Business Unit Continuous Improvement (CI) Sustainability Leader – CI Sustainability

Job Description

Corporate Vice President – Business Unit Continuous Improvement Sustainability Leader | New York Life Insurance Company

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at New York Life Insurance Company, located in a hybrid capacity (3 days per week in-office). As a Fortune 100 mutual company, New York Life has a 180-year legacy of purpose and integrity, providing financial security and peace of mind while evolving into a technology-, data-, and AI-enabled organization. This critical role ensures the sustained adoption of the Continuous Improvement Management System within a business unit or function in Finance, coaching leaders to drive balanced scorecard performance, value creation, and ongoing productivity improvements, ultimately shaping significant business outcomes.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Full-time
• Location: Hybrid – New York, USA
• Pay: $147500–$211000 yearly
• Mission: Ensure the sustained adoption of the CI Management System within an assigned business unit or function within Finance to drive balanced scorecard performance, value creation, and ongoing productivity improvements.
• Tech Stack: Excel, PowerPoint

What You’ll Actually Do
• CI Coaching: Coach multiple Corporate Vice Presidents (CVPs), VPs, and Senior VPs across Tier 2–4 on Continuous Improvement (CI) principles, systems, and tools to build CI maturity across entire functions and deliver advanced leadership refreshers.
• Strategic Deployment: Coach senior leaders on strategy deployment methods like X-matrix and tiered metrics, translating CI assessments into cross-functional strategic priorities, and embedding CI into planning and performance review cadences.
• Sustainability & Assessments: Serve as lead assessor for Management System Assessments (MSAs) across departments or the business unit, translating findings into strategic priorities, overseeing execution of 100-day plans, and tailoring CI systems to meet evolving needs.
• Value Creation: Lead value creation initiatives that deliver 3–5% year-over-year gains at a multi-team or business unit scale, supporting leaders in linking improvement efforts to financial outcomes and balanced scorecards.
• System Integration: Apply and coach advanced CI tools and systems (e.g., Kaizen events, Hoshin Kanri, CI loop design), design and adapt systems to embed CI behaviors across functions, and collaborate with the Center of Excellence (COE) to evolve enterprise methodology and tool standards.

The Must-Haves
• Background: A BS/BA degree or equivalent is required, coupled with strong Continuous Improvement and systems-thinking capabilities necessary to identify root causes and translate assessment findings into practical improvement plans.
• Experience: Candidates must bring 7+ years of experience with Continuous Improvement, Lean Management, or Operational Excellence, along with a track record of leading, developing, and coaching others. Proven success in CI leadership across large-scale, federated organizations is highly valued.
• Skills: Deep knowledge of Continuous Improvement principles, systems, tools, diagnostic techniques, and problem-solving methods; demonstrated ability to coach, influence, facilitate, and build alignment with business leaders without direct authority; project management capability, including defining steps, timing, and actions.
• Bonus: Previous participation as a Change Agent in a prior Continuous Improvement deployment; team leadership experience; strong executive presence and ability to influence at VP/SVP level; familiarity with OEI, Shingo, or equivalent frameworks; and experience with adult-learning and facilitation techniques.