Strategic Delivery Lead – COO

AXIS (AXIS Capital); Red Bank (NJ); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical plans

Retirement plans

Tuition reimbursement

Paid vacation

Job summary

AXIS Capital in Red Bank, NJ seeks a Strategic Delivery Lead - COO to oversee cross-functional delivery of strategic initiatives spanning operations, technology, and data & analytics within a matrixed environment.

You will partner with business leaders, Product Owners, Value Stream Leads, Release Train Engineers, Application Delivery, Data & Analytics, AI, and COE teams to shape, launch, and oversee COO initiatives, ensuring alignment with enterprise objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business administration or related field required.
• PMP, Lean Six Sigma, Agile delivery certifications (SAFe SPC, PMI-ACP) or equivalent advantageous.
• Proven experience leading large-scale projects in a matrixed environment.
• Experience in insurance industry preferred.

Responsibilities

• Drive and align COO projects with enterprise priorities across operations, technology, and data & analytics.
• Govern governance, budgets, delivery status, dependencies, and reporting across COO projects.
• Identify and mitigate risks; ensure KPI attainment and transparent reporting.
• Coordinate resources and prioritize work across multiple teams and value streams.
• Participate actively in Program Increment (PI) Planning and manage cross-Value Stream dependencies.

Skills

Strategic delivery leadership

Portfolio management

Cross-functional collaboration

PM certifications

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Adaptability

Executive presence

AI tools usage

Education

Bachelor's degree in business administration

Tools

Program/project management tools

Job description

This is your opportunity to join AXIS Capital - a trusted global provider of specialty lines insurance and reinsurance. We stand apart for our outstanding client service, intelligent risk taking and superior risk adjusted returns for our shareholders. We also proudly maintain an entrepreneurial, disciplined and ethical corporate culture. As a member of AXIS, you join a team that is among the best in the industry.

At AXIS, we believe that we are only as strong as our people. We strive to create an inclusive and welcoming culture where employees of all backgrounds and from all walks of life feel comfortable and empowered to be themselves. This means that we bring our whole selves to work.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic, including age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any basis prohibited by the laws that govern its operations.

Job Description: Strategic Delivery Lead - COO

How does this role contribute to our collective success?

The Strategic Delivery Lead - COO oversees the internal COO of strategic initiatives spanning operations, technology, and data & analytics. This role provides a clear, integrated view of delivery and helps ensure that initiatives are prioritized, governed, and executed in support of COO business objectives.

Key responsibilities include maintaining cross-functional delivery roadmaps, managing budgets, risks, dependencies, and initiative-level reporting, and ensuring alignment across operations, technology, and data & analytics priorities. The role operates in a matrixed environment, partnering with business leaders, Product Owners, Value Stream Leads, Release Train Engineers, Application Delivery, Data & Analytics, AI, and COE teams to shape, launch, and oversee COO initiatives.

What will you do in this role?

Drive and guide strategy for COO projects in collaboration with Business Leaders, Product Owners, Value Stream Leads** , **** Release Train Engineers **, and delivery partners, ensuring alignment across operations, technology, and data & analytics objectives. Specifically, they will execute:

Strategic Alignment: In support of COO leadership, the Strategic Delivery Lead ensures that operations, technology, and data & analytics initiatives align with enterprise priorities, COO objectives, and measurable business outcomes.

Governance and Management: The Strategic Delivery Lead manages governance, financials, delivery status, dependencies, and reporting across COO projects, including budgets, actuals, Objectives & Key Results (OKR) attainment, delivery metrics, and other KPIs.

Risk Management: The Strategic Delivery Lead identifies and mitigates risks that could impact success.

Stakeholder Communication: The Strategic Delivery Lead maintains clear communication with stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment on goals and progress.

Resource Allocation: The Strategic Delivery Lead supports prioritization and allocation of resources required to deliver COO initiatives, including work that spans operations teams, technology delivery teams, data & analytics teams, and initiatives not supported by Agile Teams.

Participating in PI Planning: The Strategic Delivery Lead actively participates in Program Increment (PI) Planning, identifying cross-Value Stream dependencies, helping set priorities, and mitigating impediments.

You may also be required to take on additional duties, responsibilities and activities appropriate to the nature of this role.

About You:

We encourage you to bring your own experience and expertise to the table, so while there are some qualifications and experiences, we need you to have, we are open to discussing how your individual knowledge might lend itself to fulfilling this role and help us achieve our goals.

What you need to have:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration or a related field.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Lean Six Sigma certifications, Agile delivery certifications (e.g. SAFe SPC, SAFe Lean Portfolio Management, PMI-ACP) , or other relevant certifications are advantageous.
• Proven experience in strategic delivery leadership, portfolio or project management with a track record of successfully leading and delivering large-scale projects in a matrixed environment.
• Proven experience in the insurance industry preferred.
• Experience overseeing cross-functional programmes that include business operations, technology delivery, data & analytics, process improvement, and transformation initiatives.

Critical competencies:

• Ability to think strategically and align project goals with the overall business objectives of the COO organization, including operations, technology, and data & analytics priorities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities, including strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to adapt to changing project requirements and manage ambiguity.
• Keen attention to detail to ensure project plans and deliverables are accurately developed and maintained.
• Strong collaborative skills to work effectively with various teams and stakeholders.
• Ability to balance structure and flexibility, with a focus on results and accountability.
• Strong executive presence and credibility, with experience dealing with senior business leaders.
• Effective influencing, negotiating, and decision-making skills.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to coordinate and manage multiple priorities.
• Proficiency in using AI-enabled tools to enhance productivity, improve analysis, streamline communication, and support effective delivery management.
• Proficiency in project management tools and software platforms.

Role Factors:

In this role, you will typically be required to:

• Embrace the hybrid culture offered at AXIS, you need to be in office 3 days per week.
• Much of the work involves using computers for data entry, analysis, and communication. Comfort with prolonged screen time is necessary.
• While much of the work may be desk-bound, there might be occasions requiring mobility within the office environment, such as attending meetings or accessing filing systems.

What we offer:

For this position, we currently expect to offer a base salary in the range of $160,000 -$180,000. Your salary offer will be based on an assessment of a variety of factors including your specific experience and work location.

In addition, you will be offered competitive target incentive compensation, with awards based on overall corporate and individual performance. On top of this, you will be eligible for a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes medical plans for you and your family, health and wellness programs, retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation, and much more.

Where this role is based in the United States of America, this role is Exempt for FLSA purposes.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.