Head of Implementation

As the Head of Implementation, you are responsible for ensuring Guardian's customers across the Select, Premier, Advisory, and Key market segments receive a seamless, high-quality implementation experience. This leader is accountable for the end-to-end implementation process, from notice of sale through successful onboarding, plan setup, data exchange activation, and first premium payment. As the business process owner for implementation, this role is responsible for operational performance, service quality, customer outcomes, risk management and adherence to established service standards. The Head of Implementation leads managers and team leaders responsible for front-line implementation professionals and ensures consistent execution across all market segments while delivering on service, quality, productivity and expense objectives. This leader partners closely with Sales, Client Management, Operations, Product, and Transformation teams to resolve challenges, drive continuous process improvement, and ensure implementation capabilities effectively support business growth and customer retention. The successful candidate is a strong operational leader who leverages data, governance, and disciplined execution to deliver reliable outcomes, build high-performing teams, and create an exceptional customer onboarding experience. You Are A strategic and results-driven leader with a proven track record of leading implementation organizations across multiple market segments. You are a collaborative business partner who can align teams around business priorities, execute with discipline, and continue building the Implementation organization's reputation as a trusted and valued partner across the Group Benefits. As a leader, you: Develop and inspire high-performing teams. Earn trust and confidence through transparency, accountability, and strong execution. Serve as the accountable business owner for the end-to-end implementation process, ensuring process performance, operating standards, service quality, customer satisfaction, and business results across all market segments. Foster a culture of inclusion, engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement. Lead effectively through changing business priorities while maintaining consistent customer and operational performance. Balance operational excellence with disciplined execution and strong customer outcomes. Demonstrate courage in decision-making and accountability for outcomes. Model Guardian's values and customer-centric culture. Build strong partnerships and influence across a complex matrixed organization. You Will Own the end-to-end implementation process across Select, Premier, Advisory, and Key market segments, providing operational leadership and accountability for all implementation activities, including onboarding, plan setup, eligibility configuration, EDI implementation, data exchange enablement, and operational readiness. Deliver a consistent, high-quality, and efficient onboarding experience that meets customer expectations and business objectives. Design and oversee implementation service models that effectively support the needs of each distribution segment, balancing operational efficiency and scalability in lower-touch markets while delivering differentiated, high-touch onboarding experiences for larger and more complex customer segments. Direct implementation operations to balance customer needs, service excellence, productivity, capacity utilization, and financial performance. Develop and manage service, quality, productivity, expense, risk, customer experience, and financial performance metrics that support achievement of business commitments. Drive operational excellence through performance management, standardization, quality oversight, root-cause resolution, and continuous process improvement. Leverage customer feedback, service outcomes, and operational performance data to identify and implement opportunities that improve customer satisfaction, retention, and operational effectiveness. Collaborate with Sales, Client Management, Product, Technology, and Operations leaders to ensure implementation processes effectively support customer needs, business growth, and operational readiness. Partner with Technology, Product, and Transformation teams to ensure operational requirements, business priorities and customer needs are reflected in future-state solutions. Provide operational leadership and implementation expertise to ensure successful deployment, adoption, and ongoing support of new capabilities, tools and processes while maintaining service commitments. Sponsor change adoption by reinforcing the "why," aligning team and sales messaging, and removing barriers to adoption through visible leadership support. Lead, coach, and develop managers and team leaders while building organizational capabilities, workforce strategies and talent pipelines that support business growth, employee development and long-term organizational success. Set high standards for performance, accountability and professional development. Serve as the accountable business owner for implementation policies, procedures, controls, operating standards and governance, ensuring quality oversight, risk management, compliance and performance management across the implementation organization. You Have 10+ years of leadership experience in implementation, operations, customer onboarding, or related operational functions within group benefits, insurance, financial services, or a similarly complex service environment. Demonstrated success leading large, multi-level operational organizations through managers and team leaders. Proven experience building and executing strategic plans that drive customer, operational, and financial outcomes. Strong operational and technical background with demonstrated analytical and problem-solving capabilities. Experience leading process improvement and operational excellence initiatives. Strong understanding of EDI, data exchange solutions, implementation processes and customer onboarding practices. Exceptional communication and influence skills with the ability to partner effectively across matrixed organizations. Experience managing budgets, workforce planning and organizational performance. Experience leading implementation functions supporting multiple customer segments and distribution models. Knowledge of group benefits administration, enrollment, eligibility, billing and customer onboarding processes. Experience leveraging automation, AI, workflow technologies and digital solutions to improve customer experiences and operational efficiency. Lean, Six Sigma, Agile or other continuous improvement methodology experience. Proven success driving customer-centric transformation while maintaining operational performance and service excellence. LOCATION This is a hybrid role within commutable distance to a Guardian Life hub location, with preference for Bethlehem, PA. Salary Range: The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales or other incentive compensation. Our Promise At Guardian At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards. Inspire Well-Being As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits. Equal Employment Opportunity Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status or any other classification protected by applicable law. Accommodations Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io. Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site. Visa Sponsorship Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment-based visas (e.g., such as an H-1B). In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future. Notice Regarding Guardian’s Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment As part of Guardian’s job application process, Guardian may use artificial intelligence tools ("AI Tools") to automate the sorting and filtering of information provided by applicants as part of its preliminary screening. This preliminary screening may be used to help identify applicant materials and resumes relative to their indication that the applicant meets the requirements for the specific job for which they are applying, as specified in the listing posted on Guardian’s jobs website (Careers at Guardian at At Guardian, we do not use AI Tools to substantially assist or replace human judgment or discretionary decision making in our hiring process. All hiring decisions will be made by Guardian colleagues. Please be aware that if you apply for a specific position with Guardian, you will have the choice of opting out of Guardian’s use of AI Tools during the job application process. If you would like to request an alternative process that does not utilize AI Tools or would like to request a reasonable accommodation, within ten business days of your position application, you must email your request to View email address on click.appcast.io, making sure to provide your name and job requisition identification number. Guardian will retain your applicant materials and resume and all information therefrom in accordance with Guardian’s document retention policy, a copy of which you may request via View email address on click.appcast.io. Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be found here. Every day, Guardian helps our 29 million customers realize their dreams through a range of insurance and financial products and services. Our Purpose, to inspire well-being, guides our dedication to the colleagues, consumers and communities we serve. We know that people count, and we go above and beyond to prepare them for the life they want to live, focusing on their overall well-being – mind, body and wallet. As one of the largest mutual insurance companies, we put our customers first. Behind every bright future is a GuardianTM. Learn more about Guardian at guardianlife.com. Visa Sponsorship Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment-based visas (e.g., such as an H-1B). In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future. #J-18808-Ljbffr The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America