Vice President Data Operations - Transformation & Automation
MSCI · Coimbatore
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools to clients worldwide, ranging from large pension plans to boutique hedge funds. We offer a range of products and services - including indexes, portfolio risk and performance analytics
The MSCI Data Collection team sources ESG and Climate raw input data from publicly available sources and validates Private Assets data, including financials, industry classification, geography, and sustainability exposures for Private Capital Solutions. The team manages data production, ensures quality control, and collaborates with global teams, content teams, and product teams to maintain accuracy and adherence to MSCI’s data collection methodology. This role focuses on leveraging AI and technology to drive innovation, enhance operational efficiencies, and solve client challenges at scale in collaboration with Data, Engineering, and Project Management teams. Responsibilities include hiring and onboarding analysts, managing multiple datasets, and ensuring compliance with dataset policies and quality standards. As a subject matter expert, the lead will drive best practices in data management, automation, and integration while establishing “Factory” data operations to enhance the speed, accuracy, and scalability of data delivery.
- Govern private assets data acquisition by consulting on data collection practices, overseeing governance, and driving system development to meet “Data Factory” requirements.
- Establish data governance best practices for SLA management, new data acquisition, and existing process management.
- Possess strong subject knowledge of global markets, businesses, financial products, including equities, corporate actions, private assets, and private equity funds.
- Transform data operations for scalability and quality enhancement by implementing next-generation data acquisition flows using cloud-native solutions.
- Develop data solutions by collaborating with extended collection, content, research, and product teams to evaluate new methodologies, define requirements, and provide practical feasibility recommendations.
- Lead automation of operational processes through hands-on tactical automation and full-scale production implementation.
- Accelerate input data factualization for Private Assets/ESG, ensuring objective data collection methods that improve operational transparency
Responsibilities:
- Team & Leadership Responsibilities
- Recruit, onboard, and develop team members to build a high-performing workforce.
- Accomplish function objectives by managing staff, planning, and evaluating functional activities.
- Ensure team productivity, data quality, and timelines adhere to the highest established SLA standards.
- Develop strategic plans, goals, and objectives ensuring alignment with function and company priorities.
- Process Optimization & Automation
- Optimize processes through AI, automation, and technology to enhance efficiency and scalability.
- Work on automating repetitive processes to increase efficiency and team throughput.
- Drive automation of manual processes through hands-on tactical implementation and end-state solutions in production.
- Implement best practices for workflow automation and next-generation data acquisition.
- Transform existing data operations for scalability and improved quality.
- Data-Driven Decision Making & Performance Monitoring
- Use a data-driven approach to solve complex and business-critical problems.
- Define and track key metrics to monitor, analyze, and improve processes and performance.
- Leverage data-driven insights to solve business challenges and improve operational effectiveness.
- Business Transformation & Continuous Improvement
- Scale the business through standardization, lean practices, and continuous improvement.
- Standardize operations through process reengineering and transformation initiatives.
- Lead business transformation initiatives, driving automation from tactical implementation to end-state solutions.
- Advocate for new ideas and process improvements to close gaps, reduce manual efforts, and enhance the customer experience.
- Stakeholder & Compliance Management
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including content and engineering, to enhance workflow solutions.
- Inform, influence, negotiate, and persuade internal/external stakeholders on continuous improvement efforts and initiatives.
- Design solutions using rigorous process improvement and change management methodologies.
- Identify implications of proposed solutions on people, processes, technology, strategy, and structure.
- Ensure adherence to compliance, security, and regulatory standards while mitigating risks and maintaining operational resilience.
- Strategic & Market Insights
- Ensure operational strategies align with overall business objectives, driving efficiency, scalability, and innovation.
- Leverage market insights and competitive intelligence to drive process innovation and enhance customer experience.
- Define and execute the AI & automation strategy to optimize operations, enhance decision-making, and drive efficiency gains
- 14+ years of experience in Operations/Team Management, Process Optimization, Design Thinking, Agile, Robotics Process Automation, Project & Change Management.
- 5+ years of people management experience, including leading teams and driving performance.
- Proven operations transformation experience supported by quantitative metrics.
- Demonstrated ability to influence senior executives, cross-functional teams, and external partners to drive strategic initiatives.
- Experience working through ambiguity and lack of structure while driving consensus across various stakeholders.
- Hands-on experience with programming languages/tools (Python, Power Automate, Power BI preferred).
- Strong data analysis skills with the ability to interpret large datasets and identify anomalies.
- Understanding of AI/ML applications in business operations and experience in implementing AI-driven solutions to optimize workflows.
- Solid experience in large-scale business process re-engineering and transformation.
- Strong customer-centric approach to ensure operational improvements enhance the end-user experience.
- Ability to run basic financials, cost-benefit analyses, and build business cases for new projects.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with expertise in stakeholder management.
- Startup mindset – ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment.