Head of Individual Life Business Development & Specialty Markets

Head of Individual Life Business Development & Specialty Markets

Role purpose:

• This role is an Executive leadership position accountable for setting and significantly influencing the strategic direction of Guardians Individual Life Insurance business growth.
• Reporting to the Head of the Life Insurance Business the Head of Life Business Development & Specialty Markets is responsible for Strategic Growth of the Life Insurance business including expanding into new markets and ensuring the Life business remains the earnings and revenue powerhouse of Guardian. The role operates with high autonomy leads through senior leaders and makes decisions in ambiguous complex and highly regulated environments with material impact on Guardians longterm performance and value.

You will:

Set and Drive Growth Strategy

• Set and execute Guardians Life Insurance business development and specialty markets strategy shaping where and how the Life business grows
• Drive growth into new strategic markets that strengthen Guardians reach impact and longterm economic power
• Make strategic tradeoffs balancing growth profitability risk capital deployment and brand impact across the Life business

Own GotoMarket Strategy & Enterprise Alignment

• Lead the new marketplace gotomarket strategy with strong alignment across all functions within the Life Insurance business
• Resolve crossfunctional conflicts and competing priorities to ensure execution at scale
• Serve as a senior integrator across functions ensuring strategies translate into measurable commercial outcomes

Maintain Product Positioning Brand and Franchise Value

• Ensure Life products maintain strong competitive positioning and clientcentricity supported by Guardians brand and reputation
• Influence the evolution of the Life portfolio leading with Whole Life Insurance and a competitive dividend while supporting innovation and disciplined portfolio evolution
• Partner with Product Management Underwriting and Actuarial leaders to ensure longterm sustainability and value creation

Expand Strategic Markets & Accelerate Growth Beyond the Core

• Lead expansion into strategic and specialty markets to supplement core growth and drive Life sales
• Grow BankOwned Life Insurance (BOLI) and the flexible premium (UL/VUL) product lines
• Expand into new strategic markets where Guardian can win through differentiation

Enable Transformation & FutureReady Growth

• Leverage transformational enablement (technology data distribution capabilities and operating model evolution) to build forwardlooking Life solutions
• Champion paradigmshifting Life solutions for emerging generations including Gen Z ensuring Guardians relevance over the long term
• Anticipate external market demographic and regulatory shifts and proactively reposition Guardians Life growth strategy accordingly

Lead Teams & Drive a High-Performance Culture

• Operate with enterprise mindset shaping decisions beyond immediate functional boundaries
• Own growth outcomes investment prioritization and resource allocation tied to Life Business Development and Specialty Markets
• Leading through subordinate leaders developing executivelevel talent and strengthening organizational capability
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior executives on Life growth strategy and market expansion decisions

You are:

An experienced commercial executive with deep Life Insurance expertise recognized for generating new and innovative solutions to complex problems leading in ambiguity and delivering sustained growth at scale. You are known for:

• Setting strategic direction rather than executing predefined plans
• Making highimpact decisions with incomplete information
• Influencing outcomes through leadership not authority alone
• Building durable capabilities that outlast individual initiatives. Having an external mindset with a deep awareness of market dynamics and evolving trends in distribution product solutions and the end client

You have:

• 10 years of experience in Life Insurance business development distribution strategy or specialty markets including 5 years in executive or senior enterprise leadership roles
• Deep expertise in Life Insurance products underwriting and pricing dynamics dividends and regulatory frameworks. Demonstrated success driving growth market expansion and distribution productivity
• Experience leading through senior leaders in highly matrixed organizations
• Strong strategic and financial judgment grounded in longterm enterprise performance
• Bachelors degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred

Salary Range:

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education experience knowledge and abilities of the successful addition to salary this role may also be eligible for annual sales or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian youll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building leadership development and philanthropic opportunities we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardians Purpose to inspire well-being we are committed to offering contemporary supportive flexible and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age race color creed religion sex affectional or sexual orientation national origin ancestry marital status disability military or veteran status or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment its services programs and also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individuals known limitations related to pregnancy childbirth or related medical conditions unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process to perform essential job functions and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment please contact Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment order to be a successful applicant. you must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship.

Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday.