Associate Director, New Business

National Life Insurance Company Limited; Addison, Montpelier (TX, VT); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

National Life Group in Addison, TX seeks an Associate Director of Life New Business Operations to drive performance across the life new business lifecycle, mentor leaders, and partner with distribution to optimize the customer experience. This senior role oversees coaching, process improvements, and risk management while aligning with strategic goals.

The position emphasizes measurable results in service, quality, productivity, and capacity, with an on-site schedule four days a week during core

Qualifications

• Minimum of seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in an operational or service environment.
• Prior formal people management experience, including employee coaching, performance management, and professional development.
• Demonstrated experience coaching, mentoring, and developing other leaders, including the ability to strengthen leadership effectiveness without direct reporting authority.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate operational performance, analyze data, identify root causes, and implement improvements that drive measurable results.
• Strong critical-thinking, decision-making, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and collaborate across teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop high-performing Life New Business associates and, where applicable, other people leaders, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, engagement, and customer service excellence.
• Serve as a trusted mentor to emerging and established leaders, providing coaching, constructive feedback, and guidance to strengthen leadership capabilities, judgment, and effectiveness.
• Establish clear performance expectations and operational priorities aligned with departmental objectives, holding associates accountable for individual and team results.
• Analyze productivity, quality, and performance trends to identify gaps, determine root causes, and implement targeted coaching, performance improvement, and recovery plans.
• Provide ongoing feedback, recognition, development opportunities, and appropriate delegation to strengthen associate capabilities, leadership effectiveness, adaptability, and sustained performance.
• Oversee staffing, workload capacity, training, and day-to-day execution within assigned areas, collaborating with operational leaders to maintain consistent service, productivity, quality, and risk outcomes.

Job description

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.

The Associate Director, Life New Business Operations drives operational performance, leadership effectiveness, and consistent execution across Life New Business teams to deliver an exceptional customer experience. This role leads and develops associates and serves as a trusted mentor and coach to other leaders, regardless of reporting relationships. Working collaboratively with operational leaders, the Associate Director shares accountability for outcomes across the new business lifecycle, from initial application submission through policy placement. The role fosters a culture of accountability, collaboration, employee development, and continuous improvement while driving measurable results across service, quality, productivity, capacity, and operational risk.

The Associate Director builds strong relationships with distribution partners and cross-functional stakeholders to understand the selling customer experience and identify operational improvement opportunities. Using customer feedback, performance data, and sound judgment, this role evaluates root causes, prioritizes improvements, and makes informed decisions that balance customer needs, operational efficiency, quality, compliance, and business risk. The Associate Director independently resolves most operational matters within established authority, escalating significant strategic or policy decisions as appropriate.

The Associate Director represents Life New Business Operations in cross-functional initiatives, providing operational expertise, customer insights, and data-informed recommendations. This role leads designated initiatives or collaborates with stakeholders to translate departmental priorities into actionable plans, coordinate execution across teams, support change adoption, and measure results.

This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you will be 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

People Leadership and Performance Management

• Lead, coach, and develop high-performing Life New Business associates and, where applicable, other people leaders, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, engagement, and customer service excellence.
• Serve as a trusted mentor to emerging and established leaders, regardless of reporting relationships, providing coaching, constructive feedback, and guidance to strengthen leadership capabilities, judgment, and effectiveness.
• Establish clear performance expectations and operational priorities aligned with departmental objectives, holding associates accountable for individual and team results.
• Analyze productivity, quality, and performance trends to identify gaps, determine root causes, and implement targeted coaching, performance improvement, and recovery plans.
• Provide ongoing feedback, recognition, development opportunities, and appropriate delegation to strengthen associate capabilities, leadership effectiveness, adaptability, and sustained performance.
• Oversee staffing, workload capacity, training, and day-to-day execution within assigned areas, collaborating with operational leaders to maintain consistent service, productivity, quality, and risk outcomes.

Customer Experience and Data-Driven Process Improvement

• Build strong partnerships with distribution partners, actively soliciting feedback to understand the selling customer experience, identify friction points, and anticipate service needs.
• Analyze customer feedback and operational data to identify trends, evaluate business impact, determine root causes, and prioritize improvements across teams.
• Apply critical thinking and independent judgment to resolve complex operational issues within established authority, balancing customer experience, efficiency, quality, compliance, and business risk.
• Lead measurable process improvements in partnership with operational leaders and cross-functional stakeholders, establishing action plans, ownership, success measures, and sustainable solutions.
• Coordinate resolution of complex customer and distribution partner escalations, ensuring timely communication, root cause evaluation, and actions to prevent recurring issues.

Cross-Functional Leadership and Shared Operational Accountability

• Collaborate with Life New Business operational leaders to support shared accountability and consistent execution across the new business lifecycle, from initial application submission through policy placement.
• Coordinate with fellow operational leaders to address process gaps, handoff challenges, competing priorities, and operational risks affecting performance across teams.
• Represent Life New Business Operations in cross-functional projects and departmental initiatives, providing operational expertise, customer insights, and data-informed recommendations.
• Lead designated initiatives or collaborate with project teams to evaluate operational impacts, coordinate implementation and team readiness, address risks, support adoption, and measure outcomes.
• Translate departmental priorities into actionable operational plans, aligning execution across assigned responsibilities and collaborating with stakeholders to achieve measurable results.
• Maintain comprehensive knowledge of Life New Business products, services, systems, and processes to support operational decisions and continuous improvement.
• All other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in an operational or service environment.
• Prior formal people management experience, including employee coaching, performance management, and professional development.
• Demonstrated experience coaching, mentoring, and developing other leaders, including the ability to strengthen leadership effectiveness without direct reporting authority.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate operational performance, analyze data, identify root causes, and implement improvements that drive measurable results.
• Strong critical-thinking, decision-making, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and collaborate across teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive experience in life insurance or Life New Business Operations.
• Experience partnering with insurance distribution organizations and understanding the selling customer experience.
• Experience leading complex operational improvements or cross-functional initiatives.
• Advanced knowledge of life insurance new business systems, and processes

At National Life Group, we view AI as an enablerof 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 associates 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.

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

$75,000 - $110,000 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 hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential 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 measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis 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.