Manager, National Sales Desk

Overview

At Banner Life Insurance Company, we lead with heart and ambition. Every day, we transform purpose into progress, guided by our unwavering commitment to be better for our customers, clients, and communities, not just today but long-term as well. Our people are the driving force behind everything we achieve. Their passion, purpose, and pursuit of innovation empower us to deliver cutting-edge solutions that support those we serve, ensuring we are here for you, here for good and striving for better.

 

We’re a forward-thinking company energized by our work and how we show up for one another. Our culture is built on meaningful impact and genuine enjoyment, because we believe great work and great experiences should go hand in hand.

By offering career development opportunities, comprehensive benefits, and programs that support your wellbeing, we help you thrive personally and professionally. We are here for you, here for good and here for better.

 

The Manager, National Sales Desk is working in close partnership with the VP, Brokerage Distribution and the Regional Vice Presidents, the Manager, National Sales Desk is accountable for shaping and driving business development and wholesale strategy across assigned distribution partners and territories. The Manager, National Sales Desk also provides elevated leadership, strategic guidance, and operational oversight to the Internal Account Managers (IAMs) and Internal Account Coordinators (IACs), ensuring alignment with national distribution priorities.

This role serves as the primary internal relationship leader for designated Brokerage General Agencies and Financial Institutions, functioning as the central strategic point of contact for agency principals and sales leadership. This role is responsible for strengthening partner engagement, advancing distribution objectives, and ensuring partner experiences reflect Banner Life’s high service standards.

In addition to territory execution, this position plays a key leadership role in talent development, performance management, and operational coordination for the Brokerage Distribution wholesaling team. The Manager, National Sales Desk collaborates closely with the RVPs to advance wholesaling strategy for brokerage agencies and serves as the central hub for internal distribution activity.

Success requires a high level of organizational leadership, strategic foresight, and the ability to align multiple stakeholders toward common goals. Individuals who excel at orchestrating complex initiatives, elevating partner relationships, and driving measurable business outcomes will thrive in this position.

Responsibilities

Account Management:

• Strengthen Banner’s enterprise reputation by creating proactive outreach campaigns designed to increase awareness of Banner’s products and services, underwriting and technology innovations, and overall strength as the #1 term insurer in the US.
• Build executive‑level relationships with agency principals and leaders across sales, underwriting, and operations.
• Develop a holistic understanding of each partner’s business model, segmentation, and growth levers, with disciplined CRM documentation.
• Lead staff and broker training initiatives to elevate market adoption of Banner products and platforms.
• Represent Banner at key agency, IMO, or company-hosted events, positioning distribution strategy and reinforcing partnership value.
• Serve as the primary internal account executive in coordination with the RVP to drive territory performance and partner engagement.

Strategic Growth:

• Identify, prioritize, and operationalize strategic growth initiatives within assigned agencies to expand production and deepen penetration.
• Lead cross-functional strategic projects as assigned by the VP, Brokerage Distribution & Strategy, ensuring timely execution and measurable outcomes.
• Partner with the RVPs to design and deliver strategic project plans for brokerage agencies with complex distribution needs.
• Oversee targeted broker activation campaigns aimed at expanding writing broker counts and increasing productivity from existing producers.
• Drive the successful onboarding and commercialization of newly appointed agencies to accelerate early‑stage production.

People Management:

• Set strategic direction, performance standards, and success metrics for the wholesaling team, ensuring alignment with broader distribution priorities.
• Create a high-performance culture rooted in accountability, proactive problem-solving, and disciplined execution through regular reviews and coaching.
• Develop and elevate talent through structured mentoring, skill development, and role expansion opportunities to build a strong future leadership pipeline.
• Foster collaboration and cross-functional connectivity to remove barriers, enhance service delivery, and strengthen team cohesion.

Miscellaneous:

• Ensure CRM records—including key agency contacts—are current, accurate, and optimized for decision-making.
• Collaborate with Relationship Managers to monitor pending and issued policy inventory and proactively drive placement improvements.
• Act as the enterprise liaison for assigned agencies, coordinating connections across Licensing, New Business, Underwriting, and other internal teams.
• Maintain expert-level knowledge of Banner’s product suite, digital tools, competitive landscape, and industry positioning.
• Contribute to the design and execution of marketing materials, strategic initiatives, and national programs.
• Support the RVPs with advanced Partner Sales Support, including Horizon training, product illustration strategy, placement analysis, and complex case coordination.

Qualifications

Education 

Bachelor's Degree or Commensurate experience (Marketing, Sales or Business Administration Preferred)

Life and Health Insurance Licensed preferred

Actively pursuing industry designations (CLU, ChFC, LOMA)   

         

Experience/Knowledge

7+ years industry experience preferred, with at least 2 years in a customer contact sales role

Proven track record of success

 

Skills

Exceptional relationship‑building and executive communication skills.

Strong strategic planning, organizational, and prioritization capabilities.

Skilled at high‑stakes problem resolution with professionalism and diplomacy.

Ability to operate autonomously while effectively influencing cross-functional teams.

Demonstrated ownership mindset, initiative, and commitment to operational excellence.

Limited travel required (typically a few days per quarter).

 

Reports To

VP, Brokerage Distribution & Strategy

 

Staff

Team of 8-10 Internal Account Managers and Internal Account Coordinators (as assigned)

 

What’s in it for you?

 

The expected hiring compensation range for this position is $109,100 - $145,100 annually. 

 

The total compensation package for this position may include other elements, such as a sign-on bonus, long term incentives, and annual bonuses.  This role is eligible to participate in the Annual Incentive Plan. The current target payment for the position is 17.5-20% of base salary, modified for corporate and individual performance. Bonuses are pro-rated based on start date.  This role has 20 vacation days and 10 sick days that are accrued on a bi-weekly basis. Employees also have 9 paid holidays throughout the calendar year.

 

We have a competitive compensation and benefits package focused on your overall wellbeing.  Employee benefits include health, life, and dental insurance; 401K with company match up to 6% as well as a pension package; generous time off; and wellbeing initiatives throughout the year (we like doing fun stuff).  We’re big on professional development and we’ll support and mentor you in your career progression and expect you to help us pay it forward by helping us develop tomorrow's leaders and growth-focused professionals. We value our teams and our communities and believe in giving back. Enjoy time off to volunteer for those causes that matter most to you!

 

If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors. The Company reserves the right to change benefits plans at any time.

 

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.