Director, Internal Sales - Life & DI

Director, Internal Sales, Life and Disability Distribution, MMSD

Springfield, MA Hybrid/Fulltime

The Opportunity

Are you ready to lead in an environment where innovation, grit, and a client-centered mindset are expected? MassMutual Strategic Distributors (MMSD) is looking for an experienced Life and Disability Insurance sales leader to lead the internal sales desk and sales support team while shaping the direction of client experience for MMSD Life & DI. This is an opportunity to help shape how our internal teams support advisors, distribution partners, and external sales teams while strengthening the execution discipline needed to grow Life and DI sales.

You will lead talented professionals who partner closely with external wholesalers, key account managers, advanced sales, underwriting, operations, marketing, product, and technology teams to execute our strategy and remove friction from the sales process.

Your purpose as the Director of Internal Sales will be:

Driving revenue goals:

• Translating company strategy into team execution.
• Ensuring pipeline health.
• Holding accountability for forecast accuracy and delivery.

Developing people and culture:

• Coaching sellers on the skills and behaviors to win in today’s sales environment.
• Motivating, guiding and building a team culture that sustains performance.
• Creating future leaders and mentoring the career path of your team.

Simplifying operations:

• Removing obstacles so sellers spend more time with customers.
• Enabling smart use of process, CRM, data and AI.
• Liaising cross-functionally to drive approvals for sellers.

The Team

We are growing, and our clients and partners deserve the best. MMSD Life & DI needs a leader who can bring structure, urgency, and clarity to the internal sales and sales support model while continuing to elevate the experience we deliver to advisors and distribution partners. You are someone who:

• Brings passion, grit, and determination to every challenge.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and inspires others to do the same.
• Holds yourself and your teams accountable to high standards, clear priorities, and measurable results.
• Uses data, activity insights, and partner feedback to improve execution, coaching, and decision making.
• Puts the client and advisor experience at the center of every decision.
• Builds repeatable, easy-to-understand processes that help teams execute with consistency and confidence.
• Can represent Sales effectively on strategic initiatives such as illustration strategy, portal experience, digital tools, and other ease-of-doing-business priorities.

What Success Looks Like

• Client-Centered Commitment: Champions a client-first mindset, ensuring every interaction with internal partners, advisors, and distribution partners reflects a responsive, accurate, and boutique experience.
• Sales Desk Leadership: Leads a high-performing internal sales team that partners effectively with external wholesalers and key account teams to drive Life and DI sales execution.
• Client Experience Excellence: Identifies and removes friction from the advisor and distributor experience, improving responsiveness, follow-through, and consistency across the sales process.
• Operational Discipline: Establishes repeatable processes, clear service expectations, and disciplined routines that improve quality, prioritization, and accountability across the internal teams.
• Data-Driven Coaching: Uses Salesforce, activity reporting, pipeline insights, and service metrics to coach the team, identify opportunities, and improve business outcomes.
• Talent Development: Recruits, motivates, develops, and retains internal sales and sales support talent, creating clear development paths and readiness for future sales roles.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Partners with Key Accounts, National Sales, Advanced Sales, Underwriting, Operations, Marketing, Product, and Technology to support product launches, campaigns, readiness, and service improvements.

Strategic Initiative Leadership:

• Represents the Life & DI distribution team on initiatives such as illustration strategy, portal enhancements, Salesforce improvements, digital sales tools, and other capabilities tied to advisor experience and sales growth.
• Executive Communication: Communicates priorities, risks, decisions, and recommendations clearly to senior leaders and business partners, with a bias toward action and practical execution.

The Impact

In this role, you will be expected to deliver meaningful, measurable impact across three areas:

Drive Revenue Outcomes

• Improve Life and DI sales execution by aligning the internal sales desk and sales support teams to the highest-value opportunities, campaigns, territories, and partner needs.
• Increase pipeline visibility, follow-through, and forecast reliability through disciplined use of Salesforce, activity insights, service metrics, and partner feedback.
• Strengthen the advisor and distributor experience by ensuring product launches, sales plays, and strategic initiatives translate into clear field readiness, adoption, and business results.

 Develop People and Culture

• Build a high-performing, client-centered team with clear goals, strong coaching routines, visible accountability, and recognition tied to results.
• Grow the capabilities of internal sales and sales support associates, creating meaningful development opportunities and a strong pipeline of talent for future sales and leadership roles.
• Create a culture of collaboration, candid feedback, continuous improvement, and shared ownership across internal teams and external sales partners.

 Simplify Operations

• Reduce friction, improve responsiveness, and create greater consistency across advisor support, internal handoffs, case escalation, campaign execution, and follow-through.
• Turn business priorities into practical operating routines, service expectations, training, and communication that teams can execute consistently.
• Partner across Underwriting, Operations, Product, Marketing, Technology, Compliance, and Legal to resolve recurring challenges, improve ease of doing business, and focus resources on the work with the greatest client and business impact.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in financial services
• FINRA Series 6 or 7 and Series 24 or 26 licenses, or ability to obtain within 6 months of hire.
• State Life and Health License, or ability to obtain within 6 months of hire.
• 3+ years of experience using Salesforce, Microsoft Office, reporting tools, and sales activity/pipeline management processes.
• High School Diploma

Ideal Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience managing, coaching, or leading others
• 5+ years of Life and/or DI, insurance distribution, sales support, internal wholesaling, sales desk leadership, client experience, or related functions.
• Strong working knowledge of Life Insurance and/or Disability Income Insurance products, third-party distribution, and advisor support models.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and relationship management skills; comfortable managing in a fluid, fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to simplify complex issues and influence senior leaders and business partners.
• Strong understanding of BGAs, IMOs, financial institutions, broker-dealers, wirehouses, and other third-party distribution models.
• Strong presentation, negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Creativity to innovate, constant desire to learn and improve, and ability to lead change with urgency and clarity.
• Ability to travel as needed to support team leadership, partner engagement, training, and strategic initiatives.

Compensation: $90 - $110k base salary range, plus sales-based compensation resulting in a total target compensation package of $130K - $160K

What You Can Expect at MassMutual
MassMutual offers the opportunity to do meaningful work within a purpose-driven organization that values long-term impact over short-term outcomes. In this role, you can expect:

Clear areas of ownership and accountability, with work that connects directly to company and customer outcomes 

A collaborative environment where perspectives are welcomed  

Access to learning, development, and internal networks that support continuous growth and skill-building over time 

Employee-led communities and forums that foster connection, learning, and inclusion across the organization 

A culture grounded in integrity, responsibility, and stewardship—supported by a company with a strong legacy and a future-focused mindset.

#LI-RS1

Why Join Us.

We’ve been around since 1851. During our history, we’ve learned a few things about making sure our customers are our top priority. In order to meet and exceed their expectations, we must have the best people providing the best thinking, products and services. To accomplish this, we celebrate an inclusive, vibrant and diverse culture that encourages growth, openness and opportunities for everyone. A career with MassMutual means you will be part of a strong, stable and ethical business with industry leading pay and benefits. And your voice will always be heard.

We help people secure their future and protect the ones they love. As a company owned by our policyowners, we are defined by mutuality and our vision to put customers first. It’s more than our company structure – it’s our way of life. We are a company of people protecting people. Our company exists because people are willing to share risk and resources, and rely on each other when it counts. At MassMutual, we Live Mutual.

MassMutual is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We welcome all persons to apply.

If you need an accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us and share the specifics of the assistance you need.

At MassMutual, we focus on ensuring fair, equitable pay by providing competitive salaries, along with incentive and bonus opportunities for all employees.  Your total compensation package includes either a bonus target or in a sales-focused role a Variable Incentive Compensation component.  For more information about our extensive benefits offerings please check out our Total Rewards at a Glance.