Head of Agency Operations & New Business Experience

KKR; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

KKR is seeking a Service Leader of Agency and New Business Experience to set operational priorities, manage vendor partnerships, and drive team effectiveness while aligning sales strategy with operational execution to deliver pipeline performance. This role is based in Hartford, CT or Des Moines, IA.

The position evolves the team from transaction processing toward exception intelligence, process improvement, and firm experience, leveraging technology to enhance efficiency and client outcomes in

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 10+ years of experience in insurance, financial services, or new business/agency operations, including 5+ years in a people leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience managing vendor or TPA relationships and driving SLA performance.
• Working knowledge of automation and workflow tools (e.g., Pega), with insurance and regulatory knowledge relevant to new business issuance and agency operations.
• Preferred: experience leading operational transformation from manual/transactional processing toward exception-based, technology-enabled service models.
• Preferred: familiarity with sales operations, distribution, or agency management structures.
• Preferred: industry designations such as FLMI, LOMA, or ACS.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily new business and agency operations, delivering exception resolution quality, service level attainment, issuance velocity, productivity, and customer outcomes aligned with business objectives and process improvement priorities.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team by setting clear performance expectations, building analytical and exception-handling capability, managing capacity, and fostering accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.
• Establish daily, weekly, and monthly operating rhythms — reviewing exception volumes, automation fallout trends, service levels, quality, workload distribution, aging, and operational risks — and drive timely corrective actions.
• Monitor exception volumes and processing trends, partnering with Domain, Product Owner, and Technology teams to refine workflows so the team can focus its expertise on the cases that most benefit from hands-on attention.
• Partner with Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) and vendor partners to ensure operational execution, service quality, and productivity align with business expectations and firm experience standards.
• Lead resolution of operational issues, firm complaints, complex cases, and escalations, ensuring timely follow-through and positive outcomes for firms and financial professionals.
• Implement operational improvements that strengthen quality, reduce recurring exceptions, improve efficiency, and enhance team capability as the team modernizes its processes and tools.
• Partner with Sales Operations Support to ensure daily operational priorities reflect firm expectations, reduce escalation volume, and reinforce an ownership mindset across the team.

Skills

People leadership

Vendor management

Data-driven performance

Automation tools

Pega

Sales operations

Regulatory knowledge

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Pega

Job description

KKR is seeking a Service Leader of Agency and New Business Experience to set operational priorities, manage vendor partnerships, and drive team effectiveness while aligning sales strategy with operational execution to deliver pipeline performance. This role is based in Hartford, CT or Des Moines, IA.

The position evolves the team from transaction processing toward exception intelligence, process improvement, and firm experience, leveraging technology to enhance efficiency and client outcomes in