Director, New Business Operations
About the role
Overview
AAA Life is a respected and trusted American brand that has been focusing on Life Insurance and Annuity Products since 1969. At AAA Life we have over 1.8 million policies where 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. By joining the AAA Life team, you are joining a company that genuinely cares about helping each other, with a devotion to protect the lives of those around us. We embrace a diverse, equitable, inclusive culture where all associates can feel a sense of belonging and use their unique talents and perspective to influence, innovate, motivate, and thrive.
We need an ambitious, curious leader to become the Director, New Business & Underwriting Operations on the Enterprise Operations Team to help drive the biggest change in the company's
history.
The Opportunity – Why Join
Are You Ready To Redefine How An Entire Industry Engages With Customers? At AAA Life We Leverage Technology To Put Human Connection At The Heart Of What We Do. If You Are Someone Who Thrives On Purpose And Wants To Make a Tangible Difference In People’s Lives When It Matters Most, Then Join AAA Life Who Has The Unique Ability To Access Tens Of Millions Of Existing AAA Customers Powered By The Strength Of One Of America’s Most Trusted Brands. We Have Embarked On a Mission To Double In Size - Becoming One Of The Largest Providers In The US. These Facts Showcase Why We're The Right Choice
- 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 that 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 (more details on this during the interview)
- On culture : USA Today named us 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 people who have lost loved ones and offer our genuine support. That is why we will always put human connection at the heart of what we do - always being there to talk to our members person to person. We believe the job of an insurance company is to pay out. That is what insurance is for. Most of our members have real life policies - policies that bring peace of mind during life, and genuine support in the event of death. We are not here to chase the super-rich with annuities and wealth management products. AAA has been one of the most trusted names in America because it believes in providing the services that middle class Americans need.
Responsibilities
The Role
The Director, New Business & Underwriting Operations provides strategic leadership for AAA Life's end-to-end New Business and Underwriting Operations. This leader is responsible for delivering exceptional operational performance while building trusted relationships with executive field leadership, distribution partners, and enterprise stakeholders. The role balances operational excellence, underwriting expertise, analytics, automation, and collaborative influence to support profitable growth and an exceptional customer experience.
The Next Phase
Our mission is to provide those services for as many people as we can. To achieve that we need to evolve. We need to boldly embrace innovation and technology. Your leadership will help us deliver on our mission together and achieve our transformation. At AAA Life, empathy and progress go hand in hand, creating a culture where bright ideas flourish and meaningful impact grow. If you are drawn to
an environment that values purpose as much as potential, we invite you to join us. Because here, being there for people isn’t just a promise, it is our driving force.
Position 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 – How You Will Contribute
- 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.
How You’ll Work
- Work Solution: Hybrid
- Relocation Eligibility: Available
What We Bring To The Table
- 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
Essential Job Functions
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
This job requires the ability to perform duties contained in the job description for this position, including, but not limited to, the above requirements. Reasonable accommodation will be provided for otherwise qualified applicants as needed to enable them to fulfill these requirements.
