Client Manager Associate - Chicago, IL & Indianapolis, IN

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America; United States; Hybrid; USD 50,000 - 82,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Sales incentive plan

Bonus opportunities

Job summary

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America is seeking a Client Manager Associate for Premier Market. You will oversee a client book of 2–99 lives, driving persistency, growth, and profitability through broker partnerships and Guardian internal teams.

You will renew plans, craft add‑issue quotes, and identify opportunities to broaden coverage. Strong customer service, negotiation, and product knowledge across dental, vision, life, disability, and voluntary benefits are required.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of insurance industry experience, preferably in a sales environment.
• Strong customer service acumen and consulting/negotiation skills.
• Ability to renew plans and add new lines of coverage with brokers and clients.

Responsibilities

• Manage client book for groups with 2–99 lives, ensuring renewals and add‑issue opportunities.
• Develop plan options and quotes; communicate renewals and quotes clearly to brokers/clients.
• Review reports and identify opportunities using Salesforce and collaboration withSales Reps.
• Negotiate renewal terms and provide rate relief; support cross-sell goals.
• Serve as SME on Guardian systems, products, and workflows across teams.

Skills

Customer service

Negotiation

Relationship building

Sales orientation

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Team collaboration

Education

BA or BS Degree

Tools

Salesforce

GCRS

Siebel

Phoenix

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Job description

Guardian's Group Benefits Client Management team is hiring a Client Manager Associate! The Client Manager Associate, Premier Market will assume overall responsibility for managing a client book of business in the 2-99 life space. They will be responsible for persistency, growth, and profitability of this book through relationship development with clients, brokers, and key Guardian internal partners. These partners include Underwriting, Sales Support, Service and Claims. This position will also directly work with Sales Representatives to uncover opportunities to add additional lines of coverage to existing business. This position requires the individual to be an ambassador to the business and always use best practices. The Client Manager Associate is directly and/or indirectly accountable for activities associated with renewing plans (plan retention) and adding new lines of coverage (“add issue”) including, but not limited to, generating plan options and quotes for additional lines of coverage. The individual will proactively evaluate their existing book of business for add issue opportunities, as well as handle incoming renewal and negotiation requests. A successful candidate must demonstrate strong customer service acumen, strong consulting/negotiation skills, deep ancillary product knowledge (dental, vision, life, accident, disability, statutory, supplemental health, voluntary benefits, and leave management) with a high degree of operational effectiveness.

You will:

• Build relationships with brokers/producers/plan holders for groups with less than 100 enrolled lives.
• Interpret, deliver, and clearly communicate renewals, alternative plan options, and add issue quotes to the broker/producer/client.
• Review experience and utilization reports with Sales Reps for groups with under 100 lives; Package and deliver appropriate reports based on group size and availability.
• Proactively identify add issue opportunities for groups under 100 lives by utilizing Salesforce Reports and other strategies developed in collaboration with Sales Reps and generating quotes.
• Follow up with broker/producer regarding status of renewals and add issue quotes while also engaging the Sales Rep, as needed, to help close the renewal or sale.
• Provide renewal rate relief for groups under 100 lives through negotiations with underwriting, as well as determining and generating plan alternative options.
• Serve as subject matter expert on various Guardian systems, capabilities, products, and workflow procedures.

You have:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent customer service soft skills
• Very strong mathematical aptitude and analytical skills
• Strong consultative, negotiation, persuasion, and influencing skills with a sales orientation
• Ability to build and maintain collaborative working relationships at all levels
• A client-focused approach
• Personal accountability
• Strong planning and organizational skills with ability to multi-task
• Ability to easily adapt to change
• Ability to work independently and in a group setting
• Motivation to meet goals: Meet persistency goals, renewal target goals, cross-sell goals (add issue), etc.
• Computer proficiency in Outlook, Skype, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Salesforce, GCRS, Siebel, CPS, Phoenix, Business Objects, etc.

Knowledge:

Solid knowledge of group insurance products, contracts, and services. Group insurance products include dental (PPO, DHMO, fully insured and ASO), vision, life, accident, short- and long-term disability (fully insured and ASO), statutory disability, supplemental health, voluntary benefits, and leave management (federal, state, and local). Solid knowledge of financing methodologies and strategies (fully insured and alternate funding) Solid knowledge of group insurance underwriting principles, methodologies, and practices

Education:

BA or BS Degree is preferred. Will consider work experience equivalent.

Experience:

3 to 5 years of insurance industry experience, preferably in a sales environment Demonstrated success in servicing brokers/producers/customers

Other:

Variable compensation for persistency and renewal target bonus and cross-sell/add-issue bonus, according to the current year Group Sales Incentive Compensation Plan for Client Manager Associates. Must achieve required industry licensing within 90 days of date of hire and maintain license through completing Continuing Education requirements.

Location: The preferred locations for this position are Chicago, IL or Indianapolis, IN. The work arrangement will be hybrid (partial in office; partial work from home).

Salary Range: $50,130.00 - $82,365.00 The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards. Inspire Well-Being As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits. Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Accommodations Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities.

Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment-based visas (e.g., such as an H-1B). In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future.

We know that people count, and we go above and beyond to prepare them for the life they want to live, focusing on their overall well-being — mind, body, and wallet. As one of the largest mutual insurance companies, we put our customers first. Behind every bright future is a GuardianTM. Learn more about Guardian at guardianlife.com.