Director, Regional Head - Japan, Application Management (G24)
American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) is a leading global insurance organization. AIG provides insurance solutions that help businesses and individuals in approximately 190 countries and jurisdictions protect their assets and manage risks through AIG operations and network partners.
In Japan, AIG companies such as AIG General Insurance Company, Ltd., American Home Assurance Co., Ltd., JI Accident & Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., AIG Partners KK and TechMARK Japan KK are providing their services. We strive to lift up the communities where our colleagues live and work to create a positive impact. From tackling climate change to creating more inclusive workforces, we strive to make positive change in the communities that we serve, and we are committed to continued engagement with all our stakeholders
Get to know the business
Through our wide network in Japan, we provide products and services such as automobile insurance, medical and accident insurance, liability insurance, fire and earthquake insurance, and management insurance to customers in Japan. Here at AIG, technology is at the heart of everything we do, from underwriting risks to processing claims. The Information Technology team equips our employees with the latest tools to complete their work efficiently and with the highest standards of excellence. We view diversity, equity and inclusion in every aspect of our work as a key part of building AIG's future. We believe that for AIG to be a top-performing company, it is essential to foster an inclusive culture where all employees can be their true selves.
About the role
As Director, Regional Head of Application Management, you will focus on strengthening the application support and maintenance functions within General Insurance IT, specifically emphasizing Japan's business functions to ensure high availability of critical business systems. This role requires deep insurance domain expertise paired with a strong understanding of how technology (i.e. Gen AI) can reshape processes to drive measurable business value. You will be a trusted advisor to senior business and IT stakeholders, accelerating the path to proactive, intelligent, and self-healing operations aligned with enterprise priorities, focusing on system stability, business observability, and efficient incident resolution
The ideal candidate must demonstrate a strong blend of technical expertise, leadership capabilities, and strategic thinking to effectively manage and optimize the production environment and contribute to the overall success of the organization.
Responsibilities
- Oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of support incidents and service requests, from initial reporting to resolution. This includes performing assessment, root cause analysis (RCA) and coordinating with L1, L2 support and development teams to ensure issues requests are resolved efficiently and within agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
- Lead daily production support team decisions and serve as the primary communication conduit between local users/clients, regional management, and global/internal IT team
- Drive successful delivery of IT enhancements and new capabilities to the business, ensuring system stability and security of internal and external applications while managing technical currency and minimizing non-permitted technology exposure
- Ensure all application support processes comply with local regulations, software licensing policies, and internal governance frameworks includes maintaining comprehensive technical documentation and knowledge bases in Japanese & English languages
- Monitor application performance and availability, implementing proactive support strategies to prevent issues and ensure high availability.
- Manage relationships and performance metrics with third-party vendors and service delivery partners, ensuring they meet contractual obligations and deliver quality support services to regional standards
- Lead staff, including mentoring and establish a talent management strategy that recruits, develop and retain diverse, high performers and future ready, AI enabled talent pool
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in related field and 15+ years of relevant technology experience, demonstrating progressive responsibility and leadership in overseeing regional technology teams.
- Minimum 10 years of experience in the insurance sector, including substantial experience in production support for underwriting and claims processing systems and operations is essential
- A strong technical background is essential, including expertise in troubleshooting complex issues, understanding networking, cloud platforms (AWS, Azure), databases (SQL, Oracle), and operating systems (Linux, Windows, Mainframe)
- Fluency in Japanese and English (written & verbal) is required
- The ability to work effectively within the Japanese business culture, which may involve understanding specific communication styles, decision-making processes, and an "ownership" mentality towards work responsibilities
- Experience leveraging AI/ML driven tools for proactive monitoring, anomaly detection, and predictive maintenance of production systems and emerging technologies such as GenAI, cloud computing paradigms
- Familiarity with ITIL processes and frameworks as understanding and applying these best practices for incident, problem, and change management are essential
- A proactive mindset, strong analytical abilities, and excellent problem-solving skills to diagnose and drive complex issues to resolution, often under pressure
- Risk management knowledge to identify potential risks to the production environment and implement preventative measures to maintain system integrity and availability
- Strong communication skills with demonstrated ability to influence senior level management through clear, complete, informed and logical discussions
- Business acumen to fully understand the financial implications of production activities and managing budgets effectively is important.
- Continuous improvement mindset to always be looking for ways to refine processes, increase efficiency, and enhance production operations
- Ability to lead and manage cross-functional teams across multiple sites, which includes coordinating efforts between technical teams, business stakeholders, and vendors
- Skilled leader of change; experienced working in a fluid and fast paced organization, versatile and results oriented. Able to work effectively in challenging and complex environments