Vice President, Head of Operations Technology

Group 1001 is a consumer-centric, technology-driven family of insurance companies on a mission to deliver outstanding value and operational performance by combining financial strength and stability with deep insurance expertise and a can-do culture. Group1001’s culture emphasizes the importance of collaboration, communication, core business focus, risk management, and striving for outcomes. This goal extends to how we hire and onboard our most valuable assets – our employees.

Why This Role Matters:

Group 1001 is embarking on a multi-year journey to transform its business operations team to support the firm’s vision of becoming a next generation dominant financial services company. Its mission is to provide an exceptional client journey that aligns with our brand and values, establishes human connection, and exceeds client expectations by delivering timely, personalized solutions while leveraging modern technology.

This role is a key partner to the COO and a member of the operational leadership team who will oversee the operations technology team covering three of Group 1001’s established franchises: Delaware Life Insurance Company (DLIC), Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company (CSLAC), and Gainbridge Life Insurance Company (GLIC). This dedicated team will play a fundamental role in our future tasked with identifying, assessing, and deploying various forms of technology to transform and enhance our operations center. This team’s mandate will be focused on deploying technology to achieve the following results:

• Drive scalability (reduction in the future number of people needed to service new business, inforce, and the contact center); increasing efficiency (increasing productivity of the current workforce), and enhancing the client experience (focusing people efforts on the key moments of the client journey while leveraging technology at the non-client facing interactions).

This individual will lead a team that includes the following functions: (i) an existing sales technology team responsible for annuity order entry platforms and electronic data interchanges (ie DTCC) and (ii) build a technology product team overseeing an expanding universe of technology focused tools designed to meet the operations team’s objectives. Specifically, this team will consist of product owners overseeing such tools as workflow technology, contact center tech (ie. voice, chat, SMS), API’s, data, counter-fraud, AI, and other advanced technologies. As technology’s role in our operations center continues to expand it will be expected this team’s oversight of those tools will expand with it.

Additionally, the operations technology team will be responsible for:

• Scouting for novel technology solutions for operations,
• Assessing the impact of current and future technology solutions on operations (scalability, efficiency, and client experience)
• Measuring the efficacy of deployed technology solutions using quantitative metrics linking them to our OKR’s,
• Training operations personnel on proper utilization of advanced technology solutions, and
• Creation of a feedback loop once the solutions are deployed to end users for continuous improvement.

This individual will possess a strong technological acumen that they will combine with a solid understanding of the financial services industry and specifically the insurance business to achieve the goals mentioned above.

How You Will Contribute:

• Partner with stakeholders to define business value-creating use cases utilizing technology and leveraging operational data and analytics.
• Identify, recommend, and partner with the technology organization to implement new technologies to improve and streamline administrative processes, use of resources and deliver an exceptional, differentiated client experience.
• Coordinate with multiple stakeholders across the organization to ensure alignment of departmental decision and project plans with the organization’s goals.
• Maintain understanding of emerging technologies and trends in operations management.
• Technology Product Team: build a team from the bottom up comprised of operational technologists who have ownership over the following technology tools (not an exhaustive list):
  • Contact Center Tech: deploy modules within the Amazon Connect contact center tech stack across the various call centers.
  • Data and Reporting: collaborate with operations leadership team members to define key business indicators, their data sources, and metrics, and design data management capabilities to make them available for insights.
  • API: work with key internal stakeholders to develop and execute a comprehensive API strategy for third party (distribution) partners.
  • AI/Advanced Technologies: work with the firm’s AI team to ideate, develop and deploy POC’s with other operational leaders. Assess their efficacy and deploy permanently if successful.
  • Workflow Tech: leverage the existing workflow technology suite to continuously optimize processes within the operations center.
• Sales Technology Team: manage and lead a team that has ownership of various sales technology related tools.
  • Annuity Order Entry Platforms: oversee an existing team of experts who build, enhance and maintain annuity order entry platforms developed by the following firms: iPipeline, EBIX, and Hexure.
  • Electronic Data Interchanges: oversee a group of individuals tasked with building and maintaining various data exchanges that allow the flow of data and money in between distribution firms and Group 1001’s insurance carriers.

What We're Looking For:

• Bachelor’s or Graduate Degree
• 10+ years of leading business operations and call centers and their related technologies within a financial services company.
• Experience leading projects across multiple cross functional teams.
• Experience with insurance products and distribution channels within the marketplace.
• Experience with Agile program management

It Is Especially Helpful If You Have:

• Ability to leverage data and analytics to make informed decisions and identify innovative opportunities. 
• A forward-thinking, strategic mindset on how to incorporate technology within the operations domain.
• Demonstrated understanding and empathy for client needs and pain points, amplifying the voice of the client throughout product development and delivery.
• Possess strong analytical skills and the ability to perform cost benefit analyses on complex projects.
• Intermediate annuity product knowledge, expertise with administrative platforms, and the ability to multitask.
• Adept at both verbal and written communications with the ability to communicate with a diverse group of stakeholders from various business areas.
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills and ability to think creatively and strategically.
• Demonstrated expertise in financial management, including budgeting, resource allocation, and long-term planning.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and work under tight deadlines.
• Possess an ownership mindset with an attitude that there are no tasks or problems beneath you.
• Ability to drive critical goals under ambiguity and constraints demonstrating initiative.
• Experience with setting strategic direction. You’ll understand the company’s mission, influence strategic objectives, and execute toward measurable goals.
• High level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results-orientation.

Benefits Highlights:  

Employees who meet benefit eligibility guidelines and work 30 hours or more weekly, have the ability to enroll in Group 1001’s benefits package. Employees (and their families) are eligible to participate in the Company’s comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plan options.  Employees are also eligible for Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance, Short and Long-Term Disability. All employees (regardless of hours worked) have immediate access to the Company’s Employee Assistance Program and wellness programs—no enrollment is required.  Employees may also participate in the Company’s 401K plan, with matching contributions by the Company.

Group 1001, and its affiliated companies, is strongly committed to providing a supportive work environment where employee differences are valued. Diversity is an essential ingredient in making Group 1001 a welcoming place to work and is fundamental in building a high-performance team. Diversity embodies all the differences that make us unique individuals.  All employees share the responsibility for maintaining a workplace culture of dignity, respect, understanding and appreciation of individual and group differences.