Production Support Manager, Annuity Administration System

Group 1001 is a consumer-centric, technology-driven family of insurance companies on a mission to deliver outstanding value and operational performance by combining financial strength and stability with deep insurance expertise and a can-do culture. Group1001’s culture emphasizes the importance of collaboration, communication, core business focus, risk management, and striving for outcomes. This goal extends to how we hire and onboard our most valuable assets – our employees.

Group 1001, and its affiliated companies, is strongly committed to providing a supportive work environment where employee differences are valued. Diversity is an essential ingredient in making Group 1001 a welcoming place to work and is fundamental in building a high-performance team. Diversity embodies all the differences that make us unique individuals.  All employees share the responsibility for maintaining a workplace culture of dignity, respect, understanding and appreciation of individual and group differences.

Job Summary:

The Production Support Manager for the Annuity Administration System is responsible for ensuring the operational stability, performance, and reliability of the platform. This role involves managing a team of support analysts and engineers, coordinating with development and infrastructure teams, and proactively addressing system issues to maintain service excellence. The individual will play a critical role in supporting business operations, troubleshooting incidents, and driving process improvements.

Main Accountabilities:

• Production Support Oversight:
  • Oversee daily production support activities for the annuity administration system.
  • Manage the prioritization and resolution of system incidents and service requests.
• Team Leadership:
  • Lead and mentor a team of production support analysts and engineers.
  • Develop training plans to enhance team capabilities in troubleshooting and support.
• Incident Management:
  • Act as the escalation point for high-priority incidents, ensuring swift identification and resolution.
  • Analyze root causes and work with cross-functional teams to implement preventive measures.
• System Monitoring & Optimization:
  • Monitor system performance and proactively identify trends or potential issues.
  • Recommend and implement optimizations to enhance system reliability and efficiency.
• Stakeholder Collaboration:
  • Collaborate with business users, development teams, and vendors to address system needs and resolve issues. Serve as the primary point of contact for production support-related queries and communications.
• Change Management:
  • Coordinate with the development and QA teams to manage system changes and releases in a controlled manner.
  • Ensure thorough testing and documentation of changes before deployment.
• Compliance & Reporting:
  • Ensure adherence to regulatory requirements and company policies within the annuity platform.
  • Generate and present reports on system performance, incident trends, and support activities.
• Process Improvement:
  • Identify opportunities to enhance support processes, tools, and documentation.
  • Implement automation solutions to reduce manual effort and improve efficiency. 

Qualifications:

• Education:
   Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Experience:
  • 7+ years of experience in production support, IT operations, or application management, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
  • Experience with annuity administration systems or similar financial services platforms.
• Skills:
  • Strong understanding of annuities and related business processes.
  • Proficiency in incident management and root cause analysis methodologies.
  • Knowledge of system monitoring tools, ticketing systems (e.g., ServiceNow), and ITIL practices.
  • Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with database management (SQL), middleware, and API integrations.
• Experience working with DTCC integrations and annuity regulatory requirements.
• Knowledge of cloud-based solutions and automation tools.

Compensation:

Salary is up to $135,000 annually

Benefits Highlights:  

Employees who meet benefit eligibility guidelines and work 30 hours or more weekly, have the ability t