Director, Operational Excellence & Governance

Overview

We need an ambitious, curious leader to become the Director, Operations Excellence & Governance in the Claims, New Business & Underwriting Operations Team to help drive the biggest change in the company's history. 

The Opportunity – Why Join 

Are you ready to redefine how an entire industry engages with customers? At AAA Life we leverage technology to put human connection at the heart of what we do. If you are someone who thrives on purpose and wants to make a tangible difference in people’s lives when it matters most, then join AAA Life who has the unique ability to access tens of millions of existing AAA customers powered by the strength of one of America’s most trusted brands.  We have embarked on a mission to double in size - Becoming one of the largest providers in the US.  These facts showcase why we're the right choice: 

• On purpose: a leading professional services firm found that the commitment, empathy and dedication of employees at AAA Life was the highest across a benchmark of top US companies 

• On growth: we have the privilege to offer our products to tens of millions of Americans that are proud members of AAA 

• On making a difference: we serve Americans by delivering life insurance products that make a true difference for families during their hardest times, not wealth management instruments (more details on this during the interview) 

• On culture: USA Today named us 2025 top workplace nationwide.  We believe the job of an insurance company is to do good.  Our mission is to help our members during what is often the hardest times in their lives.  We pick up the phone to people who have lost loved ones and offer our genuine support.  That is why we will always put human connection at the heart of what we do - always being there to talk to our members person to person.  We believe the job of an insurance company is to pay out.  That is what insurance is for.  Most of our members have real life policies - policies that bring peace of mind during life, and genuine support in the event of death.  We are not here to chase the super-rich with annuities and wealth management products.   AAA has been one of the most trusted names in America because it believes in providing the services that middle class Americans need. 

Responsibilities

The Role 

The Director, Operations Excellence & Governance provides strategic leadership for the shared governance, quality, training, operational support, and continuous improvement functions supporting New Business, Underwriting, and Claims Operations. This leader is responsible for strengthening operational maturity through governance, analytics, quality oversight, process excellence, automation enablement, and best-practice sharing while preserving the independence of production decision-making, audit activities, and regulatory oversight. The role requires exceptional ethical judgment, executive presence, and the ability to influence across organizational boundaries without direct production authority. 

This role is intended to lead managers and formal functional teams with ownership of the shared Operations Excellence operating model. The Director is accountable for the strategic leadership, operational effectiveness, and continuous improvement of the Operations Excellence organization, including quality, training support, operational analytics, operational support, correspondence management (Document Control Center - DCC), citizen development/automation support, vendor support, and governance functions. 

While the role has ownership of the Operations Excellence organization, it is not accountable for production outcomes or business decisions within New Business, Underwriting, or Claims Operations. Instead, it provides governance, enablement, oversight, reporting, quality, and operational consistency while preserving appropriate separation of duties between production, audit, procedure governance, and training activities. 

The Director has formal leadership responsibility for managers and functional teams within Operations Excellence, including responsibility for staffing, performance management, organizational development, budgets, vendor oversight, strategic planning, and operational priorities within the pillar. The role also establishes governance frameworks, operational standards, reporting methodologies, and continuous improvement initiatives, while partnering with Claims, New Business, Underwriting, Compliance, Legal, Risk Management, Technology, and Internal Audit to strengthen enterprise operations. 

Although this position exercises governance leadership, it does not have authority to direct claims adjudication decisions, underwriting decisions, or production performance objectives, preserving the independence and regulatory expectations established within the organizational model. 

The Next Phase 

Our mission is to provide those services for as many people as we can. To achieve that we need to evolve. We need to boldly embrace innovation and technology. Your leadership will help us deliver on our mission together and achieve our transformation. At AAA Life, empathy and progress go hand in hand, creating a culture where bright ideas flourish and meaningful impact grow. If you are drawn to an environment that values purpose as much as potential, we invite you to join us. Because here, being there for people isn’t just a promise, it is our driving force. 

Position Responsibilities 

• Provide strategic leadership for Operations Excellence, including quality, audit, training, DCC/correspondence management, operational support, citizen development, operational analytics, vendor support, and governance functions. 
• Establish and maintain governance frameworks that strengthen operational consistency while preserving separation of duties between production, audit, procedure governance, and training. 
• Ensure audit activities remain independent from procedure ownership, development, and approval. 
• Lead enterprise quality assurance and operational audit programs that identify trends, control gaps, and improvement opportunities. 
• Develop governance standards, reporting, and documentation supporting regulatory compliance, market conduct expectations, and operational risk management. 
• Drive ethical decision-making and foster a culture of integrity, objectivity, accountability, and regulatory compliance. 
• Partner with Claims, New Business, Underwriting, Compliance, Legal, Risk, Internal Audit, and Technology while maintaining appropriate functional independence. 
• Oversee enterprise training strategy and learning consistency while ensuring business-area ownership of technical content. 
• Lead operational analytics and KPI reporting to identify trends, monitor control effectiveness, and support executive decision-making. 
• Champion operational excellence, Lean process improvement, automation, citizen development, and best-practice sharing without assuming production decision authority. 
• Oversee vendor governance and operational support functions. 
• Build and develop high-performing leaders and teams focused on continuous improvement and governance excellence. 

  Core Competencies – How You Will Contribute 

  • Ethical Decision Making 
  • Governance & Internal Controls 
  • Regulatory Compliance 
  • Operational Risk Management 
  • Quality Assurance & Audit Leadership 
  • Training & Organizational Capability 
  • Operational Analytics & Business Intelligence 
  • Process Governance 
  • Automation & Citizen Development 
  • Executive Influence 
  • Cross-functional Collaboration 
  • Change Leadership 
  • Continuous Improvement 
  • Talent Development 

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:  

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Insurance, Finance, Risk Management, or related field. 

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in life insurance operations, underwriting, claims, quality, audit, or operational governance. 

• Minimum 7 years leading managers and cross-functional operational teams. 

• Demonstrated experience designing governance frameworks, quality programs, or operational controls in a regulated environment. 

• Experience partnering with Compliance, Legal, Risk Management, and Internal Audit. 

• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise operational improvement initiatives and executive reporting. 

Preferred Qualifications  

• Master's degree (MBA or related discipline). 

• FLMI, ACS, AIRC, ALHC, Lean Six Sigma, or comparable professional designation. 

• Experience leading quality assurance, operational audit, or governance organizations. 

• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, SQL, or other business intelligence platforms. 

• Experience supporting automation, workflow modernization, citizen development, or AI-enabled operational improvements. 

• Knowledge of life insurance claims, underwriting, and new business operations. 

Governance Principles 

• Maintain independent functional accountability across Claims, New Business/Underwriting, and Operations Excellence. 

• Preserve independent claims adjudication and underwriting decision authority. 

• Maintain separation of production metrics from governance, quality, and audit functions. 

• Ensure formal escalation of regulatory, legal, fraud, market conduct, and reputational risks. 

• Preserve separation between audit activities and procedure governance. 

• Facilitate best-practice sharing without production decision-making authority. 

• Monitor governance indicators including quality results, audit findings, complaints, litigation support, and operational risks. 

How You’ll Work 

• Work Solution: Hybrid  

• Relocation Eligibility: Available  

What We Bring to the Table 

• Hybrid work environment that promotes work-life balance 

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage starting from your first day 

• Employer 401k match and employer contribution to a pension plan 

• Generous PTO and paid parental leave to support your family needs 

• Various associate resource groups and community involvement initiatives 

Essential Job Functions  

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.  

This job requires the ability to perform duties contained in the job description for this position, including, but not limited to, the above requirements.  Reasonable accommodation will be provided for otherwise qualified applicants as needed to enable them to fulfill these requirements.  

AAA Life Insurance Company does not offer immigration sponsorship for this position. This includes visa types such as H-1B, TN, and STEM OPT. Please do not apply if you currently require or may require employer-sponsored immigration support now or in the future.