Director Life Operations

At Horace Mann, we are dedicated to supporting educators and helping them achieve lifelong financial security. We are seeking a dynamic and forward-thinking Director, Life Operations to lead and evolve our Life New Business operations.

This role is a critical leadership position responsible for driving operational excellence, enhancing customer and agent experiences, and delivering strategic improvements across the end-to-end new business lifecycle. The ideal candidate will combine strong operational leadership, regulatory knowledge, and a passion for developing high-performing teams.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership & Strategy

• Lead day-to-day Life New Business Operations, ensuring accuracy, quality, compliance, and exceptional customer service.
• Develop and execute strategic, forward-thinking plans to improve processes, drive efficiency, and elevate service standards.
• Establish and monitor performance goals and metrics, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and service expectations.
• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows and reduce processing cycle times to enhance the customer and agent experience.

Process Improvement & Execution

• Evaluate and optimize operational processes from submission through policy issuance to drive measurable improvements.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging team contributions to enhance efficiency and service delivery.
• Oversee quality assurance practices and ensure adherence to operational standards and compliance requirements.
• Lead initiatives that improve accuracy, productivity, and overall operational performance.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of managers and operational staff, fostering a high-performance and growth-oriented environment.
• Effectively utilize team member strengths to maximize performance and create career development opportunities.
• Partner with Human Resources to hire, train, evaluate, and develop talent, taking corrective actions when necessary.
• Build a culture centered on accountability, collaboration, and engagement.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with underwriting, distribution, IT, compliance, and product teams to ensure seamless execution of business processes.
• Provide leadership and guidance across internal and cross-functional teams to align priorities and deliver results.
• Keep stakeholders informed on progress, performance, and key initiatives.

Customer & Agent Experience

• Oversee customer and agent interactions to ensure a best-in-class service experience aligned with Horace Mann’s mission.
• Drive improvements that enhance responsiveness, transparency, and ease of doing business.

Governance, Compliance & Risk Management

• Maintain deep understanding of the regulatory environment, including state Departments of Insurance, IRS, SEC, and FINRA requirements.
• Ensure all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are compliant and consistently followed.
• Uphold regulatory and company standards in all operational activities.

Financial & Business Planning

• Partner with leadership to develop and manage budgets and business plans.
• Apply strong business acumen to support strategic decision-making and operational investments.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's in business or related business discipline required.
• Extensive experience in Life Insurance or Life operations, preferably within new business processing.
• Proven leadership experience managing operations teams and developing talent.
• Strong understanding of end-to-end new business lifecycle and processing systems.
• Deep knowledge of regulatory and compliance requirements within the insurance and financial services industry.
• Demonstrated ability to drive process improvement, operational efficiency, and service excellence.
• Excellent communication, strategic thinking, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience managing budgets, business planning, and operational performance metrics.

Pay Range:

• $89,800.00- $125,500.00 annually 

Salary is commensurate to experience, location, etc.

Horace Mann was founded in 1945 by two Springfield, Illinois, teachers who saw a need for quality, affordable auto insurance for teachers. Since then, we’ve broadened our mission to helping all educators protect what they have today and prepare for a successful tomorrow.  And with our broadene