Director Product & Operational Excellence

Company :

Highmark Health

Job Description : 

JOB SUMMARY

This senior shared services leadership role provides critical thought partnership and operational oversight to product management teams across assigned portfolios. Responsibilities include driving operational excellence, leading change management, fostering innovation to improve product health, contributing to product transformation and maturity, and strategic utilization of value levers toward outcomes. This involves identifying and eliminating inefficiencies across the product lifecycle and customer journey, enhancing processes, and leveraging technology to boost productivity. The Director will ensure seamless product adoption and user satisfaction through comprehensive change management support, aligning product development with roadmaps, customer needs, and overall business strategy. Success requires strong collaboration and influence at all organizational levels and across the totality of the product lifecycle.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform management responsibilities to include, but are not limited to: involved in hiring and termination decisions, coaching and development, rewards and recognition, performance management and staff productivity.  Plan, organize, staff, direct and control the day-to-day operations of the department; develop and implement policies and programs as necessary; may have budgetary responsibility and authority.
• Strategic Leadership & Transformation Execution: Develop and execute the integrated product change management and operational excellence strategy, identifying key improvement areas and aligning to product portfolio priorities, using industry best-in-class transformation methodologies as appropriate. 
• Process and Product Optimization: Lead the analysis of applicable product-related processes, identify opportunities for improvement, and help implement innovative solutions which enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve overall product performance in partnership with product management and other business functions. 
• Change Management: Lead and support change management initiatives related to product launches, updates, and other relevant changes. This includes assessing stakeholder and organizational impact, developing communication plans, training guidance and/or delivery, onboarding, knowledge management, operational performance metric recommendations, rewards strategy and other relevant operating model support to fully enable a holistic change management approach. 
• Reporting & Communication: Present progress reports to executive, product and business function leadership, influence strategic direction and communicate key findings and recommendations effectively
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with teams across operations, product management, product realization and product ownership to identify and address operational challenges and ensure alignment on priorities. 
• Business Architecture, as applicable: When appropriate and available, provide foundational business architecture oversight for product management, ensuring alignment between product strategy, operational capabilities, and the overall enterprise architecture. This includes contributing to the definition of business capabilities and information models necessary to enable mature product management. 
• Other duties as assigned or requested.

EXPERIENCE

Required

• 7 years of Product management or related enabling role

• 5 years of Management or leadership role

• 5 years of Operations role

Preferred

• 5 years in Healthcare Industry, Financial Services or equivalent industry experience

• 5 years in Lean/Six Sigma, change management or other process improvement frameworks

SKILLS

• Leading change
• Written and oral presentation
• Organization and prioritization
• Budget management and cost control
• Financial acumen
• People management

EDUCATION

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or relevant experience and/or education as determined by the company in lieu of bachelor's degree.   

Preferred

• Master's

LICENSES or CERTIFICATIONS

Required

• None

Preferred

• None

Language (Other than English):

• None

Travel Required: