Business Consultant / Initiative Manager

In this role as a Business Consultant (Initiative Manager) within the Business Intelligence, Reporting & Analytics (BIRA) team, you will lead high‑impact, cross‑functional initiatives that advance data‑driven decision‑making across MassMutual Operations. You will bring structure to ambiguity, translate business needs into actionable plans, and ensure disciplined execution from intake through closeout. Partnering with internal business partners, data teams, and operational leaders, you will drive alignment, maintain strong communication, and ensure progress toward measurable business outcomes while fostering a culture of ownership, transparency, and continuous improvement.

• Lead end‑to‑end ownership of assigned initiatives, ensuring clarity of purpose, defined scope, and alignment with business needs.
• Facilitate kickoff sessions, manage stakeholder engagement, and maintain comprehensive initiative documentation.
• Translate business problems into structured, milestone‑driven plans with clear timelines, deliverables, and accountability.
• Apply systems thinking to identify interdependencies, risks, gaps, and opportunities for synergy across workstreams.
• Partner closely with cross‑functional teams—including ETX and BIRA—to ensure seamless collaboration and execution.
• Use standardized tools (e.g., Jira, status indicators, requirements templates) to ensure transparency and consistency.
• Monitor initiative health through regular updates, proactively flagging risks, blockers, or misalignments.
• Enable continuous improvement by identifying process gaps, sharing insights, and modeling strong execution practices.
• Maintain a positive, solution‑focused mindset, demonstrating adaptability and resilience in a fast‑paced environment.

Skills & Competencies

• Strategic & Critical Thinking – Ability to connect data, business needs, and operational goals to shape well‑structured, outcome‑driven initiatives.
• Initiative & Program Leadership – Skilled in driving medium–large initiatives end‑to‑end, ensuring alignment, clarity, and accountability across stakeholders.
• Exceptional Communication – Able to synthesize complex information, influence without authority, and present clearly to diverse audiences.
• Stakeholder Engagement – Strong ability to build partnerships, manage expectations, and maintain transparency throughout the initiative lifecycle.
• Systems Thinking – Capacity to identify interdependencies, risks, cross‑team impacts, and opportunities for synergy across workstreams.
• Organization & Execution Discipline – Adept at structuring work, managing milestones, and maintaining momentum in fast‑paced environments.
• Problem Solving & Facilitation – Ability to surface blockers, guide decisions, resolve conflicts, and bring structure to ambiguous situations.
• Tool Proficiency – Experience using Jira, MS Project, Monday, Asana, Excel, Confluence, or similar tools to manage workflows, timelines, and artifacts.
• Data & Analytics Awareness – Understanding of KPIs vs. metrics, how data informs decisions, and how reporting supports business outcomes.
• Adaptability & Growth Mindset – Thrives in dynamic environments, embraces change, and models continuous learning and improvement.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years leading medium–large initiatives OR experience in program management, business consulting, technical delivery, or related functions.
• Proven ability to convert complex, cross‑functional initiatives into milestone‑based plans, work breakdown structures, and clear documentation.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to distill complex topics into concise, actionable insights.
• Demonstrated success managing multiple concurrent initiatives and shifting priorities while maintaining focus and quality.
• Hands‑on experience using initiative or project management tools (e.g., Jira, MS Project, Monday, Asana, Excel).
• Ability to collaborate across business, data, and technical teams to ensure alignment and shared understanding.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• Prior experience working with business intelligence, data, analytics, or reporting teams.
• Strong ability to influence, coach, and drive accountability without formal authority.
• Comfortable operating in environments with evolving priorities and ambiguous requirements.
• Confident facilitator who can lead discussions, surface risks, and drive decisions at all levels.
• Working knowledge of Jira, Confluence, and Microsoft Copilot for documentation, tracking, and communication.
• Experience working in data‑rich environments with a practical understanding of how analytics inform business strategy and operational performance.
• Open to Night Shifts (US Time zone/ minimum 4-6 hours of overlap)