Associate Director, Elite Academy (Banking & FI)

AIA Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

AIA Malaysia is seeking a senior recruitment strategist to lead the national strategy for attracting elite agency professionals from the banking and financial services sector. This role focuses on building a sustainable pipeline by leveraging industry insights, digital tools, and strategic partnerships to support growth ambitions and agency transformation.

The position requires a track record in agency recruitment, strong data analytics, and leadership capabilities to drive performance,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Banking & Finance, Business, Marketing, HR, from a reputable university.
• 10+ years in agency recruitment/distribution, with 5+ years in leadership roles (insurance/financial services preferred).
• Expertise in performance management systems, BI tools (Power BI), and CRM platforms.
• Deep understanding of Malaysia insurance agency dynamics, commissions, and regulatory landscapes.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute targeted recruitment strategies to attract banking & FI professionals into AIA’s Elite Academy.
• Develop agent profiling and segmentation models based on banking experience, sales performance, and career aspirations.
• Build and manage a recruitment funnel that converts high-potential financial professionals into productive agency leaders.
• Partner with regional agency leaders, recruiters, and distribution teams to drive recruitment campaigns.
• Engage with external stakeholders to build referral networks and talent pipelines.
• Conduct strategic planning sessions with agency leaders to align recruitment goals with sales and market expansion targets.
• Lead change management for recruitment systems and processes, ensuring smooth implementation and stakeholder communication.
• Build future leader pipeline.

Skills

Performance management

Data analytics

Stakeholder management

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Banking & Finance, Business, Marketing, HR, or related fields

Tools

Power BI

CRM platforms

MS Excel modelling

Job description

To lead AIA Malaysia’s national recruitment strategy focused on attracting high-calibre agent talent from the banking and financial services industry. This role is pivotal in building a sustainable pipeline of elite agency professionals by leveraging industry insights, digital tools, and strategic partnerships. The incumbent will act as a recruitment strategist and performance enabler, aligning talent acquisition efforts with AIA’s growth ambitions and agency transformation agenda.

What You Will Do:

Strategic Life Planner Recruitment & Agency Talent Attraction

• Design and execute targeted recruitment strategies to attract banking and FI professionals into AIA’s Elite Academy.
• Develop agent profiling and segmentation models based on banking experience, sales performance, and career aspirations.
• Build and manage a recruitment funnel that converts high-potential financial professionals into productive agency leaders.

Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Building

• Partner with regional agency leaders, recruiters, and distribution teams to drive recruitment campaigns focused on financial industry/ banking talent pools.
• Engage with external stakeholders (e.g., ex-bankers, financial advisors, career coaches, industry direct appointment leaders) to build referral networks and talent pipelines.
• Conduct strategic planning sessions with agency leaders to align recruitment goals with sales and market expansion targets.

Performance Enablement & Operational Excellence

• Set key strategies and goals to achieve sales & recruitment development and profitability objectives – number of new recruit, new recruit active number, number of unique recruiter, number of active unique recruiter, ANP per new agent productivity, leads referral & conversion, new leaders promotion, monitor and review these in order to ensure targets are met.
• Support onboarding and early-stage development of ex-bankers transitioning into agency roles, ensuring high activation and retention.
• Lead change management for recruitment systems and processes, ensuring smooth implementation and stakeholder communication.
• Build future leader pipeline.

Digital Transformation & Brand Positioning

• Champion digital tools (e.g. AI Role Play, iCari, ALPA, new agent dashboards) to manage activation, productivity, recruitment and enhance the reporting to track both sales & recruitment performance.
• Direct digital marketing efforts (e.g., social media campaigns, video testimonials) to position AIA as a top career destination for banking professionals.
• Innovate recruitment content and virtual onboarding experiences tailored to the expectations of banking and FI talent.

What You Will Need:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Banking & Finance, Business, Marketing, HR, or related fields from a reputable university.
• Minimum 10 years in agency recruitment/ agency distribution, with 5 years in leadership roles (insurance/ financial services preferred).
• Expertise in performance management systems, BI tools (e.g., Power BI), and CRM platforms.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Office (Excel modelling, PowerPoint storytelling).
• Proven success in sales/ recruitment/ marketing, and data analytics.
• Deep understanding of insurance agency dynamics, commission structures, and regulatory landscapes in Malaysia.
• Balances big-picture thinking with meticulous execution; anticipates market shifts and pivots strategies proactively.
• Articulate in public speaking/presentations; adept at persuading stakeholders and resolving conflicts diplomatically.
• Decisive under pressure; uses data to diagnose root causes and design scalable solutions.
• Thrives in fast-paced environments; coaches’ teams through change while maintaining morale and accountability.
• Builds cross-functional trust; champions win-win initiatives that align recruitment with sales/ business goals.
• Willingness to travel nationally for stakeholder meetings, agency audits, and regional workshops.