Sr. Director, Project Management

Sr. Director, Project Management

Addison, TX; Montpelier, VT

Come join one of America's fastest-growing insurance companies. Since 1848, National Life Group has aimed to keep our promises, providing families with stability in good times and in bad. Throughout that history, we have provided peace of mind to those families as they plan their futures.

Our mission extends beyond the insurance and annuities policies that we offer. We strive to make the world a better place through our grants from our charitable foundation, paid volunteer time for our employees, environmentally sustainable and healthy workplaces, and events that promote the work of nonprofits in our own backyard.

We foster a collaborative environment with opportunities for growth and encourage our associates to live our values: Do good. Be good. Make good.

Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship for this position.

Role Summary

The Project Management Practice Lead is accountable for designing, evolving, and enabling the enterprise delivery system as a value delivery engine. This role establishes principles, capabilities, and practices that allow the organization to translate strategy into outcomes effectively. The Practice Lead drives alignment across functions, reduces friction in decision-making, and builds a high-performing PM capability focused on value, flow, and adaptability.

This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you are in the office four days per week during onsite core days. Our current onsite core days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The work schedule type and core days are subject to change with advance notification and manager discretion.

This role requires a minimum of 10 years of Life and Annuity industry experience.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Initiation & Value Alignment

• Ensure enterprise initiatives align to strategy and value outcomes
• Define principles and guardrails for value-based delivery and prioritization
• Partner with strategy and portfolio functions to reinforce outcome alignment

Adaptive Planning & Flow Management

• Design systems that enable flow across the enterprise
• Partner with Portfolio to optimize sequencing, capacity and prioritization
• Remove systemic barriers to flow and improve speed to value

Risk, Uncertainty & Decision Enablement

• Establish decision frameworks and governance models
• Reduce decision latency and organizational ambiguity
• Enable consistent, transparent tradeoff management across the enterprise

Stakeholder Alignment & Influence

• Align Strategy, Portfolio, Business, and Technology functions
• Build a culture of accountability, transparency, and collaboration
• Influence executive leadership to support value-based delivery practices

Minimum Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience leading enterprise delivery or transformation initiatives
• Minimum of 10 years of experience within the Life and Annuity industry, with demonstrated understanding of products, operations, and regulatory environment
• Demonstrated experience leading, coaching, and scaling Project Management teams in a complex, enterprise environment
• Demonstrated success evolving organizations from process-driven to value-driven delivery
• Deep expertise with enterprise prioritization, portfolio management, and decision frameworks
• Proven ability to design and optimize enterprise delivery systems
• Strong systems thinking and ability to operate in complex environments
• Executive-level influencing capability across business and technology leadership
• Proven track record of building and scaling high-performing PM capabilities
• Strong financial, strategic, and operational acumen
• PMP or equivalent experience required; advanced degree preferred

AI Proficiency Expectations

At National Life Group, we view AI as an enabler of human potential. We use AI to help us work smarter, serve more clients, and keep our promises, while remaining a relationship-driven business where our people are our greatest strength.

All applicants are expected to:

• Leverage approved AI tools, where appropriate, to improve the efficiency, quality, and impact of their work.
• Stay curious and open to new AI-enabled ways of working.
• Exercise sound judgment by reviewing and validating AI-generated content.
• Maintain accountability for the accuracy, quality, fairness, and integrity of work products by adhering to National Life's AI guiding principles.
• Use AI responsibly and in accordance with company policies related to confidentiality, data privacy, security, compliance, retention and intellectual property.

Benefits

• Your benefits start day one and are flexible and customizable to your and your family's specific needs. Check out the BENEFITS of a Career at National Life!

Base Pay Range. The base pay range for this position is the range National Life reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for the position taking into account the wide variety of factors, including: prior experience and job-related knowledge; education, training and certificates; current business needs; and market factors. The final salary or hourly wages offered may be outside of this range based on other reasons and individual circumstances. Additional Compensation and Benefits. The total compensation package for this position may also include a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered. The successful candidate may also be eligible to participate in National Life's discretionary annual incentive programs, subject to the rules governing such programs. If hired, the employee will be in an "at-will position" and National Life reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors. National Life is accepting applications for this role on an ongoing basis and the role remains open until filled.

Salary Pay Range

$150,000 - $220,000 USD