Director, New Business Operations

About the Role

AAA Life is a respected and trusted American brand that has been focusing on Life Insurance and Annuity Products since 1969. With over 1.8 million policies, we take pride in earning the trust of our policyholders who understand our promise to be there for them—and their families—when we’re needed most.

We are embarking on a mission to double in size, becoming one of the largest providers in the US. This role is an opportunity to redefine how an entire industry engages with customers by leveraging technology to put human connection at the heart of what we do. If you thrive on purpose and want to make a tangible difference in people’s lives when it matters most, join AAA Life, a company with unique access to tens of millions of existing AAA customers powered by one of America’s most trusted brands.

• On purpose: A leading professional services firm found that the commitment, empathy, and dedication of employees at AAA Life was the highest across a benchmark of top US companies.
• On growth: We have the privilege to offer our products to tens of millions of Americans who are proud members of AAA.
• On making a difference: We serve Americans by delivering life insurance products that make a true difference for families during their hardest times, not wealth management instruments.
• On culture: USA Today named us a 2025 Top Workplace nationwide. We believe the job of an insurance company is to do good—our mission is to help our members during what is often the hardest times in their lives. We pick up the phone to support those who have lost loved ones, always putting human connection at the heart of what we do.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the strategic vision for New Business and Underwriting Operations aligned with enterprise growth objectives.
• Lead end-to-end operations including application intake, case management, underwriting operations, requirements management, policy issue, and operational support.
• Build trusted partnerships with executive field leadership, sales leadership, AAA Clubs, and cross-functional business partners to achieve shared business outcomes.
• Lead challenging conversations with professionalism, transparency, empathy, and respect while influencing decisions and maintaining productive relationships.
• Provide experienced leadership to a well-established team by fostering engagement, accountability, collaboration, and continuous development.
• Drive operational excellence through KPI management, service level oversight, capacity planning, workflow optimization, and quality assurance.
• Leverage operational analytics, dashboards, and business intelligence to improve placement ratios, cycle times, customer satisfaction, and productivity.
• Lead automation and digital transformation initiatives including workflow automation, AI-enabled underwriting capabilities, intelligent case routing, and process modernization.
• Partner with Underwriting, Product, Technology, Compliance, Legal, Actuarial, Customer Experience, and Distribution on strategic initiatives.
• Oversee relationships with reinsurers, laboratories, paramedical vendors, EHR providers, and technology partners.
• Manage budgets, staffing strategies, succession planning, and vendor performance.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, company policies, and underwriting governance.

Core Competencies

• Executive Relationship Management
• Influencing Without Authority
• Strategic Leadership
• New Business & Underwriting Operations Expertise
• Operational Analytics & Business Intelligence
• Data-Driven Decision-Making
• Operational Excellence
• Digital Transformation & Automation
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Executive Communication
• Change Leadership
• Talent Development
• Customer & Distribution Focus

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Insurance, Finance, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in life insurance New Business and Underwriting Operations leadership.
• Minimum 7 years of leadership experience managing leaders and operational teams.
• Demonstrated expertise in underwriting operations, new business administration, and life insurance processing.
• Proven experience partnering with executive sales, distribution, and field leadership.
• Experience leading operational improvement, analytics, and transformation initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree (MBA or related discipline).
• FLMI, FALU, ACS, AIRC, or other LOMA designations.
• Experience implementing workflow automation, AI-enabled underwriting, RPA, or intelligent document processing.
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, SQL, or similar analytics platforms.
• Lean Six Sigma certification or equivalent process improvement experience.
• Experience leading enterprise technology implementations and vendor management.

Benefits

• Hybrid work environment that promotes work-life balance.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage starting from your first day.
• Employer 401k match and employer contribution to a pension plan.
• Generous PTO and paid parental leave to support your family needs.
• Various associate resource groups and community involvement initiatives.

Schedule

Hybrid work solution.

Additional Information

Relocation eligibility is available.

Essential job functions include the ability to stand, walk, sit, use hands, talk, hear, and adjust focus. Reasonable accommodation will be provided for otherwise qualified applicants as needed.

AAA Life Insurance Company does not offer immigration sponsorship for this position, including visa types such as H-1B, TN, and STEM OPT.