Vice President, Head of Group Benefits Products
The work we do has an impact on millions of lives, and you can be a part of it.
We help protect our customers against life’s uncertainties. Regardless of where you work within the company, you’ll be helping provide protection and peace of mind when our customers need it most.
The Vice President, Head of Group Benefits Products is accountable for designing, building, and orchestrating the future‑state operating model for the Group Benefits business. This role leads enterprise‑level planning, coordination, and execution required to stand up a scalable, technology‑first Group Benefits product platform aligned with Protective’s enterprise operating model.
As a key member of the leadership team reporting directly to the SVP of Employee Benefits and partnering closely with Enterprise Technology and shared service leaders, this role owns the Group Benefits product portfolio strategy and roadmap, translates business strategy into executable operating and delivery roadmaps, shapes investment priorities, and drives large‑scale transformation to enable sustainable growth and operating leverage.
As a key member of the leadership team reporting directly to the SVP of Employee Benefits and partnering closely with Enterprise Technology and shared service leaders, this role owns the Group Benefits product portfolio strategy and roadmap, translates business strategy into executable operating and delivery roadmaps, shapes investment priorities, and drives large‑scale transformation to enable sustainable growth and operating leverage.
The VP Head of Group Benefits Products will ensure the Group Benefits operating model — inclusive of legacy Employee Benefits offerings during transition — delivers results through strong product leadership, outcome accountability, cross‑functional alignment, and disciplined execution.
Key Responsibilities
1. Operating Model & Delivery Leadership
• Defines and governs Group Benefits value streams, product operating model, and value‑based execution priorities.
• Directly leads a team of Product Managers, holding them accountable for value stream outcomes.
• Aligns with Enterprise IT to coordinate capacity, sequencing, and delivery of key initiatives.
• Ensures integration of key functions—including underwriting, policy administration, billing, claims, distribution, customer experience, marketing, and external partners—within the future-state operating model.
• Drives multi-year transformation by aligning Insurance Product, IT, Operations, and Enterprise partners on shared objectives.
• Build and lead a high-performing Product organization: hire, develop, and mentor product managers; establish standards for discovery, experimentation, and outcome accountability.
• Defines and governs Group Benefits value streams, product operating model, and value‑based execution priorities.
• Directly leads a team of Product Managers, holding them accountable for value stream outcomes.
• Aligns with Enterprise IT to coordinate capacity, sequencing, and delivery of key initiatives.
• Ensures integration of key functions—including underwriting, policy administration, billing, claims, distribution, customer experience, marketing, and external partners—within the future-state operating model.
• Drives multi-year transformation by aligning Insurance Product, IT, Operations, and Enterprise partners on shared objectives.
• Build and lead a high-performing Product organization: hire, develop, and mentor product managers; establish standards for discovery, experimentation, and outcome accountability.
2. Enterprise Level Strategic Leadership
• Serve as a principal advisor to the SVP of Employee Benefits on operating model strategy, execution readiness, and transformation sequencing.
• Translate business line strategy into an actionable operations roadmap that aligns people, processes, data, and systems.
• Drive cross‑functional alignment to ensure execution decisions remain anchored to business‑line priorities.
3. Drive End‑to‑End Operating Performance & Readiness
• Define operating readiness standards, success metrics, and outcome measures for the Group Benefits platform and operating model.
• Establish and govern the end‑to‑end operational performance framework, including KPIs, SLAs, quality measures, customer experience indicators, risk controls, and operational resilience standards.
• Drive continuous improvement and operational excellence across all operational units through strong partnership with functional leaders and shared service teams.
4. Lead Product-Centric Program Execution
• Provide direct leadership to team of Product Managers, who own value streams and execution priorities.
• Establish strong program management disciplines including planning cadences, dependency management, and milestone tracking.
• Enable Product Managers to drive outcomes across matrixed delivery and operational teams.
5. Enable Operational Modernization & Intelligent Workflow Design
• Champion agile, product‑led delivery of capabilities through strong partnership with Enterprise IT.
• Ensure modernization efforts are sequenced, prioritized, and delivered in alignment with business strategy.
• Govern readiness for new products, pricing changes, market expansion, and regulatory requirements.
• Leverage capabilities around AI while ensuring meeting regulatory requirements.
6. Strengthen Cross Functional & External Performance
• Serve as the operating‑model representative in enterprise steering committees and planning forums.
• Ensure external and internal delivery partners are aligned to value‑stream priorities and experience outcomes.
• Partner closely with key stakeholders in distribution, operations, underwriting, actuarial, marketing, IT, insurance product, finance, and regulatory governance.
• Digital first mindset that increases operational efficiency and creates experiences that exceed broker, member, and plan holder expectations.
Qualifications
• 15+ years of experience in Group Benefits, insurance, or adjacent regulated industries, with deep understanding of group benefits and end-to-end operating models.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross‑functional initiatives without direct authority.
• Proven track record leading complex, multi‑year Agile delivery efforts (SAFe preferred) in support of a Product Operating Model.
• Deep understanding of cloud architectures, APIs, microservices, DevOps, event streaming, and modern engineering practices.
• Strong experience working with Product Managers, value streams, and Agile delivery models.
• Demonstrated experience with AI, automation, and applying emerging technologies to transform business processes.
• Experience building multi‑year transformation strategies and driving adoption at scale.
• High technical fluency (platforms, automation, data) without expectation of hands‑on engineering ownership.
• Exceptional ability to simplify complexity, shape organizational strategy, and influence senior leaders cross‑functionally.
• Entrepreneurial, adaptable, decisive, and comfortable operating with ambiguity.
• Highly collaborative with a bias toward action and measurable
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross‑functional initiatives without direct authority.
• Proven track record leading complex, multi‑year Agile delivery efforts (SAFe preferred) in support of a Product Operating Model.
• Deep understanding of cloud architectures, APIs, microservices, DevOps, event streaming, and modern engineering practices.
• Strong experience working with Product Managers, value streams, and Agile delivery models.
• Demonstrated experience with AI, automation, and applying emerging technologies to transform business processes.
• Experience building multi‑year transformation strategies and driving adoption at scale.
• High technical fluency (platforms, automation, data) without expectation of hands‑on engineering ownership.
• Exceptional ability to simplify complexity, shape organizational strategy, and influence senior leaders cross‑functionally.
• Entrepreneurial, adaptable, decisive, and comfortable operating with ambiguity.
• Highly collaborative with a bias toward action and measurable
Employee Benefits:
We aim to protect the wellbeing of our employees and their families with a broad benefits offering. In addition to offering comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance, we support emotional wellbeing through mental health benefits and an employee assistance program. Work/life balance is important and Protective offers a variety of paid time away benefits (e.g., paid time off, paid parental leave, short-term disability, and a cultural observance day). The financial health of our employees is just as important as physical and emotional health. Some of the financial wellbeing benefits include contributions to healthcare accounts, a pension plan, and a 401(k) plan with Company matching. All employees are encouraged to protect their overall wellbeing by engaging in ProHealth Rewards, Protective’s platform to improve wellbeing while earning cash rewards.
Eligibility for certain benefits may vary by position in accordance with the terms of the Company’s benefit plans.
Accommodations for Applicants with a Disability:
If you require an accommodation to complete the application and recruitment process due to a disability, please email eric.hess@protective.com. This information will be held in confidence and used only to determine an appropriate accommodation for the application and recruitment process.
Please note that the above email is solely for individuals with disabilities requesting an accommodation. General employment questions should not be sent through this process.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to being inclusive and attracting, retaining, and growing an inclusive workforce.