Tech Lead, Product & Inforce App Development

Tech Lead, Product & Inforce App Development 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 Product Domain Technical Lead plays a pivotal role within the Product & Inforce organization, driving major Product Launch initiatives and shaping technical solutions across the product ecosystem. This is a hands‑on technical leadership role that requires deep expertise in life and annuity products, application architecture, and integration frameworks. As a key member of cross‑functional SCRUM teams, you will collaborate with Product Managers, Scrum Masters, Developers, and Quality Engineers across global locations. You will ensure the delivery of end‑to‑end technical solutions for complex business needs within a dynamic environment. This position provides an opportunity to contribute directly to product modernization and innovation initiatives. This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you are 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 Technical Leadership & Delivery Provide hands‑on technical leadership for Product Domain initiatives, including design, development, integration, and implementation. Translate business and product requirements into detailed technical designs and specifications aligned with enterprise architecture standards. Evaluate technology options and trade‑offs to ensure feasibility, scalability, and performance of solutions. Drive the adoption of AI‑assisted coding, refactoring, and documentation practices to enhance productivity and reduce legacy maintenance overhead. Drive end‑to‑end solution delivery, from architecture through deployment and support. Collaboration & Stakeholder Management Partner with Product Owners and Business Stakeholders to align technology strategy with product vision and business goals. Build strong trust‑based relationships across departments to drive alignment and innovation. Work closely with Architects and IT teams to define, implement, and maintain standards, processes, and roadmaps for the Product domain. Coordinate with cross‑functional teams to ensure efficient resource utilization and timely delivery of initiatives. Process Improvement & Innovation Identify opportunities for application modernization, rationalization, and transformation toward a simplified, modern system platform. Lead process re‑engineering and technology implementation initiatives to optimize operational efficiency. Identify opportunities to apply Generative AI for knowledge extraction, documentation creation, and code migration from legacy systems. Support strategic financial developments for new product launches, ensuring technology enablement aligns with financial and regulatory objectives. Governance & Quality Ensure that technical solutions meet business requirements and comply with architecture, security, and quality standards. Manage estimation, cost, and scheduling for all domain‑related solutions and projects. Oversee the release management and testing processes to ensure high‑quality delivery. Establish best practices for AI governance, model validation, and responsible AI usage within Mainframe Product development. Communicate effectively across organizational levels, providing clear updates and guidance on project progress and risks. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience). 15+ years of experience in Full System Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Expertise in IBM Mainframe technologies: COBOL, JCL, SQL, CICS, DB2, VSAM, ISPF/PDF, FILE‑AID, MVS, Endevor. Proven experience in Life and Annuity Product systems, particularly on Vantage Policy Administration Platform. 15+ years of Product domain experience preferred. 7+ years leading teams on Vantage systems preferred. Strong conceptual and analytical skills with the ability to design and build complex algorithms. Demonstrated success leading in matrixed, outsourced environments, leveraging influence and collaboration. Experience in managing third‑party IT suppliers cost‑effectively. Familiarity with Agile methodologies and iterative delivery processes highly desired. Strong organizational, leadership, and communication skills with a proactive, adaptive mindset. Strategic Thinking and Technical Vision Leadership in Cross‑Functional Teams Architecture and Integration Design Agile and DevOps Practices Change and Risk Management Continuous Improvement and Innovation This role offers a clear progression toward an Applications Domain Head position within the Product & Inforce organization, providing opportunities for strategic leadership and enterprise impact. 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 $106,875 - $156,750 USD National Life Group® is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company, Montpelier, VT – founded in 1848, Life Insurance Company of the Southwest, Addison, TX – chartered in 1955, and their affiliates. Each company of National Life Group is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. Life Insurance Company of the Southwest is not an authorized insurer in New York and does not conduct insurance business in New York. Equity Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, is a Broker/Dealer and Registered Investment Adviser affiliate of National Life Insurance Company. All other entities are independent of the companies of National Life Group. Fortune 1000 status is based on the consolidated financial results of all National Life Group companies. Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in National Life Insurance Company’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law. If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows: A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability. A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service. An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense. An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985. Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form CC‑305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250‑0005 Expires 04/30/2026 Why are you being asked to complete this form? We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years. Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at How do you know if you have a disability? A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to: Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally) Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS Blind or low vision Cancer (past or present) Cardiovascular or heart disease Celiac disease Cerebral palsy Deaf or serious difficulty hearing Diabetes Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders Epilepsy or other seizure disorder Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome Intellectual or developmental disability Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD Missing limbs or partially missing limbs Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) Neurodivergence, for example, attention‑deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities Partial or complete paralysis (any cause) Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema Short stature (dwarfism) Traumatic brain injury PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete. #J-18808-Ljbffr