Assistant Vice President - Digital Ops Transformation

EXL is seeking an AVP to join its newly established Digital Operations Transformation practice - a high-energy, execution-focused leadership role sitting at the centre of EXL's transformation delivery capability. Reporting to the Senior AVP (D2), this role is responsible for end-to-end project leadership and delivery of complex transformation programmes across a portfolio of BPM clients. The AVP will own the delivery of transformation initiatives spanning process excellence, digital automation, AI embedding, and analytics-driven improvement - working closely with client operations teams and EXL's DE and AI Solutions partners. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable running a Six Sigma improvement project, contributing to client-facing solution design, and managing a cross-functional digital delivery team. Project Leadership & Transformation Delivery Own end-to-end delivery of transformation projects - from scoping and diagnostics through design, implementation, and benefits sign-off Build and manage detailed project plans, timelines, risk registers, and governance cadence; proactively manage deviations Lead cross-functional project teams, ensuring clarity of ownership, accountability, and delivery pace Prepare and present progress reports and steering updates for client and internal leadership Process Excellence & Continuous Improvement Lead DMAIC and Lean improvement projects, applying Six Sigma rigour to opportunity identification, root-cause analysis, and solution design Conduct operational assessments - evaluating client workflows, systems, and KPIs to surface efficiency and quality opportunities Develop and sustain continuous improvement frameworks within client operations, building a healthy pipeline of improvement initiatives Digital Innovation, Automation & AI Identify automation and digital improvement opportunities across client processes; develop business cases and lead implementation Manage RPA, AI/GenAI, and process intelligence deployments in collaboration with EXL's technology and solutions teams Stay current on automation, AI, and digital tooling relevant to BPM operations; bring practical recommendations to clients and the Senior AVP Client-Facing Solution & Product Contribution Support and contribute to the design of client-facing transformation solutions - participating in requirements gathering, solution design workshops, and UAT Work with clients to validate solution designs and ensure they are grounded in operational reality Build reusable assets (playbooks, toolkits, templates) that accelerate delivery and raise solution quality across the practice Data-Driven Insights & Analytics Utilize process mining, advanced analytics, and data visualization tools to generate insights that drive transformation priorities Develop journey maps, value stream maps, and data narratives to communicate client challenges and opportunities clearly Track and report transformation benefits realization against committed KPIs and agreed baselines Stakeholder Management & Change Management Build strong working relationships with client operations teams, engaging regularly at Director and VP level Drive change management and adoption - stakeholder communication plans, training design, and embedding transformed ways of working Support the Senior AVP in strategic client interactions and executive-level programme governance Team Contribution & Knowledge Sharing Mentor junior team members, analysts, and associates; actively contribute to team capability development Contribute to practice-building - methodologies, case studies, and point-of-view documents that strengthen the Digital Ops Transformation brand Actively share knowledge and best practices across the Digital Ops Transformation team Essential – Mandatory Criteria Education Bachelor's degree (any discipline); MBA or postgraduate qualification preferred Experience 10+ years of experience in business transformation, process excellence, and operations management, predominantly in BPO/BPM/ITES environments Proven track record of independently leading and delivering transformation projects with measurable, validated business impact Experience managing cross-functional project teams and coordinating delivery across multiple stakeholder groups Senior client engagement experience - confident operating with client Director and VP-level stakeholders Domain knowledge across at least three of: Banking & Capital Markets | Utilities (Water & Gas) | Airlines & Travel | Transport, Shipping & Logistics Six Sigma & Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification - mandatory Demonstrable portfolio of certified Six Sigma and Lean projects with quantified, validated savings Hands-on experience deploying Lean/Six Sigma, Kaizen, and DMAIC frameworks in live BPM operational environments Technical & Digital Skills RPA Platforms: UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism, or equivalent - requirements definition and bot deployment experience Process Mining: Celonis, Signavio, Minit, or similar - independently able to run process discovery and analysis Analytics & Visualisation: Power BI, Tableau, Qlik, or equivalent - able to build and present insightful dashboards and narratives AI & GenAI: Working knowledge of AI/GenAI capabilities and their application in operations management Workflow & BPM: Experience configuring and managing workflow and BPM platforms Integration: Functional understanding of ETL processes and API integrations Project Management: Jira, Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, Trello, Asana, or similar - project-level governance Soft Skills Strong project leadership - structured, delivery-oriented, able to maintain momentum across complex workstreams Clear, confident communicator - translates technical and analytical outputs into business-readable insights for senior stakeholders Analytical and structured problem-solver; comfortable with ambiguity, able to design solutions from first principles Collaborative team player with the ability to influence without authority across matrixed organizations Desirable – Additional Criteria Six Sigma Master Black Belt certification or active progression towards it Exposure to client-facing product or solution design - co-developing a repeatable tool, framework, or product with or for a client Certification in digital transformation, design thinking, or agile methodologies Exposure to voice / contact centre operational environments