Senior Process Optimization Consultant
The Hartford's Priority Business organization is seeking a Senior Process Optimization Consultant to lead efforts that transform customer journeys and operational processes across the client and member lifecycle. In this role, you will apply structured methodologies / frameworks such as DMAIC, Lean principles, and Journey Mapping to analyze current-state user experiences and business processes, identify pain points, and prioritize opportunities for improvement based on business value and stakeholder engagement. You will lead cross-functional efforts to define future-state experiences and operating models, build business cases that inform strategic investment decisions, and partner with product management to support epic and feature definition for capabilities needed to enable the target-state vision. This role also plays a critical part post-deliveryadjusting processes based on implemented capabilities, establishing control plans, and setting up feedback loops to measure outcomes and sustain improvements.
The Senior Process Optimization Consultant will report to the Program Director, Priority Business Optimization and may be based in one of our Hartford offices on a hybrid basis (three days a week in the office); candidates that do not live within a reasonable driving distance to one of our offices will have a remote work arrangement, traveling as business needs require. If you thrive on solving complex problems, driving operational excellence, and influencing change, this role offers the opportunity to make a lasting impact on how we serve our Priority Business customers.
Responsibilities :
- Lead timely and structured discoveries on assigned initiatives to define project charters, uncover customer pain points, process inefficiencies, and automation opportunities.
- Apply DMAIC, Lean, and Six Sigma methodologies to assess current-state processes, analyze data and customer / employee feedback, identify root causes, and prioritize improvement opportunities.
- Facilitate journey mapping workshops to visualize current and future states, align stakeholders, and define target-state designs.
- Develop lean business cases and cost-benefit analyses to quantify potential value, effort, and risk for prioritized initiatives; leverage qualitative and quantitative data, competitive insights, and customer feedback to inform initiative selection and prioritization.
- Lead by example as a change championmodel innovative thinking, inspire a culture of continuous improvement, and influence stakeholders to embrace new ways of working.
- Design and test proof-of-concept pilots to validate strategic hypotheses and assumptions before full-scale implementation.
- Define and document future-state workflows, operating models, and business requirements for enabling capabilities, ensuring alignment with business objectives and compliance standards.
- Collaborate with Senior Platform Product Owners to transition prioritized work into platform capability definition and delivery; adjust future-state processes based on actual scope and outcomes, ensuring alignment with implemented capabilities.
- Establish control plans and reporting routines to monitor process stability, measure outcome achievement, and identify future optimization opportunities; conduct root cause analyses, process audits, and risk assessments to inform continuous improvement strategies.
- Develop and execute operational readiness and comprehensive change management strategies to support adoption of new capabilities, processes, and behaviors while minimizing disruption to business operations.
- Facilitate cross-functional teams and provide guidance to leadership on process management, continuous improvement, and strategic business decisions.
- Develop and monitor KPIs to measure process health and improvement; ensure process artifacts are maintained for effective ongoing management.
- Stay current on industry trends, process optimization best practices, and regulatory changes to inform strategy.
- Operate with an ownership mindsetbe proactive, innovative, and challenge the status quo to deliver customer-first solutions.
Qualifications :
5+ years of experience in employee benefits insurance, operations, or business transformation, with a strong focus on process optimization and customer experience.5+ years of experience leading process improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, or DMAIC methodologies; Green Belt certification preferred.Proven ability to define project charters, manage end-to-end process optimization projects, and deliver within scope, schedule, and budget; track record of delivering outcomes that have measurable business impact.Experience developing business cases and cost-benefit analyses, including value estimation, success measures, and financial impact.Strong analytical and critical thinking skills with ability to interpret data, identify root causes, and develop actionable recommendations; Ability to synthesize complex data, extract actionable insights, and clearly articulate strategic initiative recommendations and trade-off decisions to stakeholders.Demonstrated success in journey mapping and reimagining workflows to improve customer experience and operational efficiency.Familiarity with Agile and Lean delivery frameworks and ability to collaborate effectively with product management teams.Excellent stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with ability to build strong relationships and drive alignment in complex, matrixed environments.Strong change management and communication skills, including experience implementing adoption strategies for new processes and behaviors.Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage complexity and ambiguity while operating with an ownership mindset and innovative approach.Highly adaptable, innovative, and proactive, with a customer-first mindset and ability to challenge the status quo.Preferred : PMP certification, Six Sigma / Lean certifications, SAFe certifications.Bachelor's degree required, MBA or equivalent preferred.We know great talent comes in many forms. If you don't meet every requirement but believe you can add value, we encourage you to apply! Tell us how your unique skills and experiences can make a difference.