VP, Chief of Staff - India (L14)

Job Description:

Job Title - VP, Chief of Staff - India (L14)

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

Synchrony (NYSE: SYF) is a premier consumer financial services company delivering one of the industry’s most complete digitally enabled product suites. Our experience, expertise and scale encompass a broad spectrum of industries including digital, health and wellness, retail, telecommunications, home, auto, outdoors, pet and more.

• We have recently been ranked #2 among India’s Best Companies to Work for by Great Place to Work. We were among the Top 50 India’s Best Workplaces in Building a Culture of Innovation by All by GPTW and Top 25 among Best Workplaces in BFSI by GPTW. We have also been recognized by AmbitionBox Employee Choice Awards among the Top 20 Mid-Sized Companies, ranked #3 among Top Rated Companies for Women, and Top-Rated Financial Services Companies.

• Synchrony celebrates ~51% women diversity, 105+ people with disabilities, and ~50 veterans and veteran family members.

• We offer Flexibility and Choice for all employees and provide best-in-class employee benefits and programs that cater to work-life integration and overall well-being.

• We provide career advancement and upskilling opportunities, focusing on Advancing Diverse Talent to take up leadership roles.

Roles Summary/Purpose:

As the Vice President and Chief of Staff, this role is responsible for establishing and executing operating models/rhythms that will make time, information, and decision processes more effective across the Leadership Team and ultimately have impact across all functions in India. This role will provide strategic and tactical support for the SVP and Country Head – India and lead/execute significant strategic, operational, communications and cultural agendas both internally and externally.  

Essential Responsibilities:

• Establish and own overall operating rhythm for India to make the team more effective - including staff meetings, regular communications, and employee engagement. 
• Create and deliver tools and resources to the leadership team for the purposes of decision-making, strategic discussions, evaluating key performance indicators and driving accountability through analytics.
• Act as a trusted advisor to SVP,  Country Head
• Coordinate special projects and draft presentations and other materials for board meetings, investor conferences, industry awards and employee town halls.  Work closely with entire leadership team. 
• Drive initiatives to support our transformation efforts. Interface/partner with functional peers in establishing strategies to support the transformation agenda and strategy.
• Provide leadership and coordination across business strategies and initiatives. Translate overall vision to align with business objectives and India strategy. Primary focus on driving significant strategic initiatives across the organization.
• Take responsibility for special projects and other initiatives.  Some examples include transformation efforts, insourcing, reskilling/upskilling programs, university relations, communications, GPTW, apprenticeship programs, etc – in coordination with HR and other key stakeholders.
• Lead the communications team in India to develop and execute comprehensive communications and brand strategies. This includes managing both internal and external communications to ensure consistent and effective messaging aligned with our organizational goals. This role will oversee the development of communication plans, media relations, and content creation while guiding the team to build and enhance the company's brand presence.
• Lead and execute Synchrony India’s engagement and inclusion strategy, ensuring alignment with global initiatives while addressing the unique needs of the Indian workforce. This role involves partnering with leadership and HR teams to foster an inclusive culture that promotes diversity, equity, and belonging across all levels of the organization. The Chief of Staff will develop and implement programs that enhance employee engagement, drive cultural transformation, and ensure that Synchrony India remains a place where every employee feels valued and empowered to contribute to their fullest potential. This responsibility includes continuous monitoring and improvement of engagement metrics, implementing better practices, and ensuring that the company’s values of inclusion are embedded in all business practices and decisions.
• Drive cultural and training initiatives that engage across skillsets and launch programs to ensure all employees have opportunities for growth. Partner closely with HR and Communications to ensure our workforce planning, talent development and communication strategies are aligned with the overall transformation roadmap.
• Represent India Leadership, requests, and interests with SYF key subcommittees and SYF leadership engagements. 
• Lead multiple external projects, including articles, award submissions and media planning.
• Lead other business-wide initiatives and special projects, as assigned.
• Think global and act local – This role entails continuing to build and foster global relationships across functions and businesses to learn and collaborate on various initiatives as well as grow our India One synchrony presence. For example learn, share and help incorporate best practices from our Stamford hub, NY experience center, global engagement models etc.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or 12+ years of equivalent work experience in the Financial Services field or +2 with 12 years or work experience in Financial Services
• Demonstrated success leading a team with proven track record of delivering results
• Strategic thinker with keen business acuity and decision-making skills
• Experience creating and leading organizational change
• Problem solver with experience defining, shaping, and influencing strategy
• Proven ability to accomplish goals with highly complex, time sensitive deliverables
• Ability to influence across the business at all levels in the organization
• Skilled communicator (both written and verbal) at all levels inside and outside an organization
• Ability to demonstrate innovation and creative approaches to business priorities
• Strong overall knowledge of SYF business
• Superior Financial Acumen
• Must be willing to travel, as needed

Desired Characteristics:

• Experience developing and executing development initiatives, specifically upskilling or reskilling programs
• Skilled communicator who influences and negotiates with great latitude on outcomes
• Ability to influence senior corporate decision makers
• Ability to effectively interface and represent Synchrony at the most senior levels  
• Ability to innovate and find creative solutions to meet business goals
• Proven ability to both work independently and act as a key contributor to a broader team

Work Timings:

(WORK TIMINGS: This role qualifies for Enhanced Flexibility and Choice offered in Synchrony India and will require the incumbent to be available between 06:00 AM Eastern Time – 11:30 AM Eastern Time (timings are anchored to US Eastern hours and will adjust twice a year locally). This window is for meetings with India and US teams. The remaining hours will be flexible for the employee to choose. Exceptions may apply periodically due to business needs. Please discuss this with the hiring manager for more details.)

For Internal Applicants:

• Understand the criteria or mandatory skills required for the role, before applying
• Inform your manager and HRM before applying for any role on Workday
• Ensure that your professional profile is updated (fields such as education, prior experience, other skills) and it is mandatory to upload your updated resume (Word or PDF format)
• Must not be any corrective action plan (First Formal/Final Formal, PIP)
• L12+ Employees who have completed 18 months in the organization and 12 months in current role and level are only eligible.
• L12+ Employees can apply

Job Family Group: