Global Head of Operations Credit and Surety

About the Role

We are seeking a strategic, execution-oriented Head of Global Credit & Surety Operations to lead a high-performing, geographically distributed team. This role is accountable for ensuring seamless, end-to-end operational service delivery across the Credit & Surety portfolio, while driving operational excellence, service innovation, and superior customer and stakeholder experiences.

The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in the Credit Insurance domain, with a background in Bank Trade Finance, Trade Credit Insurance, Commodity Finance, and Political Risk Insurance and in Guarantees and Bond business. Experience in leading global teams through transformation, coupled with strong change management, stakeholder engagement, and operational leadership skills, is essential. A proven ability to manage operations with a data- and KPI-driven mindset is critical.

This role reports directly to the Global Head of Business Services, holds a permanent seat on the Global Credit & Surety Leadership Team, and plays a key role in shaping and executing strategic decisions across the portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

End-to-End Operations Management

• Ensure seamless, efficient, and high-quality delivery of all operational processes from policy administration to customer servicing.
• Oversee policy lifecycle management including policy, guarantee and bond issuance, premium processing, commissions, and fees.
• Establish and maintain robust governance, controls, and scalable workflows to ensure compliance, efficiency, and transparency.
• Continuously review and improve processes to enhance service quality and turnaround times
• Further build out and manage a network of third-party service partners (Banks) according to agreed service levels. To ensure a best-in-class services for our Surety Clients Globally.

Strategic Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for the Global Credit & Surety portfolio owner on all operational matters.
• Develop and nurture strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to align operations with business needs.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and provide data-driven insights to ensure alignment with strategic goals.

Service Management

• Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive, standardized service catalogue.
• Ensure clarity, transparency, and consistency in service offerings across all relevant markets and customer touchpoints.
• Regularly review and evolve the service catalogue to reflect changing products, regulations, and market requirements.
• Ensure that Credit & Surety Operations teams adopt new market connectivity solutions such as client, broker and partner portals as well as specialized verification portals.

Service Excellence and Continuous Improvement

• Foster a culture of operational excellence, customer focus, and innovation.
• Benchmark performance against industry standards and drive best practice adoption.
• Lead initiatives to digitize, modernize, and automate operational processes.

Operational & Financial Accountability

• Own and manage the operations budget and cost controls.
• Drive a globally consistent operating model with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Oversee risk management, regulatory compliance, and service level agreements (SLAs).

Leadership and Team Development

• Lead, develop, and empower a global operations team, fostering a high-performance, accountable, and collaborative culture.
• Set clear objectives and KPIs aligned with business strategy.
• Support ongoing learning, upskilling, and talent development to stay ahead of market and regulatory changes.
• Effectively lead the team through transformational change and system implementations.

About the Team

Global Business Services, a key function within the COO Division of Corporate Solutions, is committed to delivering seamless, end-to-end operational services that drive efficiency, consistency, and excellence. Our mandate centers around building strong, collaborative partnerships across Market Units and Global Lines, ensuring strategic alignment and delivering measurable value. Through a standardized and transparent service, we provide clarity and consistency across our offerings, enabling streamlined, scalable operations. Focused on service excellence and differentiation, we continuously innovate, adopt best practices, and enhance our capabilities to create exceptional value for our customers.

About You

• Bachelor’s degree in Banking, Insurance, or a related field is required; master's degree preferred.
• Specialized experience in Credit Insurance is essential, with a strong background in Bank Trade Finance, Commodity Finance, and Political Risk Insurance and Guarantee and Bond business.
• 10+ years of senior leadership experience in global, matrixed environments within banking or insurance.
• Demonstrated success in managing complex operations and leading global teams. With proven track record in transformational change.
• Expertise in KPI-based performance management, operational analytics, and process optimization.
• Strong change management, communication, and stakeholder engagement capabilities.
• Proficiency with operational tools, technologies, and automation initiatives.
• Fluent in English; Spanish, Portuguese, German is a plus.

For Spain, the base salary range for this position is between EUR 86,000 and EUR 144,000 (for a full-time role). The specific salary offered considers: ​

• the requirements, scope, complexity and responsibilities of the role,​
• the applicant's own profile including education/qualifications, expertise, specialisation, skills and experience.​

In addition to your base salary, Swiss Re offers an attractive performance-based variable compensation component, designed to recognise your achievements. Further you will enjoy a variety of global and location specific benefits.​

Eligibility may vary depending on the terms of Swiss Re policies and your employment contract.