Head of Transformation - dubai - The Cigna Group

Description

The Head of Transformation is accountable for end-to-end transformation delivery across Cigna Healthcare Middle East & Africa, spanning operating model redesign, technology and data modernization, regulatory readiness, and execution discipline. This role operates in a highly regulated, fast‑scaling environment, market buildouts, complex government integrations. This role requires a senior transformation leader with the confidence and credibility to operate at executive level, challenge peers, and make difficult prioritization decisions in high‑stakes environments.

Cigna Healthcare is a global health service company with roots in the US, serving more than 180 million customers and patients throughout the world. We deliver quality health care through choice, predictability, affordability and through integrated capabilities and connected, personalized solutions that advance whole person health. Cigna's mission is to help our customers improve their health, well‑being and sense of security by providing access to care. With our whole health approach, we're focused on addressing health concerns, improving resilience, reducing stress levels and emotional health issues. Our employer promise is to remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering growth and improving lives by offering meaningful work within a positive, inclusive culture that prioritizes our colleagues. We champion teamwork and collaboration and empower our people with cutting‑edge technology to drive efficiency and amplify their impact in everything we do. Together we strive to create an environment where every individual thrives and contributes to meaningful change.

• Transformation Leadership & Operating Model
• Define, own, and continuously re‑prioritize the MEA transformation roadmap, with explicit accountability for sequencing initiatives based on regulatory urgency, value at risk, and delivery capacity.
• Hold authority to recommend stopping, pausing, or re‑scoping initiatives that do not deliver measurable outcomes or jeopardize regulatory or operational stability.
• Evolve and lead the Transformation Office (TO) including Lean Portfolio Management, ensuring value streams are defined, funded, and sequenced. Oversee execution of enterprise initiatives, impacting MEA value streams.
• Institutionalize agile and product‑led operating models across MEA, ensuring adoption translates into faster time‑to‑market, improved delivery predictability, and measurable flow improvements.
• Partner with the business and support functions, to align operating model changes, budget cycles, workforce plans, vendor strategies, and benefit realization.
• Program & Initiative Delivery (Execution Excellence)
• Own the delivery of a multi‑year enterprise transformation portfolio, including but not limited to digital distribution, customer self‑service, claims and medical cost transformation, provider network enablement, and core platform modernization.
• Accountable for delivery outcomes across a matrixed environment, including dependencies on Operations, Technology, Finance, Markets, and third‑party vendors.
• Drive cross‑functional collaboration and dependencies management (Scrum of Scrums, ART Sync), ensuring blockers are escalated and resolved quickly.
• Institutionalize benefits realization, tracking both leading indicators (adoption, and lagging outcomes.
• Change Management & Culture
• Champion agile and customer‑centric mindsets; coach executives and teams on lean/agile, product ownership, and hypothesis‑driven delivery.
• Design and execute change plans (communications, stakeholder mapping, training, role clarity, incentives) using proven frameworks.
• Build on transformation capability by developing delivery talent (RTEs, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, PMs, BAs) and shaping Communities of Practice.
• Data, Technology & Process Modernization
• Advance data and analytics foundations (data quality, governance, BI/self‑service, AI/ML use cases) to improve business outcomes.
• Lead process re‑engineering and automation (Lean, Six Sigma, workflow digitization, RPA).
• Partner with Technology while retaining outcome accountability for platform modernization, data foundations, integration simplification, and automation that materially reduce operational risk, cost‑to‑serve, and regulatory exposure.
• Act as a senior counterpart to Technology leadership to challenge delivery plans, vendor dependencies, and sequencing decisions.
• Benefits Realization & Value Tracking
• Own benefits realization end‑to‑end, with explicit linkage between initiatives and financial, operational, and regulatory outcomes; ensure benefits are auditable, tracked, and reflected in business performance.
• Risk, Compliance & Regulatory Alignment
• Ensure all transformation initiatives are fully aligned with MEA regulatory requirements, with clear ownership of remediation plans, delivery milestones, and executive escalation where risks emerge.
• Proactively manage risk (operational, technology, data, third‑party) via robust controls, testing, and audit readiness.
• Executive Reporting & Stakeholder Management
• Provide clear, decision‑oriented executive reporting to the CEO and leadership team, including delivery risks, trade‑offs, and recommendations.
• Serve as a thought partner to the CEO and leadership team, shaping priorities, investment decisions, and enterprise cadence.

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA/Master's preferred.
• 12–15+ years of experience in transformation leadership, program delivery, or corporate strategy; insurance or financial services experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading transformation at scale in regulated, multi‑market environments; experience in healthcare, insurance, or adjacent regulated industries strongly preferred.
• Proven enterprise transformation track record, including Agile SAFe adoption across business and technology.
• Relevant certifications: SAFe (SPC or RTE preferred), Prosci/ADKAR, Lean Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt), PMP/PgMP (or equivalent).
• Demonstrated business impact delivering quantifiable results (e.g., medical cost containment, loss ratio improvement, cost‑to‑serve reduction, cycle time reduction, digital adoption).
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving capability; fluent in data‑led decision making and benefits realization.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement with the ability to influence at C‑suite level and across geographies.
• Comfort with ambiguity and ability to pivot based on evidence and market dynamics.
• Regional experience in MEA regulatory/market environments is an advantage.

• Global mindset with cultural sensitivity and inclusion.
• Customer‑centric & outcomes‑focused, grounded in empathy and evidence.
• Innovative, pragmatic, and forward‑looking, balancing speed and risk.
• Leadership presence that inspires trust, accountability, and high performance.
• Excellent synthesis skills—able to translate complexity into clarity.
• Open, concise communicator with strong written and verbal skills.
• Prioritization mastery, adept at managing multiple complex initiatives.

• Agile operating model institutionalized: ARTs are running, PI cadence established, measurable flow improvements.
• Core modernization milestones achieved: platform upgrades, data foundations in place, key integrations simplified.
• Culture shift evident: higher engagement scores, stronger cross‑functional collaboration, faster time‑to‑market.
  
• Benefits realized and audited: clear linkage between initiatives and financial/strategic outcomes.

Regional travel to markets and partners as needed; hybrid working model aligned to business requirements.

Join us and be part of a company where your growth, ideas and contributions are valued. Let's create something extraordinary together. It's time to look to your future and apply to work for Cigna today

Cigna Healthcare, a division of The Cigna Group, is an advocate for better health through every stage of life. We guide our customers through the health care system, empowering them with the information and insight they need to make the best choices for improving their health and vitality. Join us in driving growth and improving lives.

Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, age, disability, sex, childbirth (including pregnancy) or related medical conditions including but not limited to lactation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital or familial status, genetic information, status with regard to public assistance, citizenship status or any other characteristic protected by applicable equal employment opportunity laws.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing the online application process, please email for support. Do not email for an update on your application or to provide your resume as you will not receive a response.