Associate Director, Global Operational Excellence

What You'll Do At Principal Asset Management, we’re seeking a Global Operational Excellence Associate Director to act as a strategic partner across Financial Management and Risk & Control functions. This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives in complex environments, brings structure to ambiguity, and partners across the business to drive transparency in our financial risk related disciplines. What You’ll Do Operational Excellence Champion continuous improvement across financial management, capacity planning, and risk oversight to enhance operational efficiency and scalability. Define and execute an operations value framework, including identifying demand drivers and cost inputs and establishing nit costing models Drive structural improvements to increase operating leverage across global delivery models. Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and agility, including the use of AI and emerging capabilities. Financial Management & Risk / Control Provide oversight of budget planning, expense management, and committed investment tracking across global delivery initiatives. Partner with business stakeholders to build transparency into cost structures and develop scalable financial models. Establish and monitor key operational and risk metrics, ensuring visibility into performance and risk hotspots. Lead mitigation strategies and drive accountability for remediation actions. Stakeholder Engagement & Communication Serve as a trusted advisor and liaison across business, technology, and operations. Communicate complex strategies, progress, and insights clearly to executive stakeholders. Influence decisions, drive alignment, and facilitate cross-functional collaboration. Build strong relationships across global teams and external partners. Strategic Planning Contribute to the development and execution of multi-year operational strategies. Translate strategy into actionable roadmaps with defined success metrics and measurable outcomes. Lead discussions to align operational efforts with broader business goals. Who You Are Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience 8+ years of experience in operations, FP&A, risk, or strategy in complex Financial Services or Asset Management environment Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with experience navigating ambiguity Proven ability to influence stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills Highly organized, detail-oriented, and results-driven with ability to manage multiple priorities Demonstrated ability to work independently and lead through influence Global travel up to 5% Salary Range Information Salary ranges below reflect targeted base salaries. Non-sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation for all roles will be based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer. Salary Range (Non-Exempt expressed as hourly; Exempt expressed as yearly) $127000 - $150000 / year Time Off Program 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 No Work Authorization/Sponsorship At this time, we're not considering applicants that need any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future to work in the United States. This includes, but IS NOT LIMITED TO: F1-OPT, F1-CPT, H-1B, TN, L-1, J-1, etc. For additional information around work authorization needs please use the following links. Nonimmigrant Workers and Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants Investment Code of Ethics For Principal Asset Management positions, you’ll need to follow an Investment Code of Ethics related to personal and business conduct as well as personal trading activities for you and members of your household. These same requirements may also apply to other positions across the organization. Experience Principal At Principal, we value connecting on both a personal and professional level. Together, we’re imagining a more purpose-led future for financial services – and that starts with you. Our success depends on the unique experiences, backgrounds, and talents of our employees. And we support our employees the same way we support our customers: with comprehensive, competitive benefit offerings crafted to protect their physical, financial, and social well-being. Check out our careers site to learn more about our purpose, values and benefits. Principal is an Equal Opportunity Employer All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Posting Window We will accept applications for 3 full days following the Original Posting Date, after which the posting may remain open or be removed based upon applications received. If we choose to post the job again, we will accept additional applications for at least 1 full day following the Most Recently Posted Date. Please submit applications in a timely manner as there is no guarantee the posting will be available beyond the applicable deadline. Original Posting Date 6/5/2026 Most Recently Posted Date 6/12/2026 Principal uses artificial intelligence tools to assist in reviewing and evaluating job applications, fraud prevention, and candidate matching and comparisons. These AI tools support our human recruiters in the initial review process but do not make final hiring decisions without human involvement. By submitting your application, you acknowledge this use of AI in our recruitment process. Please review our Workforce (U.S.) Privacy Notice for more details on our practices and your data privacy rights. At Principal Asset Management, we’re seeking a Global Operational Excellence Associate Director to act as a strategic partner across Financial Management and Risk & Control functions. This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives in complex environments, brings structure to ambiguity, and partners across the business to drive transparency in our financial risk related disciplines. What You’ll Do Operational Excellence Champion continuous improvement across financial management, capacity planning, and risk oversight to enhance operational efficiency and scalability. Define and execute an operations value framework, including identifying demand drivers and cost inputs and establishing nit costing models Drive structural improvements to increase operating leverage across global delivery models. Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and agility, including the use of AI and emerging capabilities. Financial Management & Risk / Control Provide oversight of budget planning, expense management, and committed investment tracking across global delivery initiatives. Partner with business stakeholders to build transparency into cost structures and develop scalable financial models. Establish and monitor key operational and risk metrics, ensuring visibility into performance and risk hotspots. Lead mitigation strategies and drive accountability for remediation actions. Stakeholder Engagement & Communication Serve as a trusted advisor and liaison across business, technology, and operations. Communicate complex strategies, progress, and insights clearly to executive stakeholders. Influence decisions, drive alignment, and facilitate cross-functional collaboration. Build strong relationships across global teams and external partners. Strategic Planning Contribute to the development and execution of multi-year operational strategies. Translate strategy into actionable roadmaps with defined success metrics and measurable outcomes. Lead discussions to align operational efforts with broader business goals. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience 8+ years of experience in operations, FP&A, risk, or strategy in complex Financial Services or Asset Management environment Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with experience navigating ambiguity Proven ability to influence stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills Highly organized, detail-oriented, and results-driven with ability to manage multiple priorities Demonstrated ability to work independently and lead through influence Global travel up to 5%