AVP, Policy Administration Strategy & Architecture

Pacific Life • Newport Beach, CA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Pacific Life is seeking an experienced and visionary Assistant Vice President, Policy Administration Strategy & Architecture to drive the strategic direction and execution of policy administration systems focused on advancing capabilities through digitization, automation, and AI enablement across our Consumer Markets Division, delivering scalable, efficient, and customer-centric solutions. This role will lead the technical strategy, architecture, and execution of core administration systems, partnering closely with business leaders in a “two-in-a-box” model to deliver measurable business outcomes. The AVP will champion innovation, define the future-state architecture, and ensure alignment between technology investments and business priorities to position the organization for long-term success. This role will be located onsite in one of our office locations, preferably in Newport Beach, CA.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in technology leadership roles, preferably in life and annuity insurance.
• Strong knowledge of Annuity products, insurance products, and financial services.
• Experience implementing large systems within an organization.
• Experience with SaaS platforms and integrations into core systems.
• Has knowledge of industry trends and user demands and common pain points to be able to create a high-value, nuanced vision
• Strong understanding of agile delivery models, DevSecOps, and product-centric operating models.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience in managing hybrid teams and vendor partnerships.

Nice To Haves

• Strategic thinker with a bias for action and continuous improvement.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving clarity in complex environments.
• Passionate about talent development and building inclusive, high-performing teams.
• Be at the forefront of technology transformation, shaping the future of our enterprise and driving meaningful change.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the technical and capability vision for Policy Administration systems aligned with enterprise architecture and business priorities.
• Co-lead cross-functional workstreams with business counterparts, ensuring shared OKRs and outcome ownership.
• Champion modernization by decoupling legacy systems and adopting next-gen platforms and AI capabilities.
• Lead dedicated engineering teams across Policy Administration systems including FAST.
• Gather needs from customers and stakeholders and implement them into the project scope.
• Articulate and translate the product vision into features and tactics.
• Transform needs and requests into backlog items with defined acceptance criteria for the development team.
• Manage the project deliverables and schedule by prioritizing the backlog items/stories and defining the sprint content as well as the release map (milestones plan).
• Re-prioritize features to be developed and implemented based on business value, ensuring that features with the highest value and impact are delivered first.
• Own the end-to-end workstream planning and execution.
• Define and set the quality standard for delivery.
• Guide teams and drive solutions for given challenges.
• Partner across functions as needed to coordinate delivery plans, testing, training and support.
• Work day-to-day with the agile teams clarifying business requirements, removing roadblocks, constantly communicating and gaining alignment around feature or product strategy.
• Refine agile methodologies based on results and client feedback.
• Define key success metrics to ensure progress tracked accurately and rigorously.
• Oversee execution roadmaps, PI planning, and delivery metrics using agile and DevOps practices.
• Own architectural decisions across Policy Administration platforms, ensuring scalability, modularity, and reuse.
• Guide the development of orchestration layers, self-service portals, and unified processing workflows.
• Build and mentor high-performing technology teams, including internal staff and contractors.
• Support upskilling initiatives such as GenAI Academy and agile/DevOps training.
• Collaborate with HR and L&D on strategic workforce planning and role definition.

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Wellbeing Reimbursement Account
• Paid Time Off
• Holiday Schedules
• Financial Planning Time Off
• Paid Parental Leave
• Adoption Assistance Program
• Competitive 401k savings plan with company match and an additional contribution regardless of participation

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed