Assistant Vice President, Modernization- Middle & Large Business

The Hartford; Hartford (CT); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

The Hartford is seeking an AVP Agile Product Management to lead a modernization agenda across underwriting, product, operations and technology. You will own a portfolio of initiatives, shape a sequenced modernization roadmap and deliver tangible business outcomes such as faster cycle times and improved agent experiences.

This senior role guides a high‑performing product team, ensuring adoption and sustained value across the organization, with a hybrid work schedule in Hartford, CT or Charlotte,

Qualifications

• 12 or more years of progressive experience in transformation, modernization, strategy, product management, operations or consulting.
• Ownership of a modernization portfolio crossing multiple functions or business units.
• Proven ability to influence senior executives and drive decisions in a complex organization.
• Experience leading teams of product owners or product managers and delivering measurable outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Modernization Portfolio Delivery: own end-to-end delivery across underwriting, product, operations, and technology.
• Underwriting Experience & Platform Modernization: improve day-to-day underwriter and agent experience.
• Process Simplification: remove handoffs and low-value controls; quantify impact of simplification.
• Data & AI Enablement: identify automation opportunities and scale production use cases.
• Strategy & Roadmap: define multi-year modernization roadmap and align to priorities.
• Executive Stakeholder Leadership: influence prioritization with data-driven decisions.
• Team Leadership: develop product owners/managers and sustain a culture of accountability.

Job description

AVP Agile Product Management - BA05AE

We’re determined to make a difference and are proud to be an insurance company that goes well beyond coverages and policies. Working here means having every opportunity to achieve your goals – and to help others accomplish theirs, too. Join our team as we help shape the future. Middle & Large Business is seeking an experienced transformation leader to serve as Assistant Vice President, Modernization. This leader will own a portfolio of modernization initiatives that simplify how the business works, modernize the underwriting experience, strengthen the platforms that support it, and accelerate delivery of the capabilities our underwriters, agents and customers depend on. Reporting to the Head of Transformation, the AVP partners across Underwriting, Product, Operations, Technology, Data, Finance and Strategy teams to shape business strategy into a sequenced modernization roadmap and deliver against it. This role is accountable for business outcomes and success requires measurable improvement in cycle time, straight-through processing, underwriter productivity, adoption of new capabilities, and customer and agent experience. The AVP will lead and develop a high-performing product team, while bringing structure, focus and disciplined decision-making to a modernization agenda where priorities and business needs may continue to evolve. Success requires the ability to make thoughtful tradeoffs, influence senior stakeholders, and ensure that new capabilities and ways of working are adopted and sustained. This is an opportunity to shape a multi-year modernization agenda with broad enterprise impact, connecting strategy, technology, data, process and organizational change to meaningful business outcomes.

This role will have a hybrid work schedule with the expectation of working in an office 3 days a week in Hartford, CT or Charlotte, NC. Must be eligible to work in the US without company sponsorship.

Key Responsibilities

• Modernization Portfolio Delivery Own the end-to-end delivery of a portfolio of modernization initiatives spanning underwriting, product, operations, and technology, from business case through benefit realization. Build shared accountability for committed outcomes, value targets and delivery milestones, surfacing risks early and enabling timely decisions. Establish clear governance, success measures and executive reporting that make progress, risks, decisions, and impact visible without adding overhead. Manage risks, cross-initiative dependencies, investment tradeoffs, adoption impacts and change saturation across the portfolio.


• Underwriting Experience & Platform Modernization Partner with underwriting and technology leaders to modernize the underwriting workflow, desktop tooling and supporting platforms. Improve the day-to-day experience of underwriters and the agents and brokers they serve, measured through quote speed, submission throughput and ease of doing business. Sequence platform investments so business capability is delivered incrementally rather than in multi-year waves.


• Process Simplification Identify and remove handoffs, rework, manual touchpoints and low-value controls across core business processes. Lead process discovery and redesign with business teams, ensuring redesigned processes are adopted and sustained. Quantify the productivity, quality and expense impact of simplification and ensure redesigned ways of working are adopted, reinforced and sustained after implementation.


• Data & AI Enablement Identify where automation, intelligent document processing and AI‑assisted workflows can materially change how work gets done in underwriting and operations. Partner with data, analytics and technology teams to move promising use cases from proof of concept into production at scale. Build the business case, adoption plan, controls discipline and sustainment approach needed for these capabilities to be adopted and used with confidence.


• Strategy & Roadmap Define the multi-year modernization roadmap for Middle & Large Business and refresh it as business priorities and market conditions change. Build business cases and value realization plans that support annual planning and investment decisions. Track industry, competitor and technology developments in commercial insurance and translate relevant developments into concrete opportunities for the business.


• Executive Stakeholder Leadership Act as a trusted advisor to senior business and technology leaders, influencing prioritization, sequencing and investment decisions with data, business judgment and clear tradeoff recommendations. Align stakeholders with competing priorities and maintain disciplined sequencing once decisions are made. Communicate progress, risks, tradeoffs and outcomes clearly to executive audiences.


• Team Leadership The AVP will lead and develop a team of product owners and product managers responsible for translating modernization strategy into adopted business capabilities and measurable outcomes. Create clarity, focus and disciplined decision-making across a modernization agenda where priorities and business needs may continue to evolve, while building a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement and strong partnerships across business and technology stakeholders. Lead the change management and reinforcement required to make modernization stick with the people who use it every day.

Required Qualifications

12 or more years of progressive experience in transformation, modernization, strategy, product management, operations or consulting, including large-scale, enterprise-wide programs. Demonstrated ownership of a modernization portfolio that crossed more than one function or business unit, with outcomes the candidate can quantify. Proven success influencing senior business and technology executives and driving decisions in a complex, matrixed organization. Experience leading and developing teams of product owners, product managers or equivalent delivery professionals. Strong blend of strategy and execution, including direct ownership of business outcomes beyond coordination and project governance. Track record of simplifying complex processes and driving adoption through to measurable benefit. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with comfort using data to frame choices and prove impact. Ability to operate effectively in ambiguity, shape an agenda proactively, build alignment and move priorities forward with limited oversight.

Preferred Qualifications

Commercial insurance background, ideally in underwriting, product, operations, distribution or technology. Consulting or advisory experience in transformation, operations, technology or modernization. Experience with core platform modernization, underwriting workbench or policy administration programs. Hands‑on exposure to automation, intelligent document processing or applied AI in an insurance or financial services setting. Familiarity with agile product management and outcome-based planning at scale.

Compensation

The listed annualized base pay range is primarily based on analysis of similar positions in the external market. Actual base pay could vary and may be above or below the listed range based on factors including but not limited to performance, proficiency and demonstration of competencies required for the role. The base pay is just one component of The Hartford’s total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include short-term or annual bonuses, long-term incentives, and on-the-spot recognition. The annualized base pay range for this role is: $160,000 - $240,000

Equal Opportunity Employer/Sex/Race/Color/Veterans/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity or Expression/Religion/Age

About Us | Our Culture | What It’s Like to Work Here | Perks & Benefits

Every day, a day to do right. Showing up for people isn’t just what we do. It's who we are – and have been for more than 200 years. We’re devoted to finding innovative ways to serve our customers, communities and employees—continually asking ourselves what more we can do. Is our policy language as simple and inclusive as it can be? Can we better help businesses navigate our ever-changing world? What else can we do to destigmatize mental health in the workplace? Can we make our communities more equitable? That we can rise to the challenge of these questions is due in no small part to our company values that our employees have shaped and defined. And while how we contribute looks different for each of us, it’s these values that drive all of us to do more and to do better every day.