Operational Readiness Lead: Cross-Functional Programs

First Citizens Bank; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

First Citizens Bank is seeking an Operational Readiness Specialist to bridge project delivery and ongoing operations. You will coordinate cross-functional teams, validate requirements, identify risks, and ensure people, processes, and tools are in place for a seamless go-live.

The role emphasizes readiness planning, documentation, training, and performance metrics, with a focus on process improvement and change management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, operations management, engineering, project management, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 3-5+ years experience in operations, project coordination, commissioning, or process improvement.
• Strong understanding of operational workflows and change management.
• Demonstrated experience managing cross-functional stakeholders.
• Excellent problem-solving and risk-assessment skills.
• Strong communication, organization, and documentation abilities.
• Industry certifications (Lean, Six Sigma, ITIL, PMP) are beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Readiness Planning: Develop and maintain operational readiness plans, checklists, and transition frameworks to support successful project rollout.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Collaborate with operations, business units, SRE teams and project teams to align deliverables, requirements, and expectations.
• Risk Identification & Mitigation: Identify operational risks, gaps, and dependencies; recommend and track mitigation actions.
• Process & Procedure Development: Ensure operational procedures, workflows, SOPs, and contingency plans are created, validated, and approved prior to go-live.
• Training & Competency: Coordinate and validate staff training, competency assessments, and resource readiness.
• Documentation & Handover: Ensure all operational documentation is complete, accurate, and transferred to operational teams.
• Performance Metrics: Develop and track readiness KPIs and provide regular status reports to leadership.
• Continuous Improvement: Capture lessons learned and contribute to improving the organization's operational readiness framework and methodologies.

Skills

Problem-solving

Risk assessment

Communication

Stakeholder management

Documentation

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree in business or related field

Job description

First Citizens Bank is seeking an Operational Readiness Specialist to bridge project delivery and ongoing operations. You will coordinate cross-functional teams, validate requirements, identify risks, and ensure people, processes, and tools are in place for a seamless go-live.

The role emphasizes readiness planning, documentation, training, and performance metrics, with a focus on process improvement and change management.