Chief Operations & Transformation Officer

Talenza; Sydney; On-site; AUD 300,000 - 450,000; Full time

Job summary

Talenza in Australia is seeking a Chief Operations & Transformation Officer to lead the operating model required to scale the business, shaping strategy, funding it, and ensuring execution across functions.

You will direct core operations, transformation programmes, and enterprise governance to deliver regulatory compliance, productivity improvements, resilience, and sustainable earnings growth, reporting to the board and CEO.

Qualifications

• Executive background leading enterprise operations and large-scale transformation in regulated financial services.
• Proven experience architecting enterprise target operating models and multi-year change portfolios.
• Governance discipline with experience managing capital allocation, regulatory exposure, and operational risk.
• Strong executive presence with ability to influence cross-functional heads and drive accountability.
• Insurance market depth strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Establish and direct transformation mandate translating global strategy into an executable multi-year roadmap.
• Architect and deploy target operating models across distribution, underwriting operations, claims, and shared services to reduce cost-to-serve and scale capacity.
• Sponsor and steer digital investments, leveraging data analytics, and modernised core platforms to build resilience and improve customer retention.
• Direct enterprise PMO and investment governance, maintaining accountability for delivery milestones, resource constraints, enterprise risk, and ROI.
• Partner closely with executive peers across business units, risk, finance, and regional leadership to arbitrate priority trade-offs and cross-functional dependencies.

Skills

Executive Leadership & Strategy

Operating Model Transformation

Digital & Process Modernisation

Portfolio Governance & Capital Alloc.

Cross-Functional Alignment

Job description

Chief Operations & Transformation Officer

Serving as a core executive team member, you will hold ultimate accountability for shaping, funding, and executing the operating model required to scale the business.

You will direct core operations, transformation programmes, and enterprise governance to deliver operational resilience, regulatory compliance, productivity improvements, and sustainable earnings growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Executive Leadership and Strategy: Establish and direct the A&NZ transformation mandate, translating global and local corporate strategy into an executable multi-year roadmap that protects margins and drives market share.
  
• Operating Model Transformation: Architect and deploy target operating models across distribution, underwriting operations, claims, and shared services to structurally reduce cost-to-serve and scale capacity.
  
• Digital, Data, and Process Modernisation: Sponsor and steer digital investments, leveraging process automation, data analytics, and modernised core platforms to build operational resilience and improve customer retention.
  
• Portfolio Governance and Capital Allocation: Direct enterprise PMO and investment governance, maintaining rigorous accountability for delivery milestones, resource constraints, enterprise risk, and tangible ROI.
  
• Cross-Functional Executive Alignment: Partner closely with executive peers across business units, risk, finance, and regional leadership to arbitrate priority trade-offs, sequencing, and cross-functional dependencies.
  

Candidate Profile

• Executive background leading enterprise operations, core platform modernisation, and large-scale transformation within complex, highly regulated financial services environments, with insurance market depth strongly preferred.
  
• Proven experience architecting enterprise target operating models, digital capabilities, and multi-year change portfolios with clear P&L and cost-efficiency outcomes.
  
• Institutional-grade governance discipline, with a track record managing capital allocation, regulatory exposure, and operational risk at board and committee levels.
  
• Exceptional executive presence, with the ability to influence cross-functional business heads, drive execution accountability, and manage regional matrix structures.