Partner & Onboarding Mgr

About the role

Assists in developing long-range strategic plans, advises, consults, and coordinates activities with division management, internal departments and external customers. Responsible for scoping complexity of integrations and coordinating all activities internally including contracts, technical integration, customer readiness, and launch plans. Works with service providers and management on high profile launches, managing department documentation, and working with other functional groups to implement new workflows, processes, and efficiencies.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Conducts due diligence and risk assessments on prospective partners; facilitates exploratory conversations with internal business units such as actuarial, IT, compliance, product development, and operations to determine feasibility of the partnership. Requests product/process exceptions as needed; facilities conversations between Aflac business units and the prospective partners.
• Conducts internal kick-off meetings for onboarding new partners; identifies champions and defines roles and responsibilities; develops onboarding project plan and communicates expectations and progress; works with partner to establish launch date and ensures an on-time launch.
• Provides support ensuring that Aflac products are aggressively and competitively positioned through all alternative distribution channels; assists with the development of strategies and plans to grow the business; develops selling models to optimize sales results.
• Works with marketing communications to design effective programs and campaigns; supports the design and development of programs to execute market strategy; coordinates the development of solutions and tools to address the needs of partner distribution opportunities.
• Compiles statistics, evaluates data, forms conclusions, and presents partnership performance recommendations to leadership. Stays abreast on technical product-related knowledge and general sales techniques and trends; prepares summaries of important trends for leadership; proactively consults with and influences a variety of constituents based on strategies and actual performance.
• Responsible for driving speed-to-market for new distribution partners by working internally and cross-functionally to identify bottlenecks in current processes and develops solutions.
• Seeks to continually improve partner onboarding processes and reduce overall onboarding time; responsible for on time delivery and within budget.
• Works cross functionally with Sales, IT, Internal Operations and other functions as needed, and provides leadership in creating and implementing new programs, systems, initiatives, and training for new market segments and channels.
• Provides work direction and general business project management across the division, including scheduling, work assignments, and reviewing efforts for assigned partners or initiatives to ensure on time and on budget delivery.
• Indirectly leads Partner Support Coordinators in a matrix environment for accounts under management.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration or a related field
• 6 years of professional job-related work experience
• Experience with external facing sales accounts
• Or an equivalent combination of education and experience

Skills & Competencies

• Subject matter expert on Tier One products and portals
• Excellent communicator with the ability to deliver complex information
• Ability to communicate internally and externally with senior level executives
• Knowledge of new product and market segment development (preferred)
• Advanced problem resolution skills
• Demonstrated success with effectively working with technical managers and managing schedules
• Ability to develop and implement marketing strategies utilizing advertising, tools, collateral, analytics, etc.
• Ability to understand research implications and apply to value propositions, positioning and creative briefs
• Strong project management skills and proven ability to manage multiple diverse projects at any given time
• Ability to collaborate and work effectively with colleagues in variety of marketing and sales disciplines

Pay & Schedule

• Salary range: $92,700 - $127,600
• Travel: Less than or equal to 25%
• Work designation: Hybrid (within 50 miles of Columbus, GA or Columbia, SC) or Remote (more than 50 miles from those offices), based on location within the continental US