Senior Manager IT - Middleware Operations

Job Family IT - General About Us At Transamerica, hard work, innovative thinking, and personal accountability are qualities we honor and reward. We understand the potential of leveraging the talents of a diverse workforce. We embrace an environment where employees enjoy a balance between their careers, families, communities, and personal interests. Ultimately, we appreciate the uniqueness of a company where talented professionals work collaboratively in a positive environment — one focused on helping people look forward and plan for the best life possible while providing tools and solutions that make it easier to get there. Who We Are We believe everyone deserves to live their best life. More than a century ago, we were among the first financial services companies in America to serve everyday people from all walks of life . Today, we’re part of an international holding company, with millions of customers and thousands of employees worldwide. Our insurance, retirement, and investment solutions help people make the most of what’s important to them. We’re empowered by a vast agent network covering North America, with diversity to match. Together with our nonprofit research institute and foundation, we tune in, step up, and are a force for good — for our customers and the communities where we live, work, and play. United in our purpose, we help people create the financial freedom to live life on their terms. What We Do Transamerica is organized into three distinct businesses. These include 1) World Financial Group, including Transamerica Financial Advisors, 2) Protection Solutions and Savings & Investments, comprised of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits, retirement plans, and Transamerica Investment Solutions, and 3) Financial Assets, which includes legacy blocks of long term care, universal life, and variable and fixed annuities. These are supported by Transamerica Corporate , which includes Finance, People and Places, General Counsel, Risk, Internal Audit, Strategy and Development, and Corporate Affairs, which covers Communications, Brand, and Government and Policy Affairs. Transamerica employs nearly 7 ,000 people. It’s part of Aegon, an integrated, diversified, international financial services group serving approximately 23.9 million customers worldwide. * For more information, visit transamerica.com . Job Description Summary Enterprise Technology (formerly Global Technology Services) is a global organization within Transamerica. We provide dedicated support to Transamerica, and we bring all Aegon's business units together with technology. We provide the backbone - the infrastructure - for how everything works. We’re creating the company’s AI environment, building a flexible ‘cloud experience’ for internal hosting services, designing frameworks for data governance and management, and ensuring the security and stability of the company’s technology. In short, we enable the business units to move more quickly and deliver to our clients in the best possible way. Whether customers are interested in insurance products or annuities or financial services, we're here to ensure they don't have to worry whether their information is safe. The people we employ are incredibly diverse, both in terms of backgrounds and skill sets.  There are over 1,000 of us representing a dozen or so nationalities and located in the UK, the US, the Netherlands, and Hungary, Spain, and Hong Kong.  Our global teams are comprised of experts in areas such as application development, information security, infrastructure services, data & analytics, risk & controls, procurement, program management, and architecture.  With the breadth of functions within Enterprise Technology, individuals can pursue a wide variety of careers, and we have a focus on supporting employees’ development.  In particular, our Talent Marketplace enables colleagues to take on gigs to broaden their experience and try out different responsibilities, which can be extremely rewarding. The most important quality in the people who join us is curiosity.  A lot of what we do is problem solving, requiring colleagues to take what they know and apply it to new situations. We have many mature processes, but we’re always looking for opportunities to improve, so we want people who are naturally inquisitive and confident enough to challenge the way we do things.  Technology is constantly, rapidly changing – we need you to help us continue to change with it. Job Description Job Description Summary: The Senior Manager, Middleware Platforms is responsible for defining and providing strategic leadership, direction, and management for enterprise middleware platform services in scope of this role: Web Platforms, Messaging Queue (MQ), File Transfer Processing, and PKI Certificate Management (certificate lifecycle management). They leverage their depth and breadth of expertise in these platforms to contribute to department strategy and to develop and execute plans that align with organizational priorities and objectives. This role involves people and budget management, resource planning, and ensuring adherence to organizational standards, policies, and controls. The Senior Manager role models and embeds a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement, ensuring the growth and development of team members and strengthening the organization’s platform capabilities. What You Will Do: Leadership and Team Management: Provides strategic leadership and guidance to managers and colleagues within the Middleware Platforms team. Defines and rolls out strategic priorities, plans, and roadmaps for Web Platforms, MQ, File Transfer Processing, and PKI Certificate Management, adapting to address resource and delivery challenges in line with strategic objectives. Supports development and performance of team members through mentorship, performance reviews, and equipping colleagues with future-ready skills. Budget Management: Collaborates with leadership to identify, drive, and deliver cost initiatives in line with strategic objectives. Accountable for managing colleague, training, travel, and team budgets; monitors and controls expenditure ensuring alignment with departmental and organizational priorities. Governance and Operational Excellence: Leads the development and implementation of platform operating practices, standards, and controls, ensuring strategic alignment and compliance. Ensures adherence to organizational policies, guidelines, and risk oversight responsibilities, including maintaining platform documentation, runbooks, and operational procedures. Culture: Fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration that encourages continuous improvement, accountability, and alignment with strategic direction. Drives efficiency and effectiveness within the team and shares best practices across the department and wider organization. Compliance: Manage data privacy risks and ensure compliance with company policy regarding the processing of personal and/or other sensitive data. Platform Service Delivery: Owns end-to-end service health, reliability, and lifecycle management for Web Platforms, MQ, File Transfer Processing, and PKI Certificate Management, including capacity planning, upgrades, patching, and operational readiness across environments. DevOps and Automation: Oversees build/release processes and drives automation for deployment, configuration, compliance, and environment provisioning to improve speed, quality, and consistency. Stakeholder and Vendor Management: Acts as an escalation point for major incidents, service risks, and cross-team dependencies. Manages vendor partners and holds them accountable to SLAs/KPIs; builds strong partnerships with infrastructure, application development, cybersecurity, and business technology teams. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience). 10+ years of relevant experience in platform engineering, middleware, infrastructure services, and/or operations in enterprise environments. Proven people-leadership experience, including leading leaders (managers/team leads), coaching and development, performance management, and workforce/resource planning. Technical depth and track record owning enterprise platforms such as web platforms, messaging middleware (e.g., IBM MQ or equivalent), managed file transfer, and certificate lifecycle management/PKI (e.g., Keyfactor or equivalent). Experience owning end-to-end service health (SLAs/SLOs, incident/problem/change management, capacity, patching, upgrades, DR/BCP) and partnering with security/risk teams to meet control, audit, and compliance requirements. Strong command of platform engineering and operations best practices, including monitoring/observability, resiliency patterns, vulnerability management, and secure-by-design principles. Ability to set platform strategy and roadmaps and drive execution aligned to enterprise architecture and business outcomes (reliability, modernization, cost, risk reduction, and delivery). Demonstrated ability to resolve complex, high-impact issues that span teams; make timely decisions with incomplete information; and adapt priorities to address resource, reliability, and delivery constraints. Experience leading cross-functional programs from inception to completion (modernization, standardization, automation), including vendor/partner delivery governance and stakeholder communications. Preferred Qualifications Strong executive communication and stakeholder-management skills, with demonstrated ability to influence decisions and drive alignment across infrastructure, application, security, risk, and vendor partners. Technical depth to dive into architecture, configuration/code reviews, and complex troubleshooting as needed, with experience operating large-scale, high-volume, highly available platforms. Working Conditions Hybrid Office Environment Compensation: The Salary for this position generally ranges between $138,000 -$160,000. Please note that the salary range is a good faith estimate for this position and actual starting pay is determined by several factors including qualifications, experience, geography, work location designation (in-office, hybrid, remote) and operational needs. Salary may vary above and below the stated amounts, as permitted by applicable law. Additionally, this position is typically eligible for an Annual Bonus based on the Company Bonus Plan/Individual Performance and is at the Company’s discretion. Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. This is a hybrid position requiring three days in office per week in one of our hub locations (Cedar Rapids, Philadelphia, Denver). Relocation assistance will not be provided for this position. This job description is not a contract of employment nor for any specific job responsibilities. The Company may change, add to, remove, or revoke the terms of this job description at its discretion. Managers may assign other duties and responsibilities as needed. In the event an employee or applicant requests or requires an accommodation to perform job functions, the applicable HR Business Partner should be contacted to evaluate the accommodation request. What We Offer For eligible employees, we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support both the personal and financial well-being of our employees. Compensation Benefits Competitive Pay Bonus for Eligible Employees Benefits Package Pension Plan 401k Match Employee Stock Purchase Plan Tuition Reimbursement Disability Insurance Medical Insurance Dental Insurance Vision Insurance Employee Discounts Career Training & Development Opportunities Health and Work/Life Balance Benefits Paid Time Off starting at 160 hours annually for employees in their first year of service. Ten (10) paid holidays per year (typically mirroring the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) holidays). Be Well Company holistic wellness program, which includes Wellness Coaching and Reward Dollars Parental Leave – fifteen (15) days of paid parental leave per calendar year to eligible employees with at least one year of service at the time of birth, placement of an adopted child, or placement of a foster care child. Adoption Assistance Employee Assistance Program Back-Up Care Program PTO for Volunteer Hours Employee Matching Gifts Program Employee Resource Groups Inclusion and Diversity Programs Employee Recognition Program Referral Bonus Programs Inclusion & Diversity We believe our commitment to diversity and inclusion creates a work environment filled with exceptional individuals. We’re thrilled to have been recognized for our efforts through the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, Dave Thomas Adoption Friendly Advocate, and several Seramount lists, including the Inclusion Index, 100 Best Companies for Working Parents, Best Companies for Dads, and Top 75 Companies for Executive Women. To foster a culture of inclusivity throughout our workforce, workplace, and marketplace, Transamerica offers a wide range of diversity and inclusion programs. This includes our company-sponsored, employee-driven Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which are formed around a shared interest or a common characteristic of diversity. ERGs are open to all employees. They provide a supportive environment to help us better appreciate our similarities and differences and understand how they benefit us all. Giving Back We believe our responsibilities extend beyond our corporate walls. That's why we created the Aegon Transamerica Foundation in 1994. Through a mix of financial grants and the volunteer efforts of our employees, the foundation supports nonprofit organizations focused on the things that matter most to our people in the communities where we live and work. Transamerica’s Parent Company Aegon acquired the Transamerica business in 1999. Since its start in 1844, Aegon has grown into an international company serving more than 23.9 million people across the globe.* It offers investment, protection, and retirement solutions, always with a clear purpose: Helping people live their best lives. As a leading global investor and employer, the company seeks to have a positive impact by addressing critical environmental and societal issues, with a focus on climate change and inclusion and diversity. * As of December 31, 2023