Principal Business Process Owner

First American•Usa, CA

About The Position

The Business Process Owner is responsible for continuously optimizing and modernizing operational workflows across the full title insurance lifecycle, from order opening through post-closing and policy issuance. This role applies a data-driven, customer-first principles approach to simplify, standardize, and improve processes, while owning specific process domains, training on implementation and driving them toward scalable, automated solutions. Working closely with cross-functional teams, the analyst translates operational needs into efficient, compliant workflows that balance automation and human input. By leveraging production data, embedding regulatory requirements, training and supporting enterprise-wide adoption, the role ensures consistent, measurable improvements and helps institutionalize best practices across geographies and business segments.

Requirements

12+ years of progressive experience within the functional area, including demonstrated leadership of enterprise-scale process transformation and operational modernization initiatives.
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Information Systems, or related field preferred.
Demonstrated success leading complex enterprise process reengineering initiatives across highly matrixed, multi-functional, and geographically distributed organizations.
Extensive experience driving enterprise process governance, workflow standardization, automation strategy, and operational transformation at scale.
Deep expertise in title insurance and escrow operations, including comprehensive knowledge of the end-to-end transactional lifecycle and operational dependencies.
Advanced experience working with title production systems and platforms (e.g., Ignite, FAST, SoftPro, ResWare, RamQuest, Qualia, or similar systems).
Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and executive communication skills, with the ability to influence senior leadership and translate complex operational concepts into actionable enterprise strategies.
Proven ability to lead multiple high-impact initiatives simultaneously within fast-paced, evolving, and highly matrixed environments.
Expertise with process mapping, workflow analysis, operational metrics, and data visualization tools (e.g., Visio, Lucidchart, Excel, Power BI, Tableau, or similar platforms).
Demonstrated digital and transformation mindset with the ability to drive organizational change, challenge legacy thinking, and leverage technology to fundamentally reimagine operational workflows.
Executive presence with demonstrated ability to influence enterprise decision-making, drive alignment across competing priorities, and lead through ambiguity.
Advanced knowledge of process governance, operational risk management, compliance controls, and enterprise operating model design.
Ability to balance strategic vision with operational execution to drive measurable business outcomes across enterprise functions.

Nice To Haves

Extensive experience within the title insurance and escrow industry, including direct operational exposure across national or multi-state environments.
Experience leading enterprise workflow automation and operational transformation initiatives within title and escrow operations.
Strong understanding of enterprise process governance, operational risk management, and regulatory compliance frameworks.
Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, or other continuous improvement certifications preferred.
Experience influencing or partnering on enterprise technology strategy, system configuration, platform modernization, or digital transformation initiatives involving title production systems.
Proven experience leading organizational change management and enterprise adoption initiatives associated with large-scale operational transformation programs.

Responsibilities

Execute the enterprise vision, strategy, and roadmap for assigned critical process domains across the 1031 exchange transaction lifecycle, driving modernization, simplification, scalability, and operational excellence.
Serve as the primary subject matter expert and governance lead for assigned functional domains for enterprise process standards, governance frameworks, and optimization initiatives.
Apply a customer-first principles mindset to challenge legacy operating models and redesign workflows into scalable, digital-first, and automation-enabled solutions that improve customer, employee, and operational outcomes.
Partner with leadership, operational stakeholders, product teams, and technology organizations to align process transformation initiatives with enterprise strategy, operational priorities, and long-term business objectives.
Lead enterprise-wide process reengineering efforts for assigned processes, spanning multiple business units, geographies, and operational models to drive consistency, efficiency, compliance, and measurable business impact.
Translate complex operational and regulatory requirements into strategic workflow solutions, system capabilities, automation opportunities, and integration strategies that amplify human performance and improve operational scalability.
Leverage advanced production data analysis, operational metrics, benchmarking, and root cause methodologies to identify improvement opportunities, influence strategic decisions, and continuously optimize operational performance.
Develop, maintain, and govern enterprise process documentation standards, including SOPs, process maps, controls, governance models, and operational frameworks to ensure sustainability, scalability, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance, making recommendations to change or update when necessitated.
Embed regulatory, compliance, audit, and risk management requirements into all process design decisions while balancing innovation, operational agility, and governance needs.
Lead cross-functional governance forums and influence organizational adoption of standardized enterprise workflows, ensuring alignment across operations, compliance, product, and technology teams.
Mentor and provide strategic guidance to Business Process Owners, operational leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders to foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and operational discipline.
Champion enterprise automation, workflow optimization, and emerging technology initiatives that modernize operations and improve scalability across the organization.
Partner in shaping technology strategy and operational transformation initiatives involving title production systems, workflow orchestration, and digital process enablement.
Other duties as assigned.