Operations Director

About the role

As a Director of Operations at SBIA, you will be a strategic partner for the firms we support. You will lead a team of Case Managers who process life insurance applications, assist with prioritizing and executing continuous improvement initiatives, and manage systems that directly impact customer engagement.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of Case Managers that process life insurance applications
• Effectively coach, in a variety of ways, to drive team results for advisor satisfaction, service, quality, and productivity aligned to department objectives
• Have a keen focus on employee engagement while balancing productivity
• Aid in setting team goals, establishing vision, and taking action to achieve goals as it relates to SBIA’s strategic initiatives
• Actively look for ways to improve the customer experience
• Serve as a key contact to leaders within teams, representing process and service details as well as strategy
• Develop and maintain internal relationships inside and outside assigned department to resolve service issues
• Identify and take responsibility for addressing operational and organizational challenges that impact the team
• Regular communication with internal stakeholders such as executives and other customer-facing teams to identify gaps and opportunities
• Raise red flags wherever the business process needs correction to ensure the customer has a seamless experience with the company
• Collect, track, and analyze customer feedback and suggest improvements internally based on the insights gathered
• Show empathy when customer issues arise
• Effectively adopt changing business needs and guide employees through shifting priorities
• Actively seek opportunities to expand own sphere of influence through networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration
• Work independently to make decisions regarding resolution of issues
• Exercise judgment to know when to escalate issues to senior management
• Stay involved throughout the service recovery process
• Work collaboratively with the other members of the leadership team to ensure high-level of service and team goals are met
• Respond to customer queries in a timely and effective manner, via phone and email
• Document processes and log technical issues, as well as customer compliments and complaints
• Provide backup support for other members of the leadership team and independently coordinate service continuity during any work absence
• Meet/exceed quality, production, and experiential delivery goals
• Ensure that all published Service Levels are met/exceeded
• Stay abreast of industry changes, business processes, and firm rules
• Assist with other projects as needed
• Increase positive advisor experiences that create value and satisfaction, retention, and growth, building on voice of the customer feedback, qualitative and quantitative data
• Project a positive image of the organization to employees, customers, industry, and community

Requirements

• H.S. Diploma or equivalent (GED)
• Bachelor's degree
• Minimum of 5-8 years of support experience or relevant experience in operations, customer service, project management, or related field
• Strong knowledge of processes and impact on the customer
• Successful track record of customer-centric decision making
• Ability to cope with and persevere through frequent and unexpected changes
• Extensive experience and comfort level with engaging and supporting the needs of high-producing Financial Professionals
• Outstanding professional presence and positive customer service attitude
• Occasional need to travel to client sites and industry meetings via airplane and stay in a hotel for 2 – 3 nights – up to 6 times per year

Qualifications

• Legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future