Director – Policy Services

Director – Policy Services

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in Business or related field or equivalent experience
• 12+ years progressive business experience and expertise that includes operations leadership
• Deep working knowledge of life, health and annuities, with a successful record of deploying innovative products
• Excels at leading projects through its full life cycle with a proven record of completing projects on time and within budget
• Strong analytical, problem solving, decision making, negotiation, organizational and interpersonal skills as well as intellectual curiosity
• A strategic thought partner, this leader must demonstrate critical thinking, excellent judgement and courageous leadership
• Experience navigating complex and matrixed organizations to achieve desired results
• Strong communication skills to inform, engage and influence layers of management and key stakeholders
• Establishes collaborative relationships with other departments within the business unit or external organizations
• Proven track record in managing department or divisional budget and being fully accountable for performance, results and strategy across multiple disciplines
• In-depth knowledge on how in force operations integrates within the business and how to leverage competitive practices
• Experience with effectively leading through change; Passionate about leading on a large scale through others and leveraging systems to engage people and drive results
• 7+ years experience leading teams that collaborate cross-organizationally to achieve desired outcomes
• Displays solid leadership skills and ability to attract, coach, develop, motivate and encourage diverse teams to think creatively and grow the business
• Talent magnet who can size up every opportunity to draw talent to where it is needed most

Responsibilities

• Plans, develops and manages departmental expense and capital budget of $4M – $6M
• Oversee the development, implementation and optimization of processes for non-financial transactions [Beneficiary, Ownership Assignments, Coverage Changes and Policy Maintenance]
• Ensures management team and all team members within In Force are compliant with both state and federal regulations for all service processing and delivery products
• Lead prioritization efforts of process and control design, technology and risk tolerance ensuring projects and initiatives are aligned with the organization’s goals
• Collaborate with multiple internal and external entities [vendors, financial professionals, control partners, etc.] on the development of robust programs ensuring deliverables have the right quality and accuracy
• Evaluate key business challenges, developing and implementing short and long-term strategies that incorporate new system solutions leading to in force operational process efficiencies
• Establish collaborative relationships with Finance, Product, Legal, Compliance, Digital and IT leaders to develop and implement improvement strategies for the client and advisor experience
• Partner with Digital and IT leaders to design, create and implement the customer journey framework for self-service transactions
• Focus on developing and driving strong, key performance indicators (KPI) to evaluate the quality and success of In Force service processing and Thrivent’s service delivery portfolio
• Analyze Thrivent’s KPI attainment, leveraging knowledge of industry benchmarks to ensure Thrivent’s performance skews higher against competitive peer organizations
• Participate in industry forums/groups to ensure alignment with industry trends and benchmarks
• Bring market intelligence forward within Thrivent to drive change, and build Thrivent presence in the marketplace; may include presenting at industry events/panels, study groups, etc.
• Communicate complicated concepts to a variety of internal/external stakeholders to influence and champion priorities that build collaborative support across stakeholder groups
• Recruits, develops, and sustains a high-performing team while promoting a culture of shared accountability, operational excellence, and partnership across the organization
• Demonstrate leadership skills that encourage a diverse team to think creatively and grow the business
• Models Thrivent’s leadership competencies – courage, collaboration, and commitment by demonstrating resiliency, working together to make the best decisions for the broader Thrivent organization
• Shapes a culture that represents the Thrivent purpose, promise and values, ensuring that Thrivent’s trust and reputation remain strong with its clients.

Preferred Qualifications

• FINRA Series 6, 26