Head of Customer Strategy

thehartford; Hartford (CT); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

The Hartford in Hartford, CT seeks a senior leader to own and activate the One Hartford Customer Blueprint for Middle & Large Business. You will shape customer value creation, align multiple functions around customer outcomes, and drive a simplified, data-driven customer experience across the organization.

Reporting to the EVP & Head of Middle & Large Business, this role focuses on loyalty, retention, growth enablement, and risk mitigation, translating market insights into differentiated

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in commercial insurance, customer strategy, distribution, underwriting, claims, risk advisory, operations, marketing, and/or strategy.
• Deep understanding of commercial insurance customers, brokers, industries, risk dynamics, and business economics, with the ability to translate customer and market needs into business priorities.
• Proven ability to lead through influence in a complex, matrixed organization, aligning senior leaders and cross-functional teams around shared outcomes without direct authority.
• Strong strategic, analytical, and business acumen, including the ability to synthesize customer, market, operational, and Voice of Customer insights into actionable strategies and operating priorities.
• Demonstrated success translating strategy into execution, including developing playbooks, operating routines, governance mechanisms, and change initiatives that drive measurable business results.
• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to influence executive audiences, shape market-facing narratives, and build alignment around a strategic vision.

Responsibilities

• Define and activate the M&L Customer Blueprint across the organization to translate insights into customer priorities and standards.
• Drive customer value creation by integrating sales, underwriting, claims, risk engineering, operations, service, and innovation into a seamless customer proposition.
• Align regions, business units, and functions around customer outcomes with playbooks, insights, and governance to ensure consistent execution.
• Simplify the customer experience and embed accountability by reducing friction, expanding digital and AI capabilities, and tying leadership metrics to outcomes.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Customer strategy

Insurance industry

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree / risk management designation preferred

Job description

Head of Customer Growth - MF04AE

About this Opportunity

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.

The Head of Customer Strategy for Middle & Large (M&L) Business is responsible for defining how M&L wins with customers. Reporting to the EVP & Head of Middle & Large Business, this leader will create and activate a One Hartford Customer Blueprint that translates customer, broker, market, and operational insights into a differentiated approach to serving customers.

The role focuses on customer value creation, loyalty, retention, growth enablement, resilience, risk prevention, and simplification. Working across Sales & Development, Underwriting, Claims, Risk Engineering, Operations, Service, and Innovation, the Head of Customer Strategy aligns leaders around customer outcomes and helps transform customer-centricity into a core business discipline-not a standalone program.

The posted salary range reflects our ability to hire at different position titles and levels depending on background and experience.

Key Responsibilities

1. Define and Activate the M&L Customer Blueprint

   • Build a market-leading understanding of customers, brokers, industries, risks, and growth opportunities, integrating customer, market, field, and business insights into a clear point of view.
   • Define and continuously evolve a differentiated M&L customer blueprint that translates those insights into customer priorities, standards, and expectations across the business.

2. Drive Customer Value Creation and Differentiation

   • Shape how M&L creates value for customers by integrating the capabilities of Sales, Underwriting, Claims, Risk Engineering, Operations, Service, and Innovation into a seamless customer proposition.
   • Advance proactive, advisory, and insight-led engagement that helps customers prevent losses, navigate emerging risks, improve resilience, and strengthen business outcomes.

3. Align the Organization Around Customer Outcomes

   • Align regions, business units, and functions around a common definition of customer success, shared priorities, and consistent execution expectations.
   • Equip field leaders and customer-facing teams with the playbooks, insights, stewardship routines, and capabilities needed to consistently deliver the customer blueprint.

4. Simplify the Customer Experience and Embed Accountability

   • Partner with business and functional leaders to eliminate customer friction, simplify processes, improve responsiveness, and expand the effective use of digital, AI, and automation capabilities.
   • Embed customer-centricity into leadership expectations, business planning, investment decisions, operating routines, and performance measures, with clear metrics tied to customer and business outcomes.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in commercial insurance, customer strategy, distribution, underwriting, claims, risk advisory, operations, marketing, and/or strategy.
• Deep understanding of commercial insurance customers, brokers, industries, risk dynamics, and business economics, with the ability to translate customer and market needs into business priorities; agent/broker, Risk Engineering, and/or Claims experience strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to lead through influence in a complex, matrixed organization, aligning senior leaders and cross-functional teams around shared outcomes without direct authority.
• Strong strategic, analytical, and business acumen, including the ability to synthesize customer, market, operational, and Voice of Customer insights into actionable strategies and operating priorities.
• Demonstrated success translating strategy into execution, including developing playbooks, operating routines, governance mechanisms, and change initiatives that drive measurable business results.
• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to influence executive audiences, shape market-facing narratives, and build alignment around a strategic vision.
• Track record of driving customer value, growth, retention, risk mitigation, operational simplification, and customer-centric culture change across multiple functions.
• Bachelor's degree preferred; advanced degree and/or insurance or risk management designation preferred, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with brokers, agents, and cross-functional business leaders to develop and execute customer-focused strategies that enhance retention, strengthen relationships, and deliver a differentiated customer experience.
• Strong understanding of risk mitigation and total cost of risk concepts, with the ability to collaborate effectively across underwriting, claims, and risk engineering functions to develop solutions that help customers prevent losses