Transformation and Operations Manager

About the Role

This is a senior in-country leadership role responsible for the operational performance and transformation agenda across all lines of business in the Philippines market. The role sits at the intersection of country execution and regional strategy — serving as the primary operations lead for the Country President while acting as the in-country delivery arm for APAC-wide transformation programmes. The successful candidate will need to operate credibly across a complex stakeholder environment: managing up to country and regional leadership simultaneously, and working laterally with two LOB heads who have high service expectations but no direct line authority over this role.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

- Own day-to-day operational performance across all LOBs in the Philippines — Commercial, Financial Lines, Consumer, and CBS hub operations — ensuring adherence to service standards, SLAs, and internal controls.
- Develop, monitor, and report on operational KPIs across in-country and CBS teams; produce regular performance dashboards for the Country President and the APAC Operations & Transformation function.
- Conduct periodic performance reviews with team leaders; identify trends, root causes of underperformance, and drive corrective action.
- Manage operational risk proactively — process controls, audit readiness, BCP, and regulatory compliance — acting as the primary point of contact for internal and external audits related to operations.
- Lead capacity planning and resource optimisation across operational teams, ensuring staffing levels and capability are aligned to current and projected business volumes.
- Develop and enforce operational SOPs, policies, and governance frameworks to maintain consistency and quality across all functions.
- Manage vendor and third-party operations relationships, including CBS hub performance, contract compliance, and escalation resolution.
- Oversee operational budget development and expenditure monitoring; identify cost optimisation opportunities without compromising service delivery.
- Foster a high-performance operations culture — accountability, service excellence, and continuous improvement across all teams.

Transformation & Change

- Serve as the primary in-country lead for APAC-wide transformation programmes — including automation, hub model evolution, digital intake, and workflow platform initiatives — translating regional strategy into local delivery plans.
- Conduct discovery activities: process mapping, current state assessment, gap analysis, and opportunity sizing across all in-country operational functions.
- Own the Philippines transformation initiative pipeline — from business case through implementation and post-go-live benefits tracking — ensuring delivery against agreed timelines and outcomes.
- Lead digital and automation initiatives that eliminate manual, repetitive processes and increase throughput across LOBs.
- Drive continuous improvement using structured methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent); reduce waste, improve cycle times, and enhance service quality.
- Manage risk across transformation projects; identify issues early and work with stakeholders to design and execute mitigation plans.
- Maintain clear project documentation and status reporting for both country and regional audiences.
- Build a culture of improvement and innovation within the operations team — encourage new ways of working, embrace technology, and develop internal capability to sustain change.

Stakeholder Engagement

- Build and maintain trusted working relationships with the Country President, Head of Operations & Transformation APAC, Head of Commercial Operations APAC, and Head of Consumer Philippines — navigating competing priorities across this stakeholder group with clarity and professionalism.
- Influence without authority — drive alignment and action across functions and leadership layers where no direct line exists.
- Provide clear, evidence-based operational reporting to both the Country President and the APAC Operations & Transformation function; flag issues early with recommended courses of action.
- Coordinate cross-functionally with Finance, Compliance, IT, Legal, and HR to ensure operational activities align with organisational and regulatory requirements.
- Represent the Philippines operations function in regional forums and working groups as required.

Technology Oversight

- Provide line management to the Philippines Technology Officer, who holds a dotted-line relationship to the Head of Asia Technology; act as the in-country accountability point for technology performance and escalation.
- Oversee BAU technology operations in the Philippines — including local systems availability, wiring closet and network infrastructure management, hardware lifecycle, and incident resolution — ensuring day-to-day technology performance supports uninterrupted business operations.
- Liaise with Asia Technology on regional technology initiatives, ensuring local requirements and constraints are represented, and that in-country technology delivery aligns with the broader regional architecture.
- Maintain awareness of technology risks — outages, vulnerabilities, capacity constraints — and ensure these are managed proactively and reported appropriately to both country and regional stakeholders.

Essential

- At least 7 years' experience in operations management, with demonstrated ownership of both BAU performance and transformation delivery — not just participation in projects.
- Experience working across multiple lines of business or product portfolios within a regulated financial services or insurance environment.
- Proven ability to manage and develop operational teams in a complex, matrixed organisation — including hub or shared services relationships.
- Track record of delivering transformation outcomes with measurable results: efficiency gains, cost reduction, or FTE optimisation.
- Strong stakeholder management capability — credible and effective with senior country and regional leadership simultaneously, and able to influence where no direct authority exists.
- Clear, confident communicator — equally effective in an executive briefing, a working-level problem-solving session, and written reporting.
- Commercial acumen; able to build and defend a business case and manage an operational budget.

Highly Regarded

- Experience in insurance operations — commercial lines, financial lines, or consumer/A&H — within an APAC market context.
- Familiarity with CBS or centralised processing hub models, and the operational and people management challenges they present.
- Exposure to automation, intelligent document processing, or workflow platforms in an operations setting.
- Formal project or change management credentials (PMP, MSP, Prosci, or equivalent) are a plus.
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations Management, or a related field.