Sr. Project Manager

Sr. Project Manager

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 Senior Project Manager is accountable for orchestrating the successful delivery of large, complex, and highly interdependent initiatives across technology, business, suppliers, and delivery partners. The role owns the integrated project plan and ensures business objectives, technical execution, operational readiness, supplier activities, and organizational change remain aligned to deliver measurable business value. Working as a delivery orchestrator, this role partners closely with Portfolio, Technology Delivery, Business Analysis, Solution Architecture, Quality Engineering, and business stakeholders to translate priorities into executable plans, manage dependencies and tradeoffs, and sustain delivery momentum in dynamic environments. The ideal candidate is an experienced delivery leader with deep Life & Annuity expertise, exceptional stakeholder management skills, and the ability to lead through influence in complex cross-functional environments.

This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you will be in the office four (4) 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.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Own integrated project plans across complex initiatives, aligning business objectives, technical execution, supplier activities, operational readiness, and implementation plans.
• Establish and maintain integrated schedules, milestones, dependencies, risks, assumptions, issues, and delivery commitments.
• Coordinate delivery across business, technology, suppliers, operational teams, and shared services.
• Lead project planning, governance, implementation, operational readiness, and post-implementation stabilization.
• Partner with Portfolio, Technology Delivery, Business Analysis, Solution Architecture, and Quality Engineering to ensure coordinated execution.
• Proactively manage risks, issues, assumptions, dependencies, and cross-functional impacts.
• Facilitate tradeoff discussions and executive decision-making regarding scope, schedule, resources, sequencing, and implementation.
• Provide governance reporting, executive communications, and stakeholder updates.
• Ensure compliance with enterprise governance, regulatory requirements, delivery standards, and financial controls.
• Promote continuous improvement, AI-enabled delivery practices, and modern delivery methodologies.
• All other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 10 or more years leading complex cross-functional technology and business initiatives.
• Minimum of 8 years of Life & Annuity industry experience.
• Demonstrated success leading highly interdependent initiatives across business, technology, operations, and suppliers.
• Experience managing Agile, hybrid, and predictive delivery models.
• Advanced project management, governance, risk management, and executive communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP certification.
• Experience leading enterprise-scale transformation initiatives.
• Experience with modern delivery practices and AI-enabled project delivery.

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.

Core Competencies

Cultivates Innovation - Fosters innovation by taking calculated risks; Work cooperatively with others to produce innovative solutions. Ensures Accountability - Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments and performance goals. Directs Work - Provides direction, delegates, and removes obstacles to get work done. Demonstrates Emotional Intelligence - Exhibits the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions and how emotions can influence others; Uses a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and opportunities. Exhibits Critical and Creative Thinking - Engaging thinking skills that focus on logic and reasoning to make decisions (critical) and innovative solutions to solve problems (creative). Leads Change - Facilitates change and transition at the individual and team level; Develops strategic goals for aligning with change. Develops Talent - Builds team(s) equipped for the future by applying coaching techniques for developing team members to meet their professional/personal goals and the organizational goals; Listens and responds with empathy; Asks thought provoking questions. Inspires Others - Motivates and influences others by creating an environment where teams can do their best work; Partners across the organization to achieve results.

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

$101,250 - $148,500 USD