AVP, Enterprise Business Transformation

Principal Financial Group

14d • Hybrid

About The Position

We’re looking for an AVP- Enterprise Business Transformation to be on our Transformation team. In this role you'll be The Assistant Vice President – Business Transformation is an enterprise leader responsible for setting the strategic direction, governance model, and operating framework for how the expense management discipline operates and scales, accelerates efficiency initiatives, and help mature the capability for the future. This role shapes and oversees the enterprise-wide efficiency optimization agenda, ensuring alignment to long-term financial aspirations, and organizational strategy. The AVP partners closely with the Vice President, ELT/SLT, and transformation champions, functional and business leaders to establish transformation principles, guardrails, prioritize enterprise opportunities, and drive decision-making across business units and corporate functions for key transformational initiatives. This leader oversees the portfolio, enables capability development, ensures transparency of financial impacts, and guides transformation leaders in delivering measurable, sustainable outcomes. Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose-led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 140 years!

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Management, or related discipline required; Master’s degree strongly preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in business transformation, enterprise strategy, +finance, expense management, or equivalent fields. 6+ years of people leadership preferred.
• Significant experience leading enterprise-wide transformation initiatives, including oversight of large portfolios, multi-year programs, and cross-functional workstreams.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with senior executives, shape strategy, and drive alignment on enterprise priorities.
• Strong judgment, strategic thinking, and ability to simplify complex issues for executive audiences.
• Proven ability to architect operating models, governance structures, and enterprise capabilities.
• Deep experience in building and scaling new capabilities, transformation methods, and enterprise operating frameworks.
• History of delivering measurable outcomes through operational efficiency, portfolio governance, and cross-functional alignment.
• Strong command of expense analysis, benchmarking, forecasting, and unit cost modeling.
• Experience with advanced analytics, automation, or AI/GenAI tools; ability to evaluate and scale digital solutions across an enterprise.
• Comfort leading innovation pilots, building business cases, and aligning technology investments with strategic goals.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to shape executive narratives and influence senior-level decision-making.
• Proven experience leading through ambiguity, mobilizing large teams, and fostering enterprise mindsets.
• Strong relationship management and stakeholder engagement capabilities across highly matrixed environments.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise Strategy & Portfolio Ownership Set the enterprise expense optimization strategy and oversee the design of a cohesive, multi-year portfolio aligned to organizational priorities.
• Partner with stakeholders to drive enterprise-level aspiration setting, ensuring savings targets, capability goals, and investment requirements reflect strategic priorities.
• Establish and govern the enterprise expense opportunity portfolio, providing clear prioritization, resource alignment, and accountability frameworks.
• Partner with ELT/SLT to drive trade-off decisions, scenario evaluations, and enterprise investment choices that balance cost, risk, and capability advancement.
• Oversee the team responsible for day-to-day portfolio execution, ensuring strong governance, transparency, and disciplined delivery.
• Enterprise Capability Building & Operating Model Design Architect the enterprise capability model for expense optimization, including methodologies, tools, standards, and talent structures.
• Build and sponsor the network of Transformation Champions across business units and shared services; ensure enterprise consistency, shared learning, and adoption of best practices.
• Define the capability roadmap for digital enablement, operational efficiency, cost transparency, and insight-driven decision-making.
• Lead the evolution of enterprise processes, governance cadences, and change mechanisms that allow the organization to operate with greater agility and efficiency.
• Executive Insights, Analytics & Strategic Decision Support Serve as the senior advisor to the VP and ELT on expense optimization strategy, emerging risks, structural efficiency opportunities, and capability requirements.
• Oversee enterprise benchmarking, unit-cost frameworks, multi-year aspiration modeling, and proprietary insight development.
• Ensure executive-level reporting provides clear, actionable narratives that connect financial and operational trends to business outcomes.
• Guide Sr. Directors and analytical teams in developing strategic insights, evaluation models, and forecasting tools that enable effective enterprise decision-making.
• Cross-Functional Influence & Governance Alignment Lead alignment across Finance, Procurement, Strategic Planning, PMO, Actuarial, and business units to ensure integrated portfolio oversight and benefit realization.
• Establish enterprise governance routines that standardize intake, sizing, validation, attribution, and tracking of savings and efficiencies.
• Partner with Finance and Actuarial to integrate expense insights into planning cycles, pricing allowances, and long-term strategic forecasting.
• Drive consistent, enterprise-wide transparency into cost structures, spend drivers, value realization, and investment capacity.
• Set the enterprise innovation agenda for expense optimization, including AI/GenAI analytics, automation, next-gen workflow tools, and global shared service models.
• Sponsor pilot programs and proof-of-concept initiatives that demonstrate value and scale emerging capabilities across the enterprise.
• Identify enterprise-wide technology needs, define business requirements, and champion funding and adoption of new digital tools.
• Serve as the enterprise leader for evaluating external benchmarks, emerging technologies, and strategic capability gaps.
• Leadership, Talent Development & Organizational Influence Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of transformation professionals.
• Cultivate an enterprise mindset, influencing senior leaders to shift away from siloed decision-making toward enterprise value creation.
• Represent the Business Transformation Office at executive forums, serving as a strategic partner and thought leader on expense optimization and transformation strategy.
• Build cultural momentum for continuous improvement, innovation, and disciplined execution across the organization.

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short-term illness. Employees don’t accrue a bank of time off under FTO and there is no set number of days provided.
• Pension Eligible

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees