Associate Director, Life & Annuity Product Systems

Associate Director, Life & Annuity Product Systems 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 This position is part of the Life & Annuity Solutions team, which is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing our life and annuity products. The team is at the forefront of delivering innovative solutions that enhance customer experience and drive business growth. This role leads a team of actuarial systems analysts and serves as an enterprise leader in the design, implementation, and support of life insurance and annuity products. The role bridges deep technical expertise with strategic leadership by overseeing the design and execution of actuarial components within policy administration systems, illustration tools, and ancillary platforms. A successful candidate will guide operational problem-solving, production support, and product implementation by applying advanced business knowledge, a strong regulatory mindset, and technical excellence to ensure seamless system integration and inforce policy management, while thriving in a fast-paced environment. As a people leader, this role is accountable for setting direction, establishing short-term goals (1years or less) aligned to departmental objectives, managing performance, developing talent, and fostering a high-performing, resilient team. This position will report to Actuary, L&A Delivery Solutions. This is more than just a managing business analyst role—it’s an opportunity to influence organization objectives, lead innovation, and represent the team across the enterprise. If you're looking for a role where you can innovate, grow, and make a difference, we’d love to hear from you! Essential Duties and Responsibilities Serve as a subject matter expert and people leader in product set up, policy mechanics and calculations across multiple systems utilized in the sale and administration of life insurance and annuity contracts. Apply advanced business and technical knowledge to solve complex implementation challenges and guide cross-functional problem-solving. Define and clarify product implementation and production challenges. Recommend solutions, within and beyond the business unit. Lead creation and modification of test tools and test plans to validate product rates and values on impacted systems. Oversee team project and product documentation and assign tasks across multiple projects. Optimize daily operations within the team by leveraging advanced technical expertise. Estimate resourcing requirements for both projects and ongoing operations, balancing individual team member development goals with project timelines, ensuring both delivery and growth. Own the design and delivery of robust training and knowledge transfer processes. Coordinate the creation of training modules, maintain a centralized training library, and actively develop the technical and business acumen of staff. Research, develop, and implement new testing capabilities and tools to improve work quality and accelerate project delivery, fostering stretch performance and innovation Lead teams in the delivery of projects Build broader partnerships with other business units and teams throughout the organization. Clearly communicate complex calculations and product mechanics to a wide range of stakeholders, including senior leadership. Own critical decisions that impact team operations, project prioritization, and long-term goals. Set and manage team schedules. Coordinate with peer leaders to balance delivery timelines with strategic development opportunities for staff. Lead performance management for direct reports. Set clear expectations, provide timely feedback, and hold team members accountable for results. Coach and mentor team members to strengthen technical depth, grow leadership capabilities, and deliver consistent stretch performance. Identify and cultivate high potential talent. Build a sustainable leadership pipeline through succession planning and experiential learning opportunities. Represent the team in enterprise forums. Advocate team priorities and clarify goals in alignment with broader business strategy. Ensure visibility and inclusion of the team’s perspectives in organizational planning. Monitor team dynamics, and proactively diffuse and resolve team conflicts. Continually seek ways to improve team culture, cohesion, and performance. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, finance, computer science or related field Required Minimum of 11 years of related work experience, OR minimum of 8 years of related work experience with advanced degree Demonstrated leadership skills, including team development, performance management, and cross-functional engagement required. Demonstrated strong understanding of life and annuity product mechanics required Proven ability to read and interpret policy forms, product specifications, and insurance regulations. Ability to assess regulatory impacts on system design and business operations. Experience working with Policy Administration and/or Illustration Systems for Life Insurance & Annuities products Understanding of MS Office suite of applications including very robust Excel capabilities. Ability to work independently and collaboratively. Proven ability to influence across organizational levels and functions. Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills. Exceptional verbal and written communication. Preferred Qualifications Mastery level understanding of product mechanics and calculations, including development of UL, IUL, whole life cash value and death benefit calculations, definition of life insurance and modified endowment calculations, interest theory, and other related actuarial product benefit calculations. Proficiency in SQL and Alteryx strongly preferred 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. Work Arrangements 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. 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 #J-18808-Ljbffr National Life Group