Corporate Vice President (CVP), Head of Absence Claims - New York Life Group Benefit Solutions

Location Designation: Fully Remote 

Group Benefit Solutions delivers comprehensive insurance and absence management solutions for mid-sized and large companies. Our work fosters a healthier, happier, and more secure workforce, contributing to New York Life’s legacy of being there when we’re needed most. Here, you'll design, implement, and support these solutions directly impacting employees’ lives. At our core, we provide financial security and peace of mind to people through our absence, accident, disability, voluntary benefits, and life insurance solutions. Click here to learn more about Group Benefits solutions.

Position Summary
Reporting to the Head of Claims, this position will co-own the claims operational strategy and execution to bring the New York Life Group Benefit Solutions (NYL GBS) Absence vision, inclusive of short-term disability (STD), paid and unpaid leave, and Family and Medical Leave (FML), to life every day.  This individual will be responsible for delivering and enhancing on the claims operational model that fulfills the NYL GBS Absence promise to clients and customers.

You’ll play a central role in shaping the future of absence management in one of the most critical and rapidly evolving sectors of employee benefits. If you're passionate about delivering outcomes for employees and employers, and thrive in a dynamic, collaborative environment—this role is for you.
The Head of Absence Claims must exhibit strong leadership skills such as the ability to partner, lead, influence, and execute a winning claims strategy based on market needs.  

Responsibilities:
• Responsible for co-leading a 500+ person Absence claims organization, including STD, unpaid/paid leaves (FML, Statutory Leaves, Company Leaves, etc), and ADA.  Owns the operational vision, strategy and execution of the model, inclusive of processes and practices.
• Foster a culture that blends technology-enabled solutions (AI, automation, analytics) with a personalized, human-centered approach to claims and service.
• Use real-time feedback from clients, brokers, and claimants to inform service model evolution and to shape a Voice of Customer (VOC) -driven, data-informed roadmap.
• Serve as the voice of Absence operations in cross-functional forums (including Claims, Service, Product, Sales, Compliance, and Technology) to ensure alignment and end-to-end accountability.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts that reduce friction, streamline processes, and free capacity to enable high-value, consultative work.
• Own operational readiness for new product launches and platform enhancements; lead execution in partnership with internal and external stakeholders.
• Define and manage KPIs, capacity models, and performance dashboards that inform staffing, efficiency, and experience targets.
• Develop, coach, and empower a high-performing leadership team; embed a culture of inclusion, service, and adaptability.
• Champion GBS transformation efforts, helping to shape a future-ready claims experience that’s digital when it should be, and personal when it must be.

Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of senior leadership experience in Absence, Disability, or Group Benefits.
• Proven success leading operational teams that create differentiation in market, a strong employee claims experience, and a customer-centric claims team culture.
• Success in leading at scale in complex, matrixed environments and bringing together diverse teams around a unified mission.
• Deep understanding of Absence and Leave products and regulatory complexity, with a commitment to compliance and service excellence.
• Demonstrated ability to lead transformation—successfully modernizing operations through AI, digital tools, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Exceptional collaboration and communication skills; able to build trust with peers, motivate teams, and influence across business units.
• A forward-thinking, inclusive leadership style grounded in accountability, empathy, and a strong client, customer and broker orientation.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills; ability to drive change and deliver results.

Key Leadership Capabilities