Head of Investment Operations and Accounting Ecosystem Program at MassMutual

The Opportunity

We are seeking a highly experienced and motivated Senior Program Manager to design the strategy for and manage a long-term program to implement the target state operating model of our investment operations and accounting capabilities. This program will optimize and transform the people, process, and technology-related execution of these capabilities. This is a multi-year, significant effort with a deep investment of attention and resources. It aims to enhance the operations that deliver complete, timely, and accurate data to enable informed investment decisions and high-quality financial reporting, contributing to ensuring financial strength for the benefit of our policyowners.

Using your deep program management expertise and experience managing programs similar in scale and impact, you will work with stakeholders throughout the enterprise, especially in our Investment Management, Finance and Technology organizations as well as subsidiary and third parties. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record managing transformational, enterprise-wide, complex projects with significant budgets and effectively coordinating and aligning a cross-functional team. This role is critical to ensuring a seamless program process, providing a framework for leaders to align business processes, and achieving this program’s return on investment. This is a multi-year initiative that could result in material changes to the way we do business.

The Team

This role reports to the Head of the Corporate Function Program Management Office (CFPMO). The CFPMO was established to oversee the execution of projects across Corporate Finance, Enterprise Risk, Investment Management, Law, and HR & Employee Experience, as well as define and own project management standards across the company. The team is focused on creating more visibility into this work, while enabling better prioritization, collaboration, and execution.

This role will leverage and champion the project management standards and practices and partner with their CFPMO teammates, especially the Portfolio Managers aligned to each Corporate Function to ensure coordination and address interdependencies between their portfolios and the Investment Operations & Accounting Ecosystem Program.

Key Responsibilities

1. Program Planning and Strategy
   • Lead the identification of the program’s vision and strategy to govern, design, develop and implement the target operating model.
   • Lead work, partnering with the Executive and Program Sponsors, to establish timelines, set milestones and identify and acquire the resources required.
2. Stakeholder Management
   • Understand the needs and expectations of stakeholders throughout the Program Governance Structure, up to and including the executive leadership team, managing concerns and feedback promptly.
   • Establish the framework and oversee collaboration by driving discussions and decisioning, instilling consistency, and promoting discipline in defining and managing the delivery of the program.
   • Act as a trusted strategic advisor to all stakeholders, ensuring the target operating model aligns with enterprise strategic goals.
3. Process Integration
   • Evaluate existing project management processes, systems, and structures across functions to build a cohesive program; this will include a cross-functional team and potentially contracting and directly managing third party resources.
   • Ensure program execution strategy is aligned with business strategies, company policies and target operating model expected outcomes and delivered upon consistently for value.
   • Analyze, understand and communicate the tradeoffs involved with roadmap and prioritization decisions.
4. Change Management
   • Build relationships and work closely with key stakeholders to identify areas of focus, anticipate change impacts, and assess change readiness.
   • Develop and deliver change management strategies to support a smooth transition, including effective communication, training, and ongoing support.
   • Support this program through unexpected events, ambiguous information or changes in scope, timeline or stakeholder needs.
5. Program Governance
   • Define success metrics and monitor against established goals and milestones.
   • Provide centralized and regular visibility via status reporting and demand capacity monitoring.
   • Communicate risks, issues and dependencies and drive collaborative, coordinated decision-making and resolution efforts amongst stakeholders.
   • Enable and ensure consistent implementation of people, process and technology improvements and plans to sustain them.
6. Team Leadership
   • Design, build and lead direct program management team, that is diverse and inclusive, to deliver program.
   • Provide clear direction, support, motivation and development opportunities to team members.
   • Role model an agile mindset through change and ambiguity; inspire others and drive culture of continuous improvement.

Minimum Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience and demonstrated success leading significant, cross-functional program management efforts at scale and delivering them on time, within budget and to scope.
• 10+ years leading and managing people and teams directly and indirectly.
• Strong understanding of project management methodologies and software.
• Experience with investment operations and accounting transformations at scale.
• Knowledge of insurance carriers' investment strategies, organization models and targeted outcomes.

Ideal Qualifications

• Knowledge of MassMutual’s business strategy, capabilities, organizational structure and structure to quickly enable effective cross-functional collaboration.
• Experience leading project management with a focus on large scale technology and process reengineering projects.
• Robust knowledge and experience with program management best practices, especially related to communications, reporting, prioritization, capacity and resource planning, forecasting, financial planning, change management, and performance measurement.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent.

Key Competencies

• Accountability: Earn confidence and trust by demonstrating ownership, commitment and follow through in achieving results.
• Courage: Are not afraid to speak up when it matters, ask tough questions, make decisions and/or admit when help is needed.
• Development: Exhibit curiosity and pursue learning opportunities.
• Leading Others: Create an environment where the team is inspired, engaged and motivated.
• Resilience: Ability to work under pressure and manage conflicting priorities.

This position may require occasional travel.

MassMutual is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer Minority/Female/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Individual with Disability/Protected Veteran. We welcome all persons to apply. Note: Veterans are welcome to apply, regardless of their discharge status.

If you need an accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us and share the specifics of the assistance you need.