Operations Lead

Job Description

Where you’ll work

The Americas Operations Lead for Aerospace is a senior strategic leader responsible for end-to-end underwriting operations across the region. You will lead a regional team of underwriting support professionals, partner with leadership to translate strategy into scalable, client-centric processes, and drive cross-functional transformations (automation, data strategy, Shared Services) to boost capacity, throughput, and quality. You will own risk and controls, governance, and regulatory compliance, maintain risk registers, and oversee audits. With a focus on performance, you’ll establish KPIs and dashboards for executive visibility, manage budgets and workforce planning, and develop regional talent in a culture of performance and inclusion.

What you’ll be doing

What will your essential responsibilities include?

• Lead End-to-End Underwriting Operations: Lead [Region]–based [Product Line] operations from submission to cash collection, ensuring compliance and alignment with global Middle Office standards. Leverage AI and automation to enhance efficiency and service delivery. Build operational resilience through proactive risk management and contingency planning.
• Build Scalable Operating Models: Design standardized, scalable operating models that optimize capacity and throughput. Partner with Shared Services to move non-core tasks out of underwriting. Embed business continuity and redundancy into all operating model designs.
• Own Risk, Controls, and Resilience: Maintain risk registers, governance frameworks, and compliance standards. Lead audit remediation efforts. Assess and enhance organizational preparedness for disruptions through comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery planning.
• Define Performance Framework and Metrics: Establish KPIs, SLAs, and data quality standards with regular leadership reporting. Use AI-enabled analytics to monitor performance in real-time and track resilience metrics.
• Develop High-Performing Leaders: Recruit, develop, and retain people leaders. Build organizational capability in AI and automation adoption. Foster a culture of business continuity awareness and operational resilience.
• Drive Strategic Initiatives: Deploy automation, digital workflows, and data-driven process improvements with IT and Innovation. Implement resilience-enhancing initiatives such as process redundancy and system failover automation.
• Lead Cross-Functional Governance: Collaborate with LOB leaders, Legal/Regulatory, Finance, and Shared Services to ensure strategic alignment, regulatory compliance, and business continuity integration across all decisions.
• Resolve Operational Issues and Enable Growth: Serve as escalation point for operational challenges. Be expert in leveraging AI insights and automation to prepare contingency plans to resolve issues swiftly, minimize disruptions, and enable business continuity.

You will report to the Head of Underwriting Operations.

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone who has these skills and capabilities

People Skills:

• Empowerment & Psychological Safety: Empowers and coaches others to reach their potential; fosters a culture of growth where individuals feel safe to experiment and speak up
• Analytic and Strategic Mindset: Leverages business insights to make the best decisions
• Customer Centricity: Places customers first; understands and addresses customer needs while also considering the interests of other stakeholders; ensures customer needs are met to drive business success.

Business Skills:

• Relationship Management: Builds and maintains positive connections with clients, colleagues, and stakeholders to achieve shared goals.
• Business and Process Improvement: Identifies, analyses, and improves existing business processes to optimize performance, and improve the user experience for customers and end-users.
• Presentation & Story Telling: Communicates complex data and information effectively through compelling narratives and well-structured presentation within the context of insurance industry

Technical Skills:

• Business Planning: Defines strategies and outlines action to achieve short and long-term business goals and to enhance performance within the (re)insurance sector.
• KPI Acumen: Understands key performance indicators (KPIs), recognizing critical metrics, interpreting their significance, and making informed decisions that directly contribute to achieving KPIs.
• Operational Excellence: Provides operational management for specific PL and/or multiple PLs and interfaces with underwriting management, sales management and financial areas.

Essential Position Information:

• Hybrid position – Currently our hybrid model consists of 3 days in office (one of those days must be a Monday or a Friday) the other two days can be worked remotely.
• Employment Type - Permanent
• Working hours – Full time

Who we are

AXA XL, the P&C and specialty risk division of AXA, is known for solving complex risks. For mid-sized companies, multinationals and even some inspirational individuals we don’t just provide re/insurance, we reinvent it.

How? By combining a comprehensive and efficient capital platform, data-driven insights, leading technology, and the best talent in an agile and inclusive workspace, empowered to deliver top client service across all our lines of business − property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty.

With an innovative and flexible approach to risk solutions, we partner with those who move the world forward.

Learn more at axaxl.com.

What we offer

Inclusion

AXA XL is committed to equal employment opportunity and will consider applicants regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity and origins, marital status, religion, disability, or any other protected characteristic. At AXA XL, we know that an inclusive culture enables business growth and is critical to our success. That’s why we have made a strategic commitment to attract, develop, advance and retain the most inclusive workforce possible, and create a culture where everyone can bring their full selves to work and reach their highest potential. It’s about helping one another — and our business — to move forward and succeed.

• Five Business Resource Groups focused on gender, LGBTQ+, ethnicity and origins, disability and inclusion with 20 Chapters around the globe.
• Robust support for Flexible Working Arrangements
• Enhanced family-friendly leave benefits
• Named to the Diversity Best Practices Index
• Signatory to the UK Women in Finance Charter

Learn more at Inclusion & Diversity at AXA XL | AXA XL. AXA XL is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Total Rewards

AXA XL’s Reward program is designed to take care of what matters most to you, covering the full picture of your health, wellbeing, lifestyle and financial security. It provides competitive compensation and personalized, inclusive benefits that evolve as you do.

We’re committed to rewarding your contribution for the long term, so you can be your best self today and look forward to the future with confidence.

Sustainability

At AXA XL, Sustainability is integral to our business strategy. In an ever-changing world, AXA XL protects what matters most for our clients and communities. We know that sustainability is at the root of a more resilient future. Our 2023-26 Sustainability strategy, called “Roots of resilience”, focuses on protecting natural ecosystems, addressing climate change, and embedding sustainable practices across our operations.

Our Pillars:

• Valuing nature: How we impact nature affects how nature impacts us. Resilient ecosystems - the foundation of a sustainable planet and society – are essential to our future. We’re committed to protecting and restoring nature – from mangrove forests to the bees in our backyard – by increasing biodiversity awareness and inspiring clients and colleagues to put nature at the heart of their plans.
• Addressing climate change: The effects of a changing climate are far-reaching and significant. Unpredictable weather, increasing temperatures, and rising sea levels cause both social inequalities and environmental disruption. We're building a net zero strategy, developing insurance products and services, and mobilizing to advance thought leadership and investment in societal-led solutions.
• Integrating ESG: All companies have a role to play in building a more resilient future. Incorporating ESG considerations into our internal processes and practices builds resilience from the roots of our business. We’re training our colleagues, engaging our external partners, and evolving our sustainability governance and reporting.
• AXA Hearts in Action: We have established volunteering and charitable giving programs to help colleagues support causes that matter most to them, known as AXA XL’s “Hearts in Action” programs. These include our Matching Gifts program, Volunteering Leave, and our annual volunteering day – the Global Day of Giving.

For more information, please see Sustainability at AXA XL.

The US base salary range for this position is USD 131,600 - 230,200. Actual pay will be determined based upon the individual’s skills, experience and location. We strive for market alignment and internal equity with our colleagues’ pay.

At AXA XL, we know how important physical, mental, and financial health are to our employees, which is why we are proud to offer benefits such as a competitive retirement savings plan, health and wellness programs, and many other benefits. We also believe in fostering our colleagues' development and offer a wide range of learning opportunities for colleagues to hone their professional skills and to position themselves for the next step of their careers. For more details about AXA XL’s benefits offerings, please visit US Benefits at a Glance 2026.