.

Process Error/Defect Rate Reduction
The percentage decrease in errors or defects within a process, directly attributable to your team's improvements.
Target · Reduce the defect rate by at least 15% in targeted processes.

After your team redesigned the data entry process for new client accounts, the error rate dropped from 3.5% to 1.8%, a 48.6% reduction in defects.

Team Engagement & Development
The growth and satisfaction of your direct reports, measured through formal and informal channels.
Target · Achieve an average team engagement score of 8/10 in internal surveys and deliver at least 2 successful internal promotions per year.

Two of your Senior Process Excellence Consultants are promoted to Lead Process Architect roles, and your team's feedback consistently highlights your supportive leadership style.

Stakeholder Sponsorship & Buy-in
How well you and your team secure genuine support and commitment from business leaders for proposed changes, rather than just grudging compliance.
  • Business leaders actively championing your team's projects in wider forums
  • they allocate their own resources to support change
  • they proactively seek your team's input on strategic initiatives
  • they actually attend and participate in project steering committees, not just send delegates.
Process Maturity Uplift
The extent to which the organisation's overall approach to process management improves under your influence, moving from ad-hoc fixes to structured, sustainable improvement.
  • Increased adoption of standard methodologies (e.g., Lean Six Sigma, BPMN) across departments
  • improved quality of process documentation and control plans
  • business units proactively identifying their own process improvement opportunities
  • a noticeable shift in how the organisation talks about and values process.
Team Coaching & Mentorship Effectiveness
The quality of your guidance and support for your team members, helping them develop their skills and navigate complex project challenges.
  • Team members consistently meet or exceed project goals
  • they demonstrate increased confidence in problem-solving
  • positive feedback in 360 reviews regarding your coaching style
  • your team members are seen as go-to experts by other departments.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Solving Complex Puzzles

You get a real kick out of dissecting a messy, inefficient process, understanding all its moving parts, and then figuring out how to reassemble it into something elegant and effective.

Spending an afternoon with your team, mapping out a convoluted customer onboarding journey and identifying the 10 key points of friction, feels like a productive and enjoyable challenge.

Driving Tangible Impact

You're not satisfied with theoretical improvements; you want to see your team's work actually make a difference to the business, whether that's saving money, making customers happier, or improving employee morale.

The biggest reward isn't just finishing a project, but seeing the monthly report showing a 25% reduction in processing errors thanks to your team's new process.

Developing and Growing a Team

You genuinely enjoy coaching, mentoring, and empowering your direct reports, helping them to tackle bigger challenges and grow their own careers in process excellence.

You feel a sense of pride when one of your junior analysts, after your guidance, successfully leads their first Kaizen event and presents the results to senior leadership.

What frustrates people
  • Political resistance: Getting verbal agreement in a meeting, only to see passive sabotage later.
  • The 'process for process's sake' perception: Constantly fighting the idea that your team is bureaucratic.
  • Garbage In, Garbage Out: Your team spending more time cleaning data than actually analysing it.
  • Solution in search of a problem: Being told to 'use this new AI tool' without a clear business problem.
  • The 'Not-Invented-Here' syndrome: Teams resisting external best practices.
  • Benefit evaporation: Watching carefully calculated project benefits slowly disappear as old habits creep back in.
  • Being the 'Process Cop': The tension of enforcing standards versus accommodating valid exceptions.
What this role does not give you
  • A purely strategic, hands-off role – you'll still be involved in project details.
  • A 'set it and forget it' environment – processes need continuous monitoring and tweaking.
  • A role where everyone immediately embraces change – you'll need to earn trust and build consensus.
  • A role with unlimited resources – you'll need to be pragmatic and prioritise effectively.

8Who you work with

This role directly shapes the operational efficiency and effectiveness of key business functions. You'll be accountable for delivering significant cost savings, improving customer satisfaction, and speeding up critical business processes across your assigned domain. Your work enables the organisation to scale, adapt to market changes, and ultimately boosts profitability and competitive advantage. Get it right, and we're more agile; get it wrong, and we're stuck in the mud.

Inside the business
  • Heads of Operations
  • Product Development Leads
  • Finance Business Partners
  • Technology Delivery Managers
  • Customer Service Directors
  • HR Leadership
Outside the business
  • Key Vendors and Suppliers (e.g., software providers, logistics partners)
  • Industry Bodies (for best practice benchmarking)
  • Consulting Partners (on specific transformation programmes)

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • A proven track record (typically 12+ years) of leading and delivering complex process improvement and business transformation projects in a large organisation.
  • Demonstrable experience managing and developing a team of process excellence professionals, including coaching, mentoring, and performance management.
  • Certification as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (or equivalent) with a portfolio of successfully completed projects demonstrating significant business impact.
  • Extensive experience with process mining tools (e.g., Celonis, Signavio) and advanced process modelling techniques.
  • Strong financial acumen, including the ability to build robust business cases, quantify benefits, and manage project budgets.
  • A deep understanding of change management principles and practical experience in driving adoption of new processes across diverse stakeholder groups.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Process Simulation & Digital Twin Modelling

Moving beyond static process maps, we'll need to simulate 'To-Be' processes and even create digital twins of our operations to predict performance, test changes virtually, and optimise in real-time. This allows for risk-free experimentation and much faster iteration.

Discrete Event Simulation · Agent-Based Modelling · Digital Twin of an Organisation (DTO) · Scenario Planning & Optimisation

  • This quarter: Research leading process simulation software (e.g., AnyLogic, Arena) and evaluate their applicability to our business.
  • Next 6 months: Sponsor one of your team members to get certified in a process simulation tool and apply it to a pilot project.
  • Next 12 months: Develop a roadmap for integrating process simulation into our standard improvement methodology.
  • Ongoing: Explore how process mining data can feed directly into simulation models for more accurate 'As-Is' representations.

Quick win: Use a simple simulation tool (even Excel-based) to model a small, known bottleneck in a process. It's a great way to show the power of simulation without a huge investment.

Low-Code/No-Code Process Application Development

The ability to rapidly build simple applications or workflows without extensive coding will empower business users and your team to quickly prototype and deploy solutions, accelerating improvement cycles. This democratises process automation.

Citizen Developer Enablement · Rapid Application Development (RAD) · Workflow Automation Platforms · Governance & Security for Low-Code

  • This quarter: Identify a simple, manual workflow that could be automated with a low-code platform (e.g., an approval process).
  • Next 6 months: Get your team trained on a relevant low-code/no-code platform (e.g., Microsoft Power Apps/Automate, Salesforce Flow).
  • Next 12 months: Lead the development of a 'citizen developer' programme within your business function, with your team providing guidance and governance.
  • Ongoing: Collaborate with IT to establish clear guardrails and best practices for low-code development.

Quick win: Automate a simple internal team process (e.g., leave requests, project status updates) using a low-code workflow tool. It's a great way to learn and demonstrate value internally.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attend industry conferences and webinars on process excellence, digital transformation, and AI in operations.
  • Maintain active membership in professional bodies like the Association of Business Process Management Professionals (ABPMP) or the Lean Enterprise Institute.
  • Engage in continuous learning through online courses or executive education programmes focused on leadership, advanced analytics, or emerging technologies.
  • Seek out opportunities to mentor junior colleagues, even outside your direct team, to hone your coaching skills.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI-Driven Process Orchestration & Automation

AI isn't just for analysis anymore; it's becoming central to how processes are executed and automated. We're moving beyond simple RPA to intelligent automation that can make decisions and adapt. If your team isn't thinking this way, we'll fall behind.

  • Intelligent Process Automation (IPA)
  • Process Orchestration Platforms
  • Decision Management Systems
  • Human-in-the-Loop Automation

Ethical AI & Responsible Automation Design

As we hand more decisions and tasks to AI, the ethical implications, bias, and governance become paramount. You'll need to ensure your team designs processes that are fair, transparent, and compliant, avoiding unintended consequences. This isn't just a 'nice to have'; it's a 'must have' for reputation and regulatory reasons.

  • AI Bias Detection & Mitigation
  • Explainable AI (XAI)
  • Data Privacy & Security in Automation
  • Regulatory Compliance for AI

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Lean Six Sigma (DMAIC/DMADV)
  • Value Stream Mapping (VSM)
  • Change Management (Prosci ADKAR Model)
  • Business Process Management (BPM)
  • Agile Methodologies (Scrum/Kanban for Process)

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Lead Process Architect / Transformation Lead (L4)

    3-5 years in previous role

    Skills to master

    • Leading complex, cross-functional projects end-to-end, designing enterprise-level 'To-Be' processes, influencing senior stakeholders without direct authority, and informal mentorship of junior staff.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully delivered 3+ major transformation projects with verified benefits.
    • Consistently sought out for advice by peers and senior leaders on process design.
    • Demonstrated ability to manage project scope, risks, and dependencies effectively.
    • Expressed a clear interest in people management and team development.
  2. 2

    Senior Manager, Management Consulting (Process/Operations focus)

    5-7 years in consulting

    Skills to master

    • Client relationship management, structured problem-solving across diverse industries, leading project teams, developing compelling business cases, and managing project delivery under tight deadlines.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Managed multiple client engagements focused on operational improvement or business transformation.
    • Proven ability to translate client needs into actionable project plans and deliverables.
    • Strong commercial acumen and experience in managing project budgets and profitability.
    • Looking for a move into an in-house role to drive sustained, long-term change.
  3. 3

    Senior Project/Programme Manager (with Process focus)

    4-6 years in previous role

    Skills to master

    • End-to-end programme delivery, managing large budgets and diverse project teams, stakeholder management at executive level, and a strong understanding of how process underpins successful change initiatives.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully delivered 2+ large-scale business change programmes.
    • Experience managing projects with significant process redesign components.
    • Demonstrated ability to manage complex interdependencies and risks across multiple projects.
    • A desire to specialise more deeply in the 'how' of change, rather than just the 'what'.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to roles such as Chief Transformation Officer, Chief Operating Officer or Head of Digital Strategy.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Process Excellence and Improvement Manager is actually changing.

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Leading the carrying out of Six Sigma process mapping, worked against Process Excellence and Improvement Manager.

Leading the carrying out of Six Sigma process mapping Level 4

Applied to your work in Process Excellence and Improvement Manager

This unit aims to enable learners to understand and lead the application of Six Sigma process mapping techniques. Learners will be able to plan and facilitate process mapping exercises, analyse the resulting maps to identify areas for improvement, and effectively communicate findings to relevant stakeholders.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Process Excellence and Improvement Manager
  • Lean Six Sigma (DMAIC/DMADV)
  • Value Stream Mapping (VSM)
  • Change Management (Prosci ADKAR Model)
  • Business Process Management (BPM)
  • Agile Methodologies (Scrum/Kanban for Process)
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Process Excellence and Improvement Manager is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Move from managing a team and portfolio within a function to setting the strategic direction for process excellence across a business unit or the entire enterprise.

    • Defining enterprise-wide process architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF alignment).
    • Owning the methodology and toolset for the entire organisation.
    • Strategic vendor management for process excellence platforms.
    • Leading large-scale, multi-year transformation programmes.
  2. Head of Operations / Head of Business Unit

    4-6 years in current role

    Transition from optimising processes to owning the entire operational performance and P&L of a business unit or large department.

    • Operational budget management and cost control.
    • Service level agreement (SLA) definition and management.
    • Supply chain optimisation (if applicable to the business unit).
    • Crisis management and business continuity planning.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, managing a team of process excellence professionals means you're always looking for ways to make them more effective, and yourself more strategic. Artificial Intelligence isn't just a buzzword; it's a game-changer for how your team can discover, analyse, and implement process improvements. It's about taking the grunt work out of their hands so they can focus on the truly strategic stuff.

Imagine your team spending less time on manual data gathering and more time on high-value problem-solving. AI tools can automate the tedious bits, freeing up your experts to do what they do best: innovate and drive change. For you, it means better insights, faster project cycles, and a more engaged team.

Automated Process Discovery & Benchmarking

Your team can use AI-powered process mining tools (like Celonis) to automatically analyse system event logs from SAP, Salesforce, or other core systems. This generates detailed, data-backed 'As-Is' process maps, highlighting all variations and bottlenecks – saving weeks of manual effort. Then, GenAI can quickly research and synthesise industry benchmarks, giving your team immediate context on 'what good looks like' for specific processes (e.g., 'top 5 best practices for procure-to-pay in manufacturing'). This means less time mapping, more time fixing.

Intelligent Friction Point Analysis

Instead of your team manually sifting through thousands of customer support tickets, survey comments, or employee feedback, feed that unstructured data into an NLP model. It'll instantly cluster and identify the most common themes and friction points in a process. This helps your team pinpoint exactly where the biggest problems lie, allowing them to prioritise improvements that will have the most impact. No more guessing, just data-driven insights.

Accelerated Change Management Comms

Change management is crucial, but drafting all those communications takes ages. Your team can use GenAI to create first drafts of tailored emails, FAQs, and training outlines for different stakeholder groups. Just provide the project summary, key messages, and audience, and let the AI handle the initial writing. This frees up your team's time to focus on engaging directly with people and ensuring the change actually sticks, rather than getting bogged down in drafting.

AI-Assisted Data Analysis & Reporting

For your team, AI can help with initial data cleaning, anomaly detection, and even suggest statistical tests in tools like Minitab or JMP. For you, GenAI can quickly summarise complex project reports, highlight key risks, and even draft executive summaries for your Director. This means you're always on top of your portfolio, with less time spent digging through individual project updates and more time strategising.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Process Excellence and Improvement Manager?

Common routes in include Lead Process Architect / Transformation Lead (3-5 years in previous role), Senior Manager, Management Consulting (Process/Operations focus) (5-7 years in consulting) and Senior Project/Programme Manager (with Process focus) (4-6 years in previous role). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Process Excellence and Improvement Manager progress to?

This role can lead on to Director, Enterprise Process Excellence (3-5 years in current role) and Head of Operations / Head of Business Unit (4-6 years in current role), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Process Excellence and Improvement Manager?

Increasingly, AI-Driven Process Orchestration & Automation and Ethical AI & Responsible Automation Design. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 5

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

More jobs in business transformation and change

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.

If you leave this industry

The skills built in this role, leading teams, driving change, improving processes and using data, apply across most industries. Finance, retail, healthcare and tech all need people who can make things run better. Business transformation skills carry from one sector to another.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my free Automation Fluency module What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.