What is a Operations Manager?

At AXA—and specifically within AXA XL’s Property & Casualty and Specialty lines—the Operations Manager is the backbone of disciplined execution. You transform underwriting strategy into reliable, scalable operations that are compliant, efficient, and measured. Your work safeguards service levels, accelerates quote-to-bind-to-issue cycles, protects data integrity, and ensures seamless cross-functional delivery for brokers and clients.

In lines such as Construction (Builders Risk & Excess Casualty) and Energy, you will enable underwriting teams to meet growth and profitability targets by enforcing workflow standards, strengthening control environments, and optimizing resource allocation. In Workplace Operations, you will own the day-to-day experience across multi-site offices, stewarding safety, hospitality, vendor performance, and business continuity—so colleagues across AXA can operate at their best.

This role is critical because it sits at the intersection of performance, risk, and culture. From monitoring reinsurance processing accuracy and policy coding compliance to orchestrating space planning and vendor outcomes, you will lead teams, refine processes, and deliver against exacting timeliness, productivity, quality, and compliance benchmarks. Expect to influence decisions at pace—and to be accountable for the metrics that matter.

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Your preparation should focus on the operational disciplines that drive underwriting and workplace excellence at AXA. Interviewers will test both your grasp of commercial insurance operations (or facilities/workplace operations) and your ability to lead teams, manage change, and deliver measurable outcomes in a regulated environment.

• Role-related Knowledge (Technical/Domain Skills) - Demonstrate fluency in commercial P&C operations, including rating/coding, policy issuance systems, reinsurance processing, data quality controls, SLAs, and regulatory frameworks such as ISO and NCCI. For Workplace roles, show command of facilities operations, EHS compliance, vendor governance, and hospitality-driven experience design. Use concrete examples with metrics to show depth.
• Problem-Solving Ability (How you approach challenges) - Expect scenario-based prompts involving throughput constraints, backlog triage, data discrepancies, audit findings, or multi-site facility incidents. Interviewers look for structured thinking (root cause to fix-forward plan), risk awareness, and sustained results over quick wins.
• Leadership (How you influence and mobilize others) - You will be assessed on coaching, performance management, workforce planning, and change enablement. Show how you’ve aligned teams to goals, resolved stakeholder friction, and sustained standards without sacrificing empathy.
• Culture Fit (How you work with teams and navigate ambiguity) - AXA values collaboration, accountability, and inclusion. They’ll look for how you navigate matrixed environments, communicate with underwriting and business leaders, and uphold compliance with a solutions-first, not controls-only, approach.

Interview Process Overview

Interviews for the Operations Manager at AXA are structured to evaluate your operational craftsmanship and leadership judgment under real-world conditions. You’ll encounter scenario-driven prompts mirroring AXA XL’s environment: multi-line portfolios, strict service standards, and complex regulatory requirements. The pace is deliberate—expect to move efficiently while providing depth on outcomes, controls, and stakeholder dynamics.

The process emphasizes both rigor and partnership. You will meet a blend of operations leaders, underwriting stakeholders, and cross-functional partners (e.g., HR, Finance, Facilities/Security for Workplace roles). Each conversation probes how you set standards, govern workflows, design metrics, and raise performance. You should expect consistent follow-ups that test the durability of your approach: how will it scale, sustain, and hold up to audit?

AXA’s interviewing philosophy is to assess what you have actually delivered and how you think. Prepare to defend your decisions with data, controls, and change management narratives—not just high-level frameworks. Authenticity matters; be candid about trade-offs.

The visual lays out the typical stages—from recruiter alignment through functional assessments and stakeholder interviews—culminating in a decision and offer. Use it to pace your preparation: line up work samples, dashboards, and change plans early, and prepare targeted briefings for each stakeholder. Build in time for case prep and for aligning your leadership stories with AXA’s operational context.

This module provides aggregated compensation insights for Operations Manager roles at AXA and comparable firms, including base, bonus, and total rewards ranges. Use it to calibrate expectations and to prepare for data-driven compensation discussions aligned to your scope, location, and line of business.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

Underwriting Operations Excellence

This is the core of AXA XL’s Construction, Excess Casualty, and Energy divisions. Interviewers will test your ability to run policy lifecycle operations to defined standards and controls. You should be fluent in the mechanics of rating, coding, issuance, endorsements, and reinsurance transactions—and how to detect and correct errors at scale.

Be ready to go over:

• Rating/Coding & Policy Issuance Systems: Operating systems used to rate, code, track, and issue policies; exception handling and reconciliation.
• Workflow Governance & SLAs: Queue design, intake triage, aging/backlog, and service standards for quote, bind, issue, and endorsement cycles.
• Data Quality & Reinsurance Processing: Controls to prevent leakage; bordereaux accuracy; error remediation loops with underwriting/finance.
• Advanced concepts (less common): Automation in rating/coding, RPA pilots, reinsurance treaty edge cases, catastrophe aggregation touchpoints.

Example questions or scenarios:

• “Walk us through how you would diagnose and recover a policy issuance backlog across multiple lines in Q4 surge.”
• “How do you maintain coding and reinsurance accuracy while onboarding a new system release?”
• “Describe the dashboard you’d use weekly to manage team performance and exceptions.”

Regulatory, Risk, and Compliance Rigor

AXA will expect you to uphold a strong control environment without slowing the business. This section evaluates how you manage regulatory adherence, audit readiness, and incident response.

Be ready to go over:

• ISO/NCCI and State Requirements: Where they apply, how updates are operationalized, and how you evidence compliance.
• Audit & Controls: SOX controls, sample testing, documentation standards, and corrective action plans.
• Incident Management: Data discrepancies, mis-codes, or compliance breaches—triage to resolution and stakeholder communication.
• Advanced concepts (less common): Sanctions screening in ops, records retention nuances, delegated authority oversight.

Example questions or scenarios:

• “A regulatory audit found systematic mis-coding in a state. Outline your 90-day remediation plan.”
• “How do you ensure ISO/NCCI updates are reflected correctly in rate/coding within two weeks of release?”
• “Describe a time you balanced speed vs. compliance under pressure.”

Leadership, Workforce Planning, and Team Development

Operations at AXA is a people-first discipline. You will be assessed on how you build capability, manage performance, and lead through change while maintaining high service standards.

Be ready to go over:

• Goal Setting & Reviews: How you translate enterprise targets into unit goals and conduct performance reviews.
• Staffing & Scheduling: Capacity modeling, coverage for peaks, succession planning, and cross-training.
• Coaching & Culture: Feedback rhythms, recognition, and building a collaborative, accountable team culture.
• Advanced concepts (less common): Building career pathways, competency frameworks, and multi-hub operating models.

Example questions or scenarios:

• “Tell us about a time you turned around a low-performing team within two quarters.”
• “How do you structure capacity plans for seasonal surges?”
• “What’s your playbook for coaching a strong performer who’s become disengaged?”

Process Improvement and Analytics

Expect to dive deep into how you diagnose problems and design durable improvements. Show that you move from signal to root cause to measurable outcomes.

Be ready to go over:

• Lean/Six Sigma Methods: Process maps, waste identification, control charts, and pilot-to-scale routines.
• Metrics & Dashboards: KPI trees for timeliness, productivity, quality, and error rates; visualization in Excel/Power BI/Tableau.
• Exception Management: Thresholds, alerts, and remediation workflows to minimize rework and leakage.
• Advanced concepts (less common): RPA/automation business cases, text-mining for case notes, predictive staffing models.

Example questions or scenarios:

• “Show us a before/after of a workflow you optimized and quantify the impact.”
• “What are the top three quality metrics you’d track weekly and why?”
• “How do you evaluate an automation opportunity vs. process redesign?”

Stakeholder Management and Cross-Functional Execution

You must operate confidently across underwriting, finance, claims, IT, facilities/security (for Workplace roles), vendors, and senior leadership. Interviewers will probe how you build trust and move work forward amid competing priorities.

Be ready to go over:

• Partnering with Underwriting: Intake standards, prioritization, and feedback loops.
• Vendor Governance: SLAs, scorecards, performance recovery plans, and contract alignment.
• Communication: Executive updates, risk flags, and influence without authority.
• Advanced concepts (less common): Multi-country coordination, service design for high-touch brokers, business continuity planning.

Example questions or scenarios:

• “Describe how you’d reset expectations with an underwriting leader unhappy with cycle times.”
• “A key vendor is missing SLA targets. What’s your 30-60-90 plan?”
• “How do you communicate operational risk to non-technical executives?”

Use the word cloud to spot recurring themes (e.g., underwriting operations, compliance, dashboards, SLAs, vendor management, workplace experience). The larger terms signal consistent focus areas across interviews; prioritize them in your preparation. Treat less prominent terms as potential differentiators—they can give you an edge if they surface.

Key Responsibilities

In practice, you will run an operation that is measured daily and inspected often. Your success is defined by consistent service delivery, clean execution, and continuous improvement.

• You will own service performance across quote, bind, issue, endorsements, and renewals (or workplace service tickets and office experience in Workplace roles).
• You will enforce workflow standards, ensure regulatory compliance, and elevate data quality—closing gaps proactively.
• You will lead a team through staffing, scheduling, coaching, and performance reviews, building capability while protecting morale.
• You will monitor operational reports and dashboards, flag risks early, and drive corrective actions with clear owners and timelines.
• You will partner closely with Underwriting, Finance, IT, Claims, and external vendors to remove friction and sustain outcomes.
• For Workplace Operations, you will orchestrate multi-site facilities, EHS compliance, vendor performance, space planning, and a hospitality-first experience that supports productivity and engagement.

Expect to report progress and risks to senior leadership regularly, translating operational insight into actionable decisions.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

AXA seeks Operations Managers who can both command the details and elevate the system. Your background should blend domain fluency, operational rigor, and people leadership.

• Must-have technical skills

  • Insurance operations systems (policy rating/coding/issuance platforms), reinsurance processing, and workflow tools.
  • Advanced Microsoft Office, especially Excel (modeling, pivoting, lookups) and PowerPoint (executive-ready storytelling).
  • Working knowledge of commercial P&C products and regulatory tools like ISO and NCCI; audit and control familiarity.
  • For Workplace roles: Facilities/Workplace operations, vendor management, EHS/physical security compliance, and budgeting.

• Must-have experience

  • Proven people leadership with hiring, reviews, coaching, and performance management.
  • Track record elevating service delivery, timeliness, productivity, and quality with measurable results.
  • Demonstrated success collaborating with underwriting or business stakeholders and cross-functional partners.

• Soft skills that differentiate

  • Analytical rigor, crisp communication, and stakeholder influence.
  • Change leadership under time pressure; calm, structured decision-making.
  • Bias for action with a compliance lens—practical, not dogmatic.

• Nice-to-have advantages

  • Lean/Six Sigma exposure, automation/RPA pilots, dashboarding in Power BI/Tableau.
  • Experience scaling multi-site or multi-line operations; business continuity planning.
  • Advanced insurance studies or certifications.

Common Interview Questions

Expect targeted, scenario-based questions. Organize your preparation by theme and practice delivering concise, metric-led answers using STAR.

Role-Related Insurance Operations

These test your command of underwriting operations and control of the policy lifecycle.

• How do you ensure rating/coding accuracy at scale across multiple states and products?
• Describe your weekly operations dashboard—what KPIs and why?
• Walk us through resolving a 20% spike in issuance cycle time in peak season.
• How do you triage and clear a backlog without sacrificing quality?
• Tell us about improving reinsurance processing accuracy and reporting.

Regulatory & Compliance

Interviewers will probe your control mindset and audit readiness.

• How have you operationalized an ISO/NCCI update within tight timelines?
• Describe a regulatory finding you remediated. What were the sustained controls?
• How do you evidence compliance in routine QA and for audits?
• What is your approach to incident response when mis-coding is discovered?
• How do you balance speed with compliance when leadership pressures timelines?

Leadership & People Management

Expect to discuss coaching, staffing, and culture-building.

• Share an example of turning around a low-performing team.
• How do you plan staffing for seasonal surges and ensure coverage?
• Describe a difficult performance conversation and its outcome.
• How do you keep a high-performing team engaged and growing?
• What’s your approach to setting goals that ladder to enterprise metrics?

Process Excellence & Analytics

You will be asked to quantify, visualize, and sustain improvements.

• Show a before/after of a process you improved. What moved and why?
• Which three quality metrics matter most in underwriting operations?
• How do you evaluate automation vs. redesign for a broken workflow?
• Describe your RCA approach for recurring data quality issues.
• How do you ensure improvements persist six months post-implementation?

Stakeholder & Communication

Your ability to partner across functions will be tested.

• How do you recalibrate with an underwriting leader dissatisfied with SLAs?
• Share a time you negotiated vendor performance recovery.
• How do you communicate operational risk to senior executives?
• Describe aligning operations priorities across underwriting, finance, and IT.
• When stakeholders disagree, how do you decide and move forward?

Workplace Operations (if applicable)

For candidates targeting the Workplace Operations track.

• How do you deliver a hospitality-first, multi-site workplace experience?
• Describe your approach to EHS compliance and annual site certifications.
• How do you measure and improve vendor performance across locations?
• Share a continuity incident you managed—what worked, what changed after?
• How do you balance budget stewardship with service quality?

Use this module to practice interactively on Dataford. Prioritize categories where you feel least certain, and iterate on answers to tighten structure and metrics. Aim for crisp, 60–90 second responses per question with clear outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How difficult is the interview, and how much time should I allocate to prepare?
Allocate 2–3 weeks to refresh domain knowledge, build 3–4 impact case studies, and practice scenario answers. Difficulty is moderate-to-high due to the emphasis on metrics, controls, and stakeholder management.

Q: What differentiates successful candidates at AXA?
Clear, data-backed stories, strong control awareness, and the ability to partner with underwriting/business leaders. The best candidates balance discipline with pragmatism and can show sustained impact.

Q: What is the culture like on operations teams?
Accountable, collaborative, and improvement-oriented. You’ll find high expectations, clear standards, and support to refine processes—alongside a respectful, inclusive environment.

Q: What is the typical timeline from first interview to decision?
Timelines vary, but expect several weeks from initial screen to final decision, depending on stakeholder availability and role track (Underwriting Ops vs. Workplace Ops).

Q: Is the role hybrid or on-site?
Many operations roles include on-site expectations (particularly Workplace Operations, which is typically on-site). Clarify location norms with your recruiter based on team and region.

Other General Tips

• Anchor answers in numbers: Cite baselines, targets, and deltas. “Cut issuance cycle time by 28% in 10 weeks” travels better than “made it faster.”
• Bring artifacts: Redacted dashboards, SOPs, RACI charts, or QA scorecards show how you operate. They make your approach tangible.
• Translate frameworks into action: Lean/Six Sigma terms are fine—pair them with what you did this quarter and what stuck six months later.
• Name the controls: For compliance questions, cite specific control activities, owners, frequencies, and evidence. Precision builds trust.
• Pre-wire your narrative: Map 3–4 stories you can flex across categories (backlog recovery, audit remediation, vendor turnaround, team uplift).
• Mind the handoffs: Emphasize how you design clean interfaces between underwriting, operations, and vendors—most errors live in the seams.

Summary & Next Steps

The Operations Manager at AXA is a high-impact leader who turns strategy into dependable execution. Whether you enable Construction, Excess Casualty, and Energy underwriting or steward a hospitality-first workplace, your work powers performance, protects compliance, and elevates the employee and client experience.

Focus your preparation on five pillars: underwriting operations or workplace operations mastery, regulatory rigor, people leadership, process improvement with analytics, and stakeholder management. Build concise, metric-led stories and be ready to show dashboards, controls, and change plans. Your ability to balance precision with pragmatism will set you apart.

Continue exploring insights and practice scenarios on Dataford to tighten your delivery. Approach each conversation as a chance to demonstrate how you lead teams, manage risk, and deliver results that last. You are stepping into a role that moves the business—prepare with intent, lead with clarity, and execute with confidence.