AVP, RIS Transformation

Principal Financial Group • Des Moines, IA

9h • Hybrid

About The Position

We’re seeking an AVP to join our RIS team in our Process Center of Excellence. In this role, you'll provide strategic leadership for major business transformation and operational excellence initiatives. The role aligns business and technology operating models with future-state capabilities and optimizes processes to improve efficiency, customer outcomes, and shareholder value. This leader drives change through influence and collaboration, modeling the behaviors needed to deliver on RIS strategic objectives.

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 (or equivalent experience) plus 15+ years of progressively responsible experience within the retirement or financial services industry, including leadership roles driving business transformation.
• Experience leading or managing people, including hiring and performance management
• Demonstrated strategic thinking and executive-level communication skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive alignment across a matrixed organization.
• Proven ability to lead through ambiguity and change, orchestrating large-scale transformation initiatives and motivating teams to achieve results in a complex, cross-functional environment.
• Deep knowledge of the financial services industry (Retirement and Income Solutions experience preferred), including familiarity with operating models, process optimization, and risk management considerations.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with a track record of data-driven decision making. Adept at building trusted relationships and collaborating effectively across business and technical teams.
• Strong leadership presence with excellent people development skills. Able to inspire high performance, foster collaboration, and maintain adaptability in fast-changing situations.
• High degree of professional integrity and accountability.
• Willingness to travel as business needs dictate (including overnight and international travel).

Nice To Haves

• Retirement and Income Solutions experience preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead Modernization Op Model Workstream: Oversee the Retirement Modernization operating model workstream, aligning business and technology models to future-state capabilities. Identify efficiency opportunities, define frameworks, assess impacts and risks, and outline initiative roadmaps in coordination with related workstreams (especially workflow) to ensure integrated solutions.
• Drive Global Delivery Transformation: Champion RIS Global Delivery efforts by implementing a globally optimized operating model anchored in operational excellence. Partner closely with Principal Global Services’ senior leadership and outsourced partners to advance consistent and optimized model. Ensure execution aligns with strategic intent and customer expectations while driving efficiency and cost optimization. Guide business functional leaders to develop forward-looking workforce and capacity plans leveraging industry best practices, and establish clear metrics to track progress, value realization, and financial impact.
• Optimize Processes and Collaboration: Partner with process improvement, change management, and business functional and transformation teams to continuously identify and implement opportunities that enhance operational effectiveness and deliver measurable business outcomes. Champion AI initiatives in support of the future state operating model.
• Strategic Vision & Change Leadership: Communicate a clear vision and strategic priorities to create line-of-sight across direct and matrixed teams. Inspire and motivate leaders and staff through transformation, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and resilience by role-modeling change leadership and recognizing successes.
• People Leadership: Provide direct leadership to a small, high-performing team, including talent acquisition, coaching, development, and performance management. Manage team resources and budget, ensuring the team is engaged, agile, and aligned with strategic priorities.
• Enterprise Partnership: Collaborate closely with senior RIS leaders and key enterprise stakeholders in strategic planning and governance forums. Work across business lines to integrate RIS initiatives with broader One Principal (enterprise) success measures. Monitor external industry, market, and regulatory trends to inform strategy, and represent RIS in cross-business committees and forums.
• Oversight of Complex Initiatives: Lead execution of the most complex, ambiguous initiatives from ideation through implementation, emphasizing disciplined program management, proactive risk mitigation, and measurable value realization for sustainable results.

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.
• Pension Eligible

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager