Associate Manager - RIS Operations

Responsibilities The Associate Manager is responsible for leading a team of operations professionals supporting Retirement & Income Solutions (RIS) processes. The role is accountable for operational delivery, service excellence, quality, productivity, workforce management, employee engagement, and continuous improvement initiatives while ensuring adherence to business, regulatory, and compliance requirements. The individual will drive performance through effective people leadership, stakeholder management, operational governance, and process optimization while contributing to automation and transformation initiatives across the organization. Key Responsibilities Operational Management Ensure daily operational targets, SLAs, and quality standards are achieved. Monitor workflow volumes, backlog, productivity, and turnaround times. Drive operational excellence through process standardization and risk mitigation. Ensure compliance with established policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements. Lead root cause analysis and corrective action planning for operational issues. People Leadership Lead, coach, and develop a team of Team Leads and Operations Analysts. Conduct regular performance reviews, coaching sessions, and development discussions. Drive employee engagement, retention, succession planning, and talent development. Foster an inclusive, high-performance culture focused on accountability and continuous improvement. Support hiring, onboarding, and workforce planning activities. Stakeholder Management Build strong working relationships with U.S. business partners and internal stakeholders. Communicate operational performance, issues, risks, and opportunities effectively. Participate in governance forums, operational reviews, and leadership meetings. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve complex operational challenges. Continuous Improvement & Automation Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, quality, and customer experience. Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and process improvement initiatives. Support automation, AI, RPA, and digital transformation projects. Drive implementation of best practices and standard operating procedures. Risk & Compliance Management Ensure compliance with internal controls, audit requirements, and regulatory obligations. Monitor operational risks and implement mitigation plans. Maintain robust business continuity and contingency processes. Support audit reviews and remediation efforts. Reporting & Analytics Analyze operational trends and performance metrics. Prepare management reports, dashboards, and executive summaries. Use data-driven insights to recommend staffing, process, and operational improvements. Support capacity planning and forecasting activities. Qualifications Education Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Commerce, Management, or related discipline. MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification preferred. Experience 12+years of experience in operations, financial services, retirement services, insurance, banking, or shared services environment. Minimum 4-6 years of people management experience. Experience managing operational teams and stakeholder relationships.