Head of North America Transformation

This is your opportunity to join AXIS Capital - a trusted global provider of specialty lines insurance and reinsurance. We stand apart for our outstanding client service, intelligent risk taking and superior risk adjusted returns for our shareholders. We also proudly maintain an entrepreneurial, disciplined and ethical corporate culture. As a member of AXIS, you join a team that is among the best in the industry.

At AXIS, we believe that we are only as strong as our people. We strive to create an inclusive and welcoming culture where employees of all backgrounds and from all walks of life feel comfortable and empowered to be themselves. This means that we bring our whole selves to work.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion or creed, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, age, marital status, civil union status, family or parental status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Accommodation is available upon request for candidates taking part in the selection process.

AXIS is seeking a Head of North America (NA) Transformation (Product Owner) to drive strategic and operational transformation initiatives in coordination with business leadership. This role involves leading the development and implementation of innovative solutions that streamline new product introduction, simplify underwriting processes, automate decision making, and support the company's aspirations to be leading specialty insurer. They are responsible for creating and maintaining a comprehensive transformation strategy that aligns with the North America business objectives and transformation roadmap. The successful candidate will be a key team member of the AXIS North America team and the Transformation Team.

Job Responsibilities
o Managing and prioritizing the strategic operating model development and improvement of processes, workflows, system enhancements, specific projects to improve the underwriting operating environment, with an initial focus on areas identified as opportunities for optimization, modernization, efficiency, and process improvement.

o End-to-End Project Oversight: Overseeing and managing the entire lifecycle of the NA division roadmaps, projects, steering committees, portfolio budgets, risks, and issues and in general, in coordination with the project management governance resources.

o Cross-Functional Collaboration: Working with various stakeholders to understand needs and translate them into product requirements while being highly effective in building and maintaining relationships with Business Executives and accountable to aligning transformation initiatives to meet business priorities and goals. Partnering with BTS and the delivery organization to drive the integration of new technologies and systems, ensuring they are scalable, and aligned with business objectives while developing and implementing change management strategies to support the successful adoption of new technologies and processes across the organization.
o Primary Point of Contact: Acting as the liaison for NA value-stream projects in agile/scrum meetings working with development teams and other stakeholders. (e.g., Operations, Finance, Data & Analytics, Claims & Actuarial, etc.)

o Business Case Development: Creating business cases for projects, driving and developing robust budgets and estimates for projects as well as support the tracking and reporting of project cost and expense over the life cycle of projects. Establish and maintain governance structures for the NA Portfolio, including decision-making and reporting protocols. Responsible for tracking benefits of the NA Transformation according to defined and agreed KPIs.

o Timeline and Stakeholder Management: Leading efforts to secure executive sponsorship and stakeholder buy-in for transformation initiatives while driving project timelines, managing stakeholders, and addressing blockers and bottlenecks.

o Solution Identification: Identify, track, and mitigate risks and issues impacting NA Portfolio by developing contingency plans to address potential obstacles and finding solutions to keep projects on track and managing stakeholder expectations.

o Status Reporting: Partnering with stakeholders to deliver updates and status reports.

Qualifications
* 10+ years of Product Owner transformation experience and a proven track record in leading and driving complex, large-scale strategic projects focused on North America with a P&C commercial, specialty insurer.
* Bachelor's degree is required, advanced degree is strongly preferred, with an outstanding record of academic achievement.

Skills & Attributes
* Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
* Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to deal effectively with people with conflicting expectations, differing opinions, and multiple viewpoints.
* Demonstrated organizational, management, and presentation skills focused on reporting to senior management.
* Ability to express complex ideas visually and clearly with concise and impactful reporting.
* Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate at all organizational levels, both internally and externally as well as the ability to identify and resolve complex problems.
* Demonstrated effectiveness in leading and operating within a matrixed organization.
* Experience in establishing governance structures and performance metrics.
* Demonstrated ability to drive change and achieve results. Experience managing vendors working within an application development outsourcing model.
* Knowledge of the entire IT Project Lifecycle, especially with regard to planning and initiation, delivery, testing, & problem resolution
* Experience with Agile Methodologies, familiarity with frameworks such as Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, or hybrid methodologies is essential.
* Experience with Lean Principles: Deep understanding of Lean methodologies and principles, including value stream mapping, continuous improvement, and waste reduction.
* Portfolio Management Skills: Proven ability to manage multiple projects or programs within a portfolio, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and efficient resource allocation.
* Financial Acumen: Strong financial management skills to oversee budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis within the portfolio.
* Ability to adapt quickly to new environments, fast learner, ability to work under stress.
* Travel is associated with this role.