Director, Operational Excellence

At Early Warning, we’ve powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle®, Paze℠, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses.

Positions located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship.

Overall Purpose

The Director, Operational Excellence role plays a critical role in shaping and delivering enterprise-wide initiatives that improve scalability, performance, and risk outcomes across Early Warning. This role partners closely with leadership team to identify the highest impact opportunities, translate strategic priorities into actionable change across highly interdependent teams. The role will also help lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of business processes across the enterprise. This role is focused on ensuring cross-functional processes are optimized for scalability, agility, and performance, aligning with strategic goals to deliver measurable business outcomes.

This role is ideal for a leader who combines structured problem-solving with hands-on execution and is comfortable operating in ambiguity while driving outcomes across a highly interdependent organization.

Essential Functions

• Leads and drives cross-functional operational excellence initiatives that improve end-to-end processes, scalability, and effectiveness.

• Partners closely with the Head of Corporate Strategy and the Senior Director of Operational Excellence to diagnose operational challenges, design solutions, and execute agreed-upon transformation priorities, ensuring strategic intent is translated into measurable operational outcomes.

• Defines, tracks, and analyzes key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure process effectiveness, efficiency gains, and initiative outcomes

• Conducts and oversees process assessments across assigned functions to identify inefficiencies, redundancies, risks, and opportunities for improvement

• Drives execution across multiple teams, balancing speed, risk, and control requirements

• Supports enterprise-wide transformation efforts by aligning stakeholders and drives adoption of automation, AI, and digital solutions by identifying use cases, partnering with technology teams, and driving implementation within scope

• Prepares clear, data-driven analyses, reports, and recommendations for senior leadership, translating process findings into practical, decision-support insights

• Serves as a change champion for assigned initiatives, driving engagement and adoption through effective communication, stakeholder management, and follow-through

• Ensures compliance, risk, and scalability considerations are incorporated into process redesigns in collaboration with risk, legal, and control partners

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, operations management, industrial engineering, or related field

• 12 years of experience in management consulting, transformation, strategy, or operational excellence roles

• Consulting or equivalent experience demonstrating structured problem-solving, executive communication, and leading enterprise-wide transformation initiatives with measurable impact

• Experience working within financial services, fintech, payments, or other regulated industries

• Demonstrated success in leading enterprise-wide transformation initiatives with measurable impact

• Strong stakeholder management skills and comfort operating in ambiguity

• Strong background in change management and executive stakeholder management

• Exceptional communication, influencing, and negotiation skills

• Background and drug screen

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in target operating model design, process improvement, or leading organizational transformation efforts

• Exposure to payments, banking, or financial infrastructure environments

• Experience working closely with senior leaders on enterprise initiatives

• Master’s degree or MBA

• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt certification

Physical Requirements

Working conditions consist of a normal office environment. Work is primarily sedentary and requires extensive use of a computer and involves sitting for periods of approximately four hours. Work may require occasional standing, walking, kneeling and reaching. Must be able to lift 10 pounds occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently. Requires visual acuity and dexterity to view, prepare, and manipulate documents and office equipment including personal computers. Requires the ability to communicate with internal and/or external customers.

Employee must be able to perform essential functions and physical requirements of position with or without reasonable accommodation.

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow instructions and perform other related duties as assigned by their supervisor.

The base pay scale for this position in:
New York, NY/ San Francisco, CA in USD per year is: $186,000 - $232,000.
Additionally, candidates are eligible for a discretionary incentive plan and benefits.

This pay scale is subject to change and is not necessarily reflective of actual compensation that may be earned, nor a promise of any specific pay for any specific candidate, which is always dependent on legitimate factors considered at the time of job offer. Early Warning Services takes into consideration a variety of factors when determining a competitive salary offer, including, but not limited to, the job scope, market rates and geographic location of a position, candidate’s education, experience, training, and specialized skills or certification(s) in relation to the job requirements and compared with internal equity (peers). The business actively supports and reviews wage equity to ensure that pay decisions are not based on gender, race, national origin, or any other protected classes.

Some of the Ways We Prioritize Your Health and Happiness 

• Healthcare Coverage – Competitive medical (PPO/HDHP), dental, and vision plans as well as company contributions to your Health Savings Account (HSA) or pre-tax savings through flexible spending accounts (FSA) for commuting, health & dependent care expenses.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Featuring a 100% Company Safe Harbor Match on your first 6% deferral immediately upon eligibility.
• Paid Time Off – Unlimited Time Off for Exempt (salaried) employees, as well as generous PTO for Non-Exempt (hourly) employees, plus 11 paid company holidays and a paid volunteer day.
• 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Maven Family Planning – provides support through your Parenting journey including egg freezing, fertility, adoption, surrogacy, pregnancy, postpartum, early pediatrics, and returning to work.

And SO much more! We continue to enhance our program, so be sure to check our Benefits page here for the latest. Our team can share more during the interview process!

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Early Warning Services, LLC (“Early Warning”) considers for employment, hires, retains and promotes qualified candidates on the basis of ability, potential, and valid qualifications without regard to race, religious creed, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, protected veteran or disability status or any factor prohibited by law, and as such affirms in policy and practice to support and promote equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and municipal laws. The company also prohibits discrimination on other bases such as medical condition, marital status or any other factor that is irrelevant to the performance of our employees.