Manager, Operational Analytics

About the role

Join National Life Group, one of America’s fastest-growing insurance companies, as the Manager, Operational Analytics. Since 1848, we’ve provided families with stability through insurance and annuities, extending our mission to make the world better via charitable grants, paid volunteer time, sustainable workplaces, and nonprofit support. We foster a collaborative environment where associates live our values: Do good. Be good. Make good. This role leads a team of analytics professionals supporting Service and Operations leaders by turning complex data into clear insights and practical recommendations. The position advances the responsible use of AI, automation, data visualization, and self-service analytics while developing analysts into trusted business partners.

This position is onsite four (4) days per week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). The schedule and core days are subject to change with advance notice.

Please note: National Life Group does not offer visa sponsorship for this position.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of analytics professionals, setting clear expectations and supporting performance, growth, and career development.
• Partner with Service and Operations leaders to understand business challenges, frame analytical questions, and recommend effective approaches.
• Guide the delivery of dashboards, reporting, forecasting tools, analytical investigations, and self-service solutions.
• Move the team beyond reporting by identifying trends, evaluating business implications, and developing actionable recommendations.
• Own the intake and prioritization of analytics requests, balancing immediate operational needs with longer-term initiatives and team capacity.
• Establish consistent standards for analytical quality, data validation, documentation, visualization, and interpretation.
• Identify opportunities to simplify work, automate recurring activities, and responsibly apply approved AI-enabled tools.
• Communicate priorities, findings, tradeoffs, and recommendations to technical, operational, and leadership audiences.
• Apply sound judgment to complex and sometimes ambiguous challenges, setting short-term priorities that support broader Service and Operations objectives.
• Create an inclusive, collaborative, and accountable team environment grounded in National Life Group's values and Servant Leadership Tenets.
• All other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and eight or more years of related experience; or an advanced degree and five or more years of related experience; or twelve or more years of total combined post-secondary education and relevant work experience.
• Experience in operational analytics, business intelligence, data analytics, decision support, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated success leading, coaching, and developing employees.
• Ability to translate complex data into clear business insights, recommendations, and leadership-ready communications.
• Experience managing competing priorities and allocating resources based on business value, urgency, effort, risk, and strategic alignment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and experience with data-analysis, business-intelligence, or data-visualization tools.
• Knowledge of data sources, database structures, data-quality concepts, and data-validation practices.
• Strong analytical reasoning, communication, stakeholder-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to use approved AI-enabled tools responsibly and maintain accountability for the quality and integrity of work products.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in analytics, data science, statistics, mathematics, finance, economics, operations research, business administration, or a related field.
• Experience in life insurance, financial services, or another highly regulated industry.
• Experience implementing AI-enabled analytics, automation, or self-service reporting solutions.
• Experience with forecasting, capacity planning, statistical modeling, process analytics, or operational performance measurement.
• Familiarity with data governance, privacy, risk, compliance, or responsible AI practices.

AI Proficiency Expectations

At National Life Group, AI is viewed as an enabler of human potential. All applicants are expected to:

• Leverage approved AI tools to improve efficiency, quality, and impact of 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 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.

For AI-forward roles, additional expectations include:

• Identify practical opportunities to apply AI to improve workflows, productivity, analysis, and business outcomes.
• Create effective prompts, workflows, controls, and human-in-the-loop (HITL) review processes that support responsible AI use.
• Critically evaluate AI-generated outputs for accuracy, quality, bias, fairness, confidentiality, compliance, security, and business relevance.
• Partner appropriately with Legal, Compliance, Risk, Security, Data/Technology, and business stakeholders to move AI ideas from experimentation to responsible adoption.
• Help model responsible, human-centered AI adoption across the organization.

Core Competencies

• Cultivates Innovation: Fosters innovation by taking calculated risks; works cooperatively with others to produce innovative solutions.
• Ensures Accountability: Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments and performance goals.
• Directs Work: Provides direction, delegates, and removes obstacles to get work done.
• Demonstrates Emotional Intelligence: Recognizes, understands, and manages emotions and how they influence others; uses feedback and reflection to gain insight into personal strengths and opportunities.
• Exhibits Critical and Creative Thinking: Engages thinking skills focused on logic and reasoning to make decisions (critical) and innovative solutions to solve problems (creative).
• Leads Change: Facilitates change and transition at the individual and team level; develops strategic goals for aligning with change.
• Develops Talent: Builds teams equipped for the future by applying coaching techniques; listens and responds with empathy; asks thought-provoking questions.
• Inspires Others: Motivates and influences others by creating an environment where teams can do their best work; partners across the organization to achieve results.

Pay

The base pay range for this position is $95,625 - $140,250 USD. The final salary may vary based on prior experience, education, training, current business needs, and market factors.

Benefits

Benefits start on day one and are flexible and customizable to meet individual and family needs. The total compensation package may include:

• Medical, financial, and other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility).
• Paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave.
• Eligibility to participate in discretionary annual incentive programs, subject to program rules.

National Life reserves the right to modify base salary or other compensation and benefits at any time.