Global Head of COO Operations & Strategy

State Street; England; On-site; GBP 127,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

State Street Investment Management seeks a Global Head of Business Operations to partner with the COO, leading the Office of the COO and coordinating global business management, governance and strategic execution.

The GHBO will drive enterprise-wide leadership across finance technology, vendor oversight, data and communications, interfacing with Investments, Institutional, Global Client Coverage Group and corporate functions.

Qualifications

• Strategic, financial and commercial acumen, with the ability to translate enterprise priorities into clear operating plans, investment decisions and measurable outcomes.
• Demonstrated executive leadership in a complex global organization, including responsibility for multidisciplinary teams, operating performance and a portfolio of strategic initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of investment management and the financial, operational, data and technology capabilities that support the business and its funds.
• Proven ability to lead Finance Technology teams and complex multi-year portfolios, including strategy, architecture, prioritization, delivery governance, financial management, vendor oversight and benefits realization.
• Experience modernizing platforms, data environments, integrations and reporting capabilities to simplify processes, improve user experience, and reduce manual activity and operational risk.
• Demonstrated leadership of enterprise AI-enabled transformation, including use-case prioritization, workflow redesign, governance, adoption, workforce readiness, value measurement and sustainable scaling.
• Experience transforming a complex organization to a product operating model, including durable product teams, clear ownership and accountability, outcome-based roadmaps, and agile, iterative delivery.
• Exceptional program management, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritize competing demands and deliver with pace in an ambiguous environment.
• Organizational and political agility, sound judgment, and the ability to influence, negotiate and build trusted relationships with senior leaders across business and corporate functions.
• Advanced written, verbal and executive communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information into compelling analyses and recommendations for varied audiences.
• High standards of ethics, integrity, inclusion, accountability and discretion.

Responsibilities

• Partners with the COO to set strategic and operational objectives aligned with SSIM priorities, ensuring the COO organization meets or exceeds financial and performance benchmarks and key performance indicators.
• Builds strong relationships across the COO executive leadership team and the broader organization to advance strategic initiatives.
• Partners with the COO leadership team to identify and implement process improvements and organizational optimization opportunities.
• Drives the development and production of productivity and efficiency metrics, business scorecards and executive reporting in partnership with COO leadership.
• Leads the COO quarterly business review process in partnership with COO leadership and business unit teams, ensuring timely completion of agreed actions.
• Serves as a key member of the COO leadership team; helps shape meeting agendas, coordinates follow-up with stakeholders and ensures effective information flow across the leadership team. Represents the COO on relevant IM regional and global operating committees, as appropriate.
• Partners closely with the COO’s Executive Assistant to ensure meetings are scheduled, follow-up actions are completed and adhoc requests are addressed in a timely manner.
• Coordinates and manages projects, initiatives and commitments tied directly to the COO’s key priorities. In partnership with the COO leadership team, maintains an inventory of critical-path initiatives, provides visibility into progress and risks, and promotes alignment across Investments, Global Client Coverage Group, the Chief Business Office and corporate functions so the COO can remain focused on the highest-priority matters.
• Partners closely with the SSIM Chief Administrative Officer’s Office to execute the CEO’s high-priority and critical initiatives in support of annual business goals.
• Co-leads with Finance, in partnership with the COO leadership team, the annual COO strategic investment prioritization process aligned with the budget process. Identifies issues, dependencies and resource constraints that could affect successful execution of strategic priorities; escalates matters requiring COO attention and presents solutions to address root causes and maintain delivery momentum.
• Leads confidential, time-sensitive and other special projects assigned by the COO, delivering high-quality results with minimal direction and limited outside support.
• Partners with the Transformation team on SSIM and COO initiatives that drive operational efficiency and improve the client and employee experience.
• Partners with the CEO’s Office and SSIM Finance on the annual budget and mid-year forecast in close coordination with the COO leadership team. Manages routine budget requests and issues, develops operating metrics and dashboards, and establishes regular operational reviews with key stakeholders.
• Partners with Corporate Strategy, the COO leadership team and SSIM Finance on strategic plan development and off-cycle adjustments.
• Owns the strategy, operating model and multi-year roadmap for the Finance Technology team supporting SSIM Finance, investment funds and the broader SSIM business.
• Leads and develops the Finance Technology team, establishing clear accountabilities, delivery priorities, capacity plans and ways of working aligned with Finance and SSIM objectives.
• Partners with SSIM Finance, Fund Administration, Investments, Product, Operations, Data and enterprise technology teams to translate business priorities into scalable technology capabilities and an integrated delivery portfolio.
• Oversees technology capabilities supporting financial planning and analysis, management reporting, revenue and expense management, profitability, fund financial data, product and fund economics, and business performance analytics.
• Establishes and governs the Finance Technology portfolio, including demand intake, prioritization, investment cases, resource allocation, delivery milestones, benefits realization and executive reporting.
• Drives modernization and simplification of finance platforms, data flows and reporting processes, reducing manual effort and improving timeliness, transparency, data quality and user experience.
• Defines the Finance Technology architecture and data strategy in partnership with enterprise architecture and data teams, promoting reusable data products, disciplined integration and consistent financial information across funds and the business.
• Owns relationships with strategic technology vendors and service providers supporting finance capabilities, including service performance, commercial management, roadmap alignment and value realization.
• Ensures finance technology delivery is aligned with enterprise technology standards, information security requirements, data governance expectations and applicable financial and fund-reporting obligations.
• Serves as the senior technology partner to the IM Finance leadership team, providing transparent portfolio reporting, decision support and proactive escalation of delivery issues, dependencies and trade-offs.
• Defines and executes the COO communications strategy, partnering with the leadership team to articulate a compelling vision, strengthen employee engagement and reinforce key messages through senior leaders.
• Coordinates and develops executive materials for presentations, town halls, client meetings, industry engagements and other strategic forums.
• Partners with the COO leadership team and HR to develop and execute employee engagement action plans.
• Partners with the COO leadership team to lead change management and organizational transformation efforts.

Skills

Strategic acumen

Executive leadership

Investment management

Finance technology

Platform modernization

AI transformation

Product operating model

Program management

Organizational agility

Executive communication

Ethics and discretion

Stakeholder management

Education

Undergraduate degree

MBA or CFA preferred

Job description

State Street Investment Management seeks a Global Head of Business Operations to partner with the COO, leading the Office of the COO and coordinating global business management, governance and strategic execution.

The GHBO will drive enterprise-wide leadership across finance technology, vendor oversight, data and communications, interfacing with Investments, Institutional, Global Client Coverage Group and corporate functions.