Director, Customer Engagement

AAA Life Insurance Company•Livonia, MI

About The Position

Operating within the core values and operating principles of the organization, the Director of Customer Engagement is a transformative leadership role responsible for defining and delivering AAA Life’s member communication journey—from application to policy issuance, through policy servicing, and ultimately to beneficiary settlement. This leader will spearhead the design, governance, and execution of a robust, omni-channel engagement strategy focused on improving the member experience, increasing retention, and accelerating time-to-settlement for beneficiaries. The role will serve as the enterprise owner of AAA Life’s forthcoming member engagement platform while providing leadership over brand governance, creative development, and message alignment across the organization. In partnership with cross-functional teams, this leader will ensure the right message reaches the right member at the right time—balancing compliance, impact, and brand consistency—while driving continuous optimization using data and A/B testing.

Requirements

Leadership & Team Management Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement
Strong business acumen, with deep understanding of interdependencies across operations, distribution, underwriting, service, marketing, and technology
Critical Thinking Evaluates alternatives using logical reasoning; identifies root causes, risks, and trade-offs
Approaches complex problems holistically, identifying interdependencies and designing integrated solutions
Execution & Driving Results Makes sound decisions in high-pressure or ambiguous conditions
Acts decisively to deliver improvements that meaningfully impact customer outcomes and business performance
Engage & Inspire Encourages high levels of performance, creativity, and ownership
Builds commitment and energy around the member experience vision
Change Leadership & Influence Advocates for customer-centered change across the organization
Ensures initiatives are implemented with proper communication, metrics, and cross-functional alignment
Effective Communication Models courageous and constructive dialogue
Can articulate complex issues clearly and influence senior stakeholders toward alignment
Bachelor’s in Business , Communications, Marketing, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred
10+ years of experience in customer lifecycle communications, CX, marketing automation, CRM, or member engagement roles—ideally in insurance, financial services, or regulated industries
Proven success implementing or managing omni-channel engagement platforms with measurable impact on customer behavior and retention
Strong understanding of segmentation, A/B testing, journey orchestration, creative development, and communication compliance
Demonstrated experience managing teams , influencing cross-functional leaders, and driving enterprise alignment
Strong analytical and presentation skills; able to translate complexity into actionable insights

Nice To Haves

Experience managing vendor relationships and platform rollouts preferred.

Responsibilities

Customer Engagement Strategy and Execution Lead the end-to-end communication lifecycle for all policyholders—from application through beneficiary payment
Collaborate cross-functionally (New Business, Claims, Underwriting, Distribution, Marketing, etc.) to map the member journey and identify communication strategies that improve placed rate, lapse rate, SQI, and other key outcomes
Define and continuously refine member segmentation strategies to enable personalization, targeted outreach, and increased engagement
Design and run A/B tests , pilot programs, and iterative experiments to optimize messaging, timing, content, and channels
Ensure all communications reflect the AAA Life brand values of clarity, empathy, and trust
Brand Governance & Creative Development Serve as the brand steward for all member-facing communications across channels (email, SMS, phone, mail, digital)
Lead the development, standardization, and ongoing refinement of brand voice, communication guidelines, and visual identity as they apply to customer engagement
Oversee creative development for engagement campaigns, including message strategy, copy development, and creative asset review
Partner with Marketing and Compliance to ensure consistent, compliant, and on-brand communication experiences
Establish and enforce brand and content governance processes , templates, and quality controls to ensure consistency across departments
Platform Ownership and Implementation Serve as the business owner for the enterprise member engagement platform (currently in RFP), ensuring alignment with communication, compliance, CX, and data requirements
Lead platform implementation, rollout, and enterprise onboarding in partnership with IT, vendors, and key stakeholders
Own and manage communication preference centers, opt-out mechanisms, identity verification processes, and regulatory communication requirements
Provide strategic oversight of day-to-day campaign execution and long-term journey architecture within the platform
Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team of 3–5 customer engagement professionals
Cross-Functional Collaboration Partner closely with Marketing, Distribution, Compliance, Legal, New Business, Technology, Claims, and Operations to align communication strategies with enterprise priorities
Ensure member communications meet regulatory standards while remaining customer-centric and brand-aligned
Serve as the organization’s central coordinator for communication strategy , messaging alignment, and cross-departmental harmonization
Measurement, Optimization, and Reporting Track, analyze, and report on campaign performance, journey success, and channel effectiveness
Leverage insights from engagement data, VOC, and segmentation to iterate strategy and improve business outcomes
Champion a test-and-learn culture that encourages experimentation, iteration, and continuous improvement ion a test-and-learn approach across all communication efforts.