Director of Operational Excellence Engineering

The Director of Operational Excellence Engineering will serve as a strategic individual contributor responsible for driving operational excellence and system reliability across B2C retirement platforms. Reporting directly to the Head Retirement Solutions Individual Technology (B2C),  this role is essential to achieving our Executive Committee mandate to make 2026 the year of operational excellence, with particular focus on serving our top institutions, TRAC users, and participants.
 
This position will function as the Technology lead for B2C operational excellence initiatives, working in close partnership with the Retirement Technology Operations & Managed Services organization to establish unified standards and practices across service delivery functions. The role brings critical parity to our operating model, mirroring a parallel position being established for B2B operations.
Key Responsibilities and Duties

• Operational Excellence & Root Cause Analysis – Conduct comprehensive analysis of system performance, service incidents, and outage patterns to identify systemic issues and their underlying causes. Synthesize data from incident reports, monitoring systems, and operational metrics to pinpoint areas where structural improvements will yield the greatest impact on system reliability and participant experience. Develop holistic remediation strategies that address root problems rather than symptoms.
• Site Reliability Engineering & System Resilience – Champion Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles and practices to build more resilient systems. Identify opportunities to implement graceful degradation patterns, ensuring systems maintain core functionality even during partial failures. Evaluate current architecture and operational practices to recommend and drive implementation of fail-safe mechanisms, redundancy strategies, and automated recovery procedures that minimize participant impact during system stress or component failures.
• Zero Tolerance Compliance & Monitoring – Establish and maintain rigorous monitoring frameworks and early warning systems in support of our zero tolerance posture for system outages. Define key performance indicators, establish escalation protocols, and ensure real-time visibility into system health across all B2C platforms. Develop proactive intervention strategies that prevent incidents before they impact participants.
• Managed Services Oversight & SLA Management – Serve as the primary oversight lead for our Accenture managed services partnership, ensuring contractual service level agreements are consistently met for all B2C operations. Track service delivery metrics, conduct regular performance reviews, identify gaps in service delivery, and drive accountability for remediation. Maintain detailed scorecards and documentation that demonstrate compliance and highlight areas requiring attention.
• Executive Reporting & Communication – Develop and deliver regular executive-level reporting on operational excellence initiatives, system reliability metrics, incident trends, and program progress. Create dashboards, presentations, and written reports that clearly communicate both technical and business impacts of operational improvements. Translate complex technical information into business outcomes that resonate with EC-level stakeholders.
• Cross-Functional Partnership & Synergy Building – Work collaboratively with Retirement Technology Operations & Managed Services leadership to identify opportunities to create operational synergies, eliminate redundancies, and establish consistent practices across service delivery functions. Ensure alignment between development, operations, and managed services teams in pursuit of common operational excellence goals.

Educational Requirements

• University (Degree) Preferred

Work Experience

• 8+ Years Required; 10+ Years Preferred

Career Level
10IC

Required Skills:

• 8+ years of experience in Technology Operations, Service Delivery, or IT Service Management
• Demonstrated experience leading operational excellence initiatives at enterprise scale, including root cause analysis, incident management, and systemic remediation
• Experience with Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles, practices, and implementation, including graceful degradation, redundancy strategies, and automated recovery
• Experience establishing and managing monitoring frameworks, KPIs, and escalation protocols for production systems
• Experience managing third-party managed services partnerships, including SLA tracking, performance management, and vendor accountability
• Experience developing and delivering executive-level reporting, dashboards, and presentations that translate technical complexity into business outcomes
• Ability to assess complex enterprise architectures and translate findings into clear, actionable strategies that simplify systems, reduce fragility, and strengthen operational resilience

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with B2C retirement, financial services, or similarly regulated technology platforms
• Experience operating as a strategic individual contributor in a matrixed organization, driving outcomes through influence rather than direct authority
• Familiarity with AI-powered monitoring, observability, and automated remediation tools
• Experience with chaos engineering, digital twin simulation, or advanced resilience testing methodologies
• Experience governing increasingly autonomous or AI-augmented operational systems
• Familiarity with ITIL, Agile, or SAFe frameworks as they apply to operational service delivery
• Experience managing large-scale vendor relationships, specifically with Accenture or similar global managed services providers
• Retirement technology or financial services industry experience preferred
• Experience building and maturing operational excellence programs from the ground up in an enterprise environment
• Experience working across cross-functional technology and operations teams to drive alignment and shared outcomes

Anticipated Posting End Date:

Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, time in role, base salary of internal peers, prior performance, business sector, and geographic location.  In addition to base salary, the competitive compensation package may include, depending on the role, participation in an incentive program linked to performance (for example, annual discretionary incentive programs, non-annual sales incentive plans, or other non-annual incentive plans). 

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Company Overview

Every worker deserves a secure retirement. For more than 100 years, TIAA has delivered it for millions of people. Founded to help educators retire with dignity, today weʼre a market-leading retirement company fueled by world-class asset management. But weʼre not just another legacy financial services firm. Weʼre fighting harder than ever before for our clients and the many Americans who need us.

Our Culture of Impact

At TIAA, we're on a mission to build on our 100+ year legacy of delivering for our clients while evolving to meet tomorrow's challenges. We equip our associates with future-focused skills and AI tools that enable us to advance our mission. Together, we are fighting to ensure a more secure financial future for all and for generations to come. We are guided by our values: Champion Our People, Be Client Obsessed, Lead with Integrity, Own It, and Win As One. They influence every decision we make and how we work together to serve our clients every day. We thrive in a collaborative in-office environment where teams work across organizational boundaries with shared purpose, accelerating innovation and delivering meaningful results. Our workplace brings together TIAA and Nuveen's entrepreneurial spirit, where we work hard and work together to create lasting impact. Here, every associate can grow through meaningful learning experiences and development pathways—because when our people succeed, our impact on clients' lives grows stronger.

Benefits and Total Rewards

The organization is committed to making financial well-being possible for its clients, and is equally committed to the well-being of our associates. That’s why we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package designed to make a positive difference in the lives of our associates and their loved ones. Our benefits include a superior retirement program and highly competitive health, wellness and work life offerings that can help you achieve and maintain your best possible physical, emotional and financial well-being. To learn more about your benefits, please review our Benefits Summary.

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