- Location
- Work From Home
- Workplace
- Remote
- Type
- Full-time
- Department
- Employee Benefits
- Seniority
- Entry
- Experience
- 15+ years
- Education
- Master
- Source
- Lever
Description
The Lead Associate will oversee the full product lifecycle across active and emerging markets and play a critical role in advancing Protective's Employee Benefits growth, with a strong focus on building out and scaling our Disability and Life offerings alongside our PFML portfolio.
Key Responsibilities
• Lead the end-to-end product lifecycle for Group Life and AD&D, Disability (STD/LTD), and Statutory PFML products, including market entry and expansion, product enhancements, renewals, and ongoing optimization.
• Drive the development, launch, and scaling of Group Life and AD&D products, including product design, competitive positioning, and go-to-market strategy.
• Ensure timely and accurate implementation of new state programs and legislative changes, translating regulatory requirements into actionable product, operational, and system strategies.
• Work with compliance and filing teams to develop and execute product filings and filing strategy, in partnership with Legal.
• Drive product design, standardization, scalability, and governance across the Employee Benefits portfolio, ensuring consistency while maintaining flexibility to meet regulatory and market requirements.
• Monitor product performance using financial, operational, and market intelligence metrics, including profitability, growth, and competitive positioning, and recommend enhancements to improve outcomes.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Sales to inform product positioning, value proposition, group benefits best practices go-to-market strategy, and market expansion efforts.
• Partner with Actuarial and Underwriting to support pricing strategy, rate development, forecasting, and loss ratio performance.
• Lead cross-functional alignment and governance across Legal, Claims, Operations, Underwriting, Actuarial, Finance, and Technology, throughout the product development process.
• Serve as the central product authority and subject matter expert for Group Benefits products driving alignment on strategy, regulatory interpretation, and execution, and supporting internal training and business enablement.
• Leverage data, analytics, and AI tools to support product research, development, and performance insights.
• Oversee operational readiness for product launches and enhancements, including systems, processes, and cross-functional training.
• Mentor and guide junior members of the team
• Represent Product, in partnership with Legal and Compliance, in engagement with industry groups and trade associations.
• Support and lead broader product strategy initiatives as assigned by EB management.
Required Skills and Abilities
• Proven leadership skills and the ability to succeed in a highly matrixed, cross-functional environment, building alignment among diverse stakeholders and delivering results.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex strategic initiatives from concept through implementation, driving progress and accountability without direct authority.
• Strategic mindset; consistently contributes thoughtful continuous improvement perspectives and new ideas.
• Deep analytical, problem-solving, and data interpretation skills.
• Strong project management skills, with advanced knowledge of agile methodologies and project management / collaboration tools.
• Ability to work autonomously and collaboratively to develop solutions and achieve objectives under limited oversight.
• Executive-level communication and presentation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to travel as needed (~10–15%).
Education and Experience
• 15+ years of experience in product management within the insurance or employee benefits industry, with expertise across Group Benefits products including Group Life and AD&D, Disability (STD/LTD), and Statutory PFML, and multi-state regulatory environments.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or related field (MS / MBA preferred).
• In-depth knowledge of Group insurance products and best practices.
• Experience with product filings, legislative interpretation, and regulatory compliance.
• Expertise in effectively engaging external partners, including consultants, research firms, and third-party service providers, to advance product initiatives and deliver business outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience launching products on new administrative or digital platforms, including requirements definition, testing, and go-live support.