Head of Life and Annuities Technology (Cedar Rapids)

Job FamilyIT OperationsAbout Us At Transamerica, hard work, innovative thinking, and personal accountability are qualities we honor and reward. We understand the potential of leveraging the talents of a diverse workforce. We embrace an environment where employees enjoy a balance between their careers, families, communities, and personal interests. Ultimately, we appreciate the uniqueness of a company where talented professionals work collaboratively in a positive environment — one focused on helping people look forward and plan for the best life possible while providing tools and solutions that make it easier to get there. Who We Are We believe everyone deserves to live their best life. More than a century ago, we were among the first financial services companies in America to serve everyday people from all walks of life. Today, we’re part of an international holding company, with millions of customers and thousands of employees worldwide. Our insurance, retirement, and investment solutions help people make the most of what’s important to them. We’re empowered by a vast agent network covering North America, with diversity to match. Together with our nonprofit research institute and foundation, we tune in, step up, and are a force for good — for our customers and the communities where we live, work, and play. United in our purpose, we help people create the financial freedom to live life on their terms. What We Do Transamerica is organized into three distinct businesses. These include 1) World Financial Group, including Transamerica Financial Advisors, 2) Protection Solutions and Savings & Investments, comprised of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits, retirement plans, and Transamerica Investment Solutions, and 3) Financial Assets, which includes legacy blocks of long term care, universal life, and variable and fixed annuities. These are supported by Transamerica Corporate, which includes Finance, People and Places, General Counsel, Risk, Internal Audit, Strategy and Development, and Corporate Affairs, which covers Communications, Brand, and Government and Policy Affairs. Transamerica employs nearly 7,000 people. It’s part of Aegon, an integrated, diversified, international financial services group serving approximately 23.9 million customers worldwide.* For more information, visit transamerica.com.  Job Description SummaryEnterprise Technology (formerly Global Technology Services) is a global organization within Transamerica. We provide dedicated support to Transamerica, and we bring all Aegon's business units together with technology. We provide the backbone - the infrastructure - for how everything works. We’re creating the company’s AI environment, building a flexible ‘cloud experience’ for internal hosting services, designing frameworks for data governance and management, and ensuring the security and stability of the company’s technology. In short, we enable the business units to move more quickly and deliver to our clients in the best possible way. Whether customers are interested in insurance products or annuities or financial services, we're here to ensure they don't have to worry whether their information is safe. The people we employ are incredibly diverse, both in terms of backgrounds and skill sets.  There are over 1,000 of us representing a dozen or so nationalities and located in the UK, the US, the Netherlands, and Hungary, Spain, and Hong Kong.  Our global teams are comprised of experts in areas such as application development, information security, infrastructure services, data & analytics, risk & controls, procurement, program management, and architecture.  With the breadth of functions within Enterprise Technology, individuals can pursue a wide variety of careers, and we have a focus on supporting employees’ development.  In particular, our Talent Marketplace enables colleagues to take on gigs to broaden their experience and try out different responsibilities, which can be extremely rewarding. The most important quality in the people who join us is curiosity.  A lot of what we do is problem solving, requiring colleagues to take what they know and apply it to new situations. We have many mature processes, but we’re always looking for opportunities to improve, so we want people who are naturally inquisitive and confident enough to challenge the way we do things.  Technology is constantly, rapidly changing – we need you to help us continue to change with it. Job Description The Head of Life and AnnuitiesTechnology is a transformation-focused leadership role—the primary mandate is not just running technology, but modernizing the life & annuity tech ecosystem to position the business for future growth. ResponsibilitiesDefine and lead the technology strategy for Protection Solutions and Financial Assets, driving measurable reductions in cost per policy/participant while aligning to enterprise business objectives.Partner closely with business leaders across the life and annuities domain to shape future-state capabilities, delivering technology solutions that enhance customer experience, operational efficiency, and scalability.Lead a large, multi-layered technology organization, setting direction for leaders and teams responsible for modernizing platforms, improving system stability, and advancing cloud, data, and AI initiatives.Drive ongoing modernization efforts, including cloud transformation, data integration, and AI-enabled capabilities, while optimizing performance and reliability of systems already transitioned to the cloud.Expand the use of standardized architecture and technology practices across interdependent systems, ensuring scalable, secure, and integrated solutions.Lead vendor and managed services oversight, while advancing insourcing strategies to transition critical capabilities back in-house and strengthen internal engineering maturity.Direct evaluation of technology platforms and tools to ensure compatibility, integration, and alignment with evolving business and customer needs.Oversee demand, capacity, and financial management processes, ensuring effective prioritization, resource allocation, and delivery against strategic goals.Monitor and drive operational and channel performance metrics, executing strategic programs that improve service delivery, cost efficiency, and business outcomes.Communicate complex technology strategies and business impacts through clear, data-driven insights to senior leaders, enabling informed decision-making and long-term planning.QualificationsBachelor’s degree in information technology, business, or relevant field15 years of relevant work experience, preferably on a global scaleDemonstrated success leading large, distributed technology organizations and influencing senior executive stakeholders.Experience leading large-scale cloud and platform modernization initiatives.Solid understanding of business principles, organizational design, change management, etc.Large scale budget experiencePreferred QualificationsAdvanced degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field.Deep expertise in life insurance and annuities platforms, including policy administration and servicing systems.Experience implementing AI-enabled capabilities.Proven track record operating in complex, regulated environments with strong understanding of risk, compliance, and security considerations.Working ConditionsHybrid or Remote EnvironmentFrequent Travel 25 to 50%CompensationThe Salary for this position generally ranges between $300,000 - $350,000 annually. Please note that the salary range is a good faith estimate for this position and actual starting pay is determined by several factors including qualifications, experience, geography, work location designation (in-office, hybrid, remote) and operational needs. Salary may vary above and below the stated amounts, as permitted by applicable law.Additionally, this position is typically eligible for an Annual Bonus based on the Company Bonus Plan/Individual Performance and is at the Company’s discretion. Applicants must possess legal authorization to work for our company in the U.S. without the need for immigration, sponsorship or otherwise serving as an employer of record for immigration employment purposes. At this time, this role is not eligible for immigration-related employment authorization sponsorship.This job description is not a contract of employment nor for any specific job responsibilities. The Company may change, add to, remove, or revoke the terms of this job description at its discretion. Managers may assign other duties and responsibilities as needed. In the event an employee or applicant requests or requires an accommodation to perform job functions, the applicable HR Business Partner should be contacted to evaluate the accommodation request.What We Offer For eligible employees, we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support both the personal and financial well-being of our employees. Compensation Benefits Competitive Pay Bonus for Eligible Employees Benefits Package Pension Plan 401k MatchEmployee Stock Purchase PlanTuition ReimbursementDisability InsuranceMedical InsuranceDental InsuranceVision InsuranceEmployee DiscountsCareer Training & Development OpportunitiesHealth and Work/Life Balance Benefits Paid Time Off starting at 160 hours annually for employees in their first year of service.Ten (10) paid holidays per year (typically mirroring the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) holidays).Be Well Company holistic wellness program, which includes Wellness Coaching and Reward Dollars Parental Leave – fifteen (15) days of paid parental leave per calendar year to eligible employees with at least one year of service at the time of birth, placement of an adopted child, or placement of a foster care child.Adoption AssistanceEmployee Assistance ProgramBack-Up Care ProgramPTO for Volunteer HoursEmployee Matching Gifts P