Chief Risk Officer

National Life Insurance Company • Montpelier, VT

7d • $300,000 - $440,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

National Life Group is seeking a Chief Risk Officer (CRO) to lead its enterprise-wide risk management strategy, governance framework, and independent risk oversight. This executive role reports to the Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for establishing the company's risk appetite, ensuring effective ERM practices, and advising executive leadership and the Board of Directors. The CRO will collaborate across the enterprise to integrate risk-informed decision-making into strategic planning, capital management, product development, investments, operations, and corporate initiatives. The position also involves leading the enterprise risk organization, fostering a culture of governance and accountability, and ensuring the organization can anticipate and respond to emerging risks. This role requires a hybrid work schedule with four days per week in the office.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., actuarial science, finance, economics, accounting, or business).
• A minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in financial services — life insurance and annuity strongly preferred — including prior experience as a Chief Risk Officer or in a top-tier senior risk-executive role.
• Direct experience interacting with, and reporting to, a Board of Directors and its committees (including a Risk and/or Audit Committee).
• Strong, demonstrated leadership and change-management ability, with a proven track record of developing talent and leading and influencing across a diverse organization.
• Strong technical risk foundation, together with a deep understanding of enterprise risk management and internal-control concepts and techniques.
• Excellent financial knowledge and a deep understanding of the economic, actuarial, and accounting aspects of insurance and annuity products.
• Strong analytical, independent, and critical-thinking and problem-solving skills; able to assess financial, operational, and qualitative information and make insightful recommendations that impact business outcomes.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical and actuarial concepts to actuarial and non-actuarial executive audiences.
• Up-to-date knowledge of regulatory and accounting developments affecting the insurance business, particularly as they relate to risk and finance, and a sophisticated perspective on the demands of a diversified financial services organization and the competition for capital and liquidity.
• Leverage approved AI tools, where appropriate, to improve the efficiency, quality, and impact of their work.
• Stay curious and open to new AI-enabled ways of working.
• Exercise sound judgment by reviewing and validating AI-generated content.
• Maintain accountability for the accuracy, quality, fairness, and integrity of work products by adhering to National Life's AI guiding principles.
• Use AI responsibly and in accordance with company policies related to confidentiality, data privacy, security, compliance, retention, and intellectual property.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Risk-related credentials such as Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA), Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst (CERA), or Financial Risk Manager (FRM).
• Governance and assurance credentials — such as Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) are a plus.
• Familiarity with GRC (governance, risk, and compliance) tooling and with model risk management frameworks.
• A strong financial sense together with the ability to put operational plans into place and execute with a focus on results.

Responsibilities

• Own the company’s risk appetite and limit structure, setting, refining, and ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and the evolving regulatory and business environment.
• Oversee the delivery of National Life Group’s annual Own Risk and Solvency Assessment (ORSA), including executive sign-off.
• Serve as the accountable risk advisor to the COO, CEO, Executive Leadership Team, and the Board on managing material risk exposures.
• Monitor and evaluate key risk indicators, industry trends, emerging risks, and regulatory and accounting developments, directing timely, strategic responses.
• Act as the company’s accountable risk officer in communications with rating agencies and regulators on risk and solvency topics.
• Provide objective, independent perspective on the effectiveness of governance, risk management, and internal control processes across the enterprise.
• Partner closely with Internal Audit, Compliance, Legal, and Security to align risk oversight, avoid duplication, and ensure timely remediation of control deficiencies.
• Evaluate risks and controls in the development and expansion of key business functions, offering proactive advice and mitigation strategies.
• Support investigations of alleged fraud or misconduct as appropriate, coordinating with Legal, HR, Compliance, and Internal Audit.
• Champion a strong culture of ethics, transparency, and accountability across the risk function and the broader organization.
• Chair the enterprise risk committee and provide executive leadership across the Investment Risk, Product Risk, Operational Risk, and Model Governance Committees.
• Serve as the primary risk voice to the Executive Leadership Team and the Board, reporting on the company’s risk profile, emerging risks, control matters, and solvency.
• Communicate significant risk exposures clearly and in a business-focused manner, translating technical and actuarial concepts for executive and Board-level audiences.
• Provide risk and broader business perspective into strategic decisions such as target setting, product-mix strategy, new ventures, divestitures, acquisitions, joint ventures, and reinsurance proposals.
• Serve as an executive-level advisor on strategic initiatives, major transactions, process redesigns, and significant system implementations.
• Partner regularly with the Capital Development team on new transactions.
• Work effectively and influence across organizational boundaries by building strong relationships with leaders in the business and functional units.
• Support and strengthen modeling capabilities, including model risk management, model validation, and model governance.
• Advance the development and use of analytics throughout the organization, partnering closely with IT to source, organize, and communicate actionable analytics.
• Champion the responsible use of data analytics, AI, and continuous-monitoring tools to enhance the efficiency, insight, and forward-looking capability of the risk function.
• Own the structure, capability, and performance of the enterprise risk organization; recruit, develop, and retain high-quality risk talent and promote external involvement in industry and professional organizations.
• Build, lead, and retain a high-performing, diverse team with the skills, certifications, and mindset required for a future-ready risk function.
• Oversee leadership development, succession planning, and competency assessments to ensure a sustainable talent pipeline.
• Recognize and reward high performance, innovation, and collaborative behavior aligned with enterprise values.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Benefits start day one and are flexible and customizable.
• 401(k) eligibility
• Various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave.
• Discretionary annual incentive programs.
• Medical benefits
• Financial benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive