At American Equity Investment Life Holding Company®we offer leading annuity products that help empower our clients to fulfill their needs and wants in retirement. Our success comes from hiring high-energy individuals who embody the beliefs that drive our unique culture. We currently fund over half a million retirements nationwide, and have been headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, for over twenty-five years with satellite offices in Charlotte, NC and New York, NY.
GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB:
The Learning & Development (L&D) Instruction Designer for American Equity Sales is responsible for designing, developing and implementing effective training programs for internal and external annuity salespeople. This role requires an understanding of how adults learn, instructional design best practices, and technical expertise in learning management systems (LMS) and other training technologies. The incumbent is responsible for creating engaging, learner-centered training materials that drive sales performance and an increase in business acumen.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Designs, develops and implements comprehensive training programs for annuity sales representatives, including e-learning modules, instructor-led training, virtual training, and blended training solutions.
- Collaborates with subject matter experts (SMEs) to gather content and ensure accuracy and relevance of training materials.
- Applies adult learning principles and instructional design methodologies to create engaging and effective learning experiences.
- Utilizes learning management systems and other training technologies to deliver and track training programs.
- Creates media to support learning (visual aids, infographics, interactive exercises, animations, job aids).
- Develops assessments and evaluations to measure the effectiveness of training programs to make data-driven improvements.
- Stays current on industry trends, products, and regulatory requirements related to annuities and incorporates this knowledge into training programs.
- Works closely with sales managers and leadership to identify training needs and align training programs with business objectives.
- Manages the maintenance and updates of training materials to reflect changes in products, regulations, or industry best practices.
- Maintains American Equity Sales knowledge base.
- Cooperatively and successfully works with employees at all skill and communication levels.
- Identifies opportunities for improvement/updates to processes and training materials through regular monitoring, review, and assessment.
- Ensures the quality and consistency of course content throughout a course lifecycle.
- Develops methodology to gauge retention of knowledge after training; provides timely and effective reinforcement training and feedback to learners based on evaluation criteria.
- Performs other related work as required.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Direct Reports: None
General Description of Indirect Reports (2 and 3-downs): None
EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:
Bachelor’s degree in adult learning or related field of study; plus three (3) years of relevant experience in training, adult education, and/or multimedia training materials development. Two (2) years of experience with a Learning Management System as a developer or administrator. Experience with HTML and audio and video editing software preferred.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS:
- Instructional Designer Certification(s) preferred
- Articulate Certification(s) preferred
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
- Must have a deep understanding of adult learning methodology and instructional design best practices.
- General knowledge of financial services and insurance industry.
- Ability to solve technical problems independently or in teams.
- Has a good team spirit and positive attitude. Enjoys a varied pace of working and copes well under pressure.
- Self-directed work habits, applied with creativity, resourcefulness, and a sense of personal responsibility.
- Excellent follow-up, time management and organization skills
- Strong editing, written and oral communication skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Ability to coordinate several projects simultaneously
- Proactive technical troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
- Technical expertise with software programs such as:
- Articulate
- Adobe
- Vyond, etc.
- 360 Learning & Other Learning Management Systems
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Experience with Digital Adoption Platforms a plus
- Knowledge of performance-based learning, Simulation based training, Course/ User Interface Design, an digital Curriculum Development required.
Self-directed work habits, applied with creativity, resourcefulness, and a sense of personal responsibility.
Top Skills
What We Do
American Equity* Fixed Index Annuities * Retirement Planning * Customer Service
An American-owned and operated company headquartered in the heart of the Midwest, American Equity Investment Life Insurance Company® is a leader in the fixed indexed annuities marketplace. American Equity’s growth and success is attributed to our dedication to excellent customer service and emphasis on building customer relationships.
“The One Who Works for You!®” serves as the foundation for the way American Equity does business and values its more than 500 employees. Guided by our Principles of Excellence, we do more than sell retirement annuity products -- we are dedicated to fostering opportunity and innovation to meet the ever-changing needs and goals of retirement.
"It's About the People" is the American Equity story and the legacy of our founder David J. Noble. This commitment to excellence includes our employees, agents, partners, and contract owners. We thank you for entrusting us with the things that matter most.
When your retirement begins, you want to ensure you can enjoy it, which is why it’s important to have reliable support that can help fund every day of your golden years. After all, your life of hard work has earned you the retirement you planned for. These are the guiding principles that define everything we do. American Equity is the one who works for you.