Senior Director - Operations & Transformation

Overview

Lead Canada Life's Bangalore operations as the senior-most operations leader in India, driving operational excellence, transformation, and capability expansion for the Global Capabilities Centre. This role reports to the AVP, Central Operations and Transformation.

What you'll do

• Provide strategic leadership for the Bangalore office and the Directors responsible for operational delivery.
• Partner with enterprise leaders to define and execute the Bangalore growth and capability expansion roadmap.
• Establish priorities, governance, and execution plans aligned with organisational objectives.
• Drive cross-functional and cross-geography initiatives that enable business transformation and operational excellence.
• Represent India operations in executive leadership forums and contribute strategic insights to enterprise decision-making.
• Lead annual planning, workforce planning, and operational strategy development.
• Provide oversight and accountability for operational performance across multiple business functions and teams.
• Ensure operational targets are achieved while maintaining a focus on customer outcomes, quality, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance efficiency, scalability, and service excellence.
• Establish performance management disciplines, operating metrics, and governance mechanisms.
• Identify operational risks and partner with stakeholders to develop mitigation and contingency plans.
• Lead strategic initiatives supporting Canada Life's transformation agenda and long-term operating model evolution.
• Partner with business leaders to identify opportunities for expanding capabilities, launching new functions, and increasing value delivered from Bangalore.
• Oversee transition planning, mobilisation, and stabilisation activities for new capabilities and services.
• Drive implementation of innovative operating practices, automation opportunities, and process optimisation initiatives.
• Ensure benefits realisation and value tracking for strategic investments and transformation programs.
• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders across Operations, Technology, Finance, Human Resources, Risk, Compliance, and other functions.
• Act as the primary liaison between Canada-based leadership teams and the Bangalore operation.
• Facilitate alignment on priorities, resource requirements, operating models, and strategic outcomes.
• Support executive governance forums through clear, data-driven reporting and recommendations.
• Lead executive visits, leadership sessions, and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Directors and senior leaders responsible for operational delivery.
• Build a diverse and inclusive leadership culture focused on accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Develop succession plans and leadership development strategies.
• Foster employee engagement and strengthen the reputation of Bangalore as an employer of choice and centre of excellence.
• Champion Canada Life values and cultivate a culture of innovation, learning, and high performance.
• Partner with business and technology leaders to identify opportunities to leverage automation, analytics, AI, and digital capabilities.
• Support adoption of innovative solutions that drive business outcomes and operational effectiveness.
• Promote a data-driven culture through performance metrics, insights, and decision-support tools.
• Encourage experimentation and innovation while ensuring appropriate governance, control, and risk management.

What you'll need

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Arts, Commerce, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 18+ years of progressive leadership experience in customer service, operations, shared services, global capability centres, or related functions within financial services, insurance, or benefits administration.
• Minimum 8+ years of senior leadership experience leading large-scale operations and multiple levels of leaders.
• Demonstrated experience leading organisational transformation, operational excellence initiatives, and strategic business programs.
• Proven ability to manage complex stakeholder environments and influence senior executives across geographies.
• Strong track record of building and leading high-performing leadership teams.
• Experience working within global organisations and matrix reporting environments.
• Exceptional communication, executive presence, and relationship management skills.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to balance customer, employee, operational, financial, and risk considerations.
• Demonstrated success managing multiple priorities within dynamic and evolving environments.
• High level of integrity, sound judgement, and commitment to organisational values.

Nice to have

• Professional certifications (e.g., Lean Six Sigma, PMP, insurance industry credentials) are considered an asset.

Details

• Location: Bangalore, India.