Director, college savings - cs management

Ascensus is the leading independent technology and service platform powering savings plans across America, providing products and expertise that help nearly 16 million people save for a better today and tomorrow.

Section 1: Position Summary

The Director of Operational Support is responsible for leading and building a centralized support organization for Government Savings Operations (529/ABLE/SFRP). This role provides functional ownership of critical operational support functions including reporting and analytics, forecasting and planning, SLA governance, quality monitoring, event coordination, and problem resolution. The Director will establish a scalable operating model by consolidating existing capabilities and developing new ones to support business growth and operational excellence.

This leader will oversee a team consisting of 2 managers, a team of approximately 15 associates, and a small group of analysts, while also leveraging global resources through a dotted-line model. A key focus of this role is end-to-end ownership of reporting strategy, including the transformation, automation, and optimization of operational reporting. This includes leveraging AI-enabled tools, Power BI, and internal reporting systems to improve data accessibility, reduce manual effort, enhance data accuracy, and deliver proactive, insight-driven analytics.

The Director will play a critical role in enabling data-driven decision-making by delivering timely and accurate insights across key performance indicators (KPIs) such as productivity, quality, budget, SLA performance, and operational effectiveness. This includes building advanced, scalable reporting capabilities that minimize manual data preparation and enable near real-time visibility into operational performance. Additionally, this role will expand the scope of problem resolution to include root cause analysis and systemic improvement, integrating insights into broader reporting and continuous improvement initiatives.

This position is integral to driving operational transparency and supporting strategic transformation efforts by providing meaningful analysis and recommendations to senior leadership, while enhancing efficiency and scalability across the organization. The role will also champion the reduction of manual data entry and reporting processes through automation, improving both operational efficiency and data integrity.

Section 2: Job Functions, Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Establish end-to-end ownership of operational reporting, including daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly deliverables across productivity, quality, budget, and performance metrics
• Drive automation and optimization of reporting processes using Power BI and internal tools, as well as AI-enabled capabilities, reducing manual effort and enhancing data accessibility and scalability
• Develop and maintain reporting infrastructure that enables actionable insights and supports data-driven decision-making while minimizing reliance on manual data aggregation and manipulation
• Oversee SLA reporting, ensuring accurate tracking, transparency, and communication of performance against contractual and internal commitments
• Partner with operations and finance teams to support forecasting, capacity planning, and budget processes, including development and reconciliation of models
• Integrate insights from escalations, corrections, and performance trends into reporting and continuous improvement initiatives
• Identify opportunities for process improvement, standardization, and increased efficiency across support functions, with specific focus on reducing manual data entry, improving data accuracy, and increasing automation
• Collaborate with technology, operations, and business partners to enhance data quality, reporting capabilities, and system functionality, including identifying and implementing AI and automation solutions
• Communicate insights, trends, and recommendations to senior leadership to support strategic decision-making, including clear identification of risks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for automation or process improvement
• Ensure the protection and proper handling of all confidential data in accordance with organizational policies
• Demonstrate and reinforce organizational values, including I-Client Service philosophy and Core Values of People Matter, Quality First and Integrity Always®
• Establish routines for ongoing performance reporting, feedback loops, and quality monitoring to ensure continuous improvement and sustained operational excellence
• Lead efforts to identify, assess, and eliminate manual data entry processes, implementing automated solutions and controls to reduce error rates and improve overall data integrity

Supervision

Lead two direct reports at the Manager level, with oversight of our Problem Resolution and Operational Support teams. Total reports (direct and indirect) will be approximately 20.

Oversee the Problem Resolution team, including escalations and corrections, while expanding scope to include root cause analysis and identification of systemic solutions.

Build, lead, and evolve the Operational Support function, combining existing capabilities with new processes and roles to create a scalable support model.

Provide leadership, coaching, and development to managers, analysts, and team members, fostering a high-performance and analytical culture with strong emphasis on data quality, accountability, and proactive identification of improvement opportunities.

Coordinate operational calendars in support of corporate actions and business events, including conversions, fund events, and related activities.

Lead coordination and oversight of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) activities associated with operational and system changes.

Leverage global resources through a dotted-line structure to support reporting, planning, and analytical needs.

Section 3: Experience, Skills, Knowledge Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of professional experience; 7+ years of leadership experience in operations, analytics, or financial services
• Experience building or transforming teams and functions, including combining existing processes and developing new capabilities
• Strong background in reporting, analytics, and data-driven decision-making, with experience developing end-to-end reporting solutions
• Experience with reporting and visualization tools such as Power BI; experience with data transformation, automation, and AI-enabled analytics strongly preferred
• Demonstrated ability to identify and implement process improvements and automation opportunities, including reduction of manual data entry and reporting activities
• Experience supporting forecasting, capacity planning, and budget processes in an operations environment
• Proven ability to measure and analyze KPIs such as productivity, quality, SLA performance, and financial metrics
• Experience leading or supporting SLA governance and operational performance reporting
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills with attention to detail
• Experience managing or expanding problem resolution or escalation functions, including root cause analysis
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment with multiple priorities
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Experience working in matrixed or global environments with dotted-line relationships preferred
• Knowledge of 529 and/or ABLE savings plans preferred but not required
• Willingness to travel as needed for business and development

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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