Director, New Business & Product Innovation

Allstate • McCullom Lake, IL

1d • $199,000 - $274,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Enterprise Product Innovation for Consumers (EPIC) organization drives Allstate’s future by identifying compelling business opportunities and partnering across the enterprise to develop selected opportunities into thriving businesses. We blend skills in strategy, design, technology, and data to create new, consumer-focused insurance and protection businesses, products and capabilities. As Director, New Business & Product Innovation, you will lead EPIC teams building new businesses, products, and capabilities from concept through incubation, market launch, post‑launch growth, and enterprise handoff. You will operate as a generalist business builder, shaping product and business strategy while also ensuring disciplined execution across the full lifecycle. Thriving at the intersection of strategy and execution, you will create clear, compelling materials that align and influence senior leaders, while partnering closely with teams to drive work forward and unblock obstacles. Serving as both a thought partner to senior leadership and a hands‑on collaborator as needed, this role is a pivotal leadership and value‑creation position within EPIC and Allstate at large.

Requirements

• 4 year Bachelors Degree (Preferred)
• 12 or more years of experience (Preferred)
• MBA and/or technical degree from a top institution is a plus.
• Qualified candidates may have a combination of these experiences
• Business or Product Development Experience: the ideal candidate will have experience building new products or businesses and bringing them to market.
• Start-Up/High Growth Experience: roles in product, strategy & ops, and/or business development with a hand in growing and scaling businesses in open-ended and fast-moving environments.
• Consulting Experience: engagement manager or equivalent roles at a top-tier firm, with direct experience managing Fortune 500 C-level clients on “pure strategy” and/or “new product/business build” engagements.
• Ability to quickly get up to speed on unfamiliar subject areas with heavy doses of technology and data.
• Structured Thinking: critical thinking skills are vital to this role, including broad business acumen to tackle a wide range of issues in an integrated fashion (e.g. market landscape, technology landscape, consumer landscape) and the ability to identify and define problems, collect data, establish facts and demonstrate a ‘nose for value’ to discern what is important and draw valid conclusions.
• Analytical Excellence: Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to bring a creative approach and demonstrate “next level of thinking” is required.
• Powerful Communication: The right fit candidate will possess excellent presentation skills, powerful communication ability, and strong interpersonal skills.
• Team & People Leadership: Proven track record of directly managing and developing teams, including hiring, coaching, and performance management. Experience building inclusive, high performing teams and coaching individuals through ambiguity, change, and setbacks while maintaining momentum and accountability.
• Leadership / Stakeholder Management: Successful track record of leading, developing and influencing a high-performing team at all levels of the organization, and experience developing strong relationships, including with executive stakeholders.
• Execution Orientation in Ambiguity: The successful candidate will thrive in ambiguity and is an out-of-the-box and creative thinker who is comfortable with questioning the status quo and generally accepted beliefs while delivering major strategic initiatives.
• Reliable internet is required, with minimum speeds of 50 MB download and 5 MB upload.

Nice To Haves

• MBA and/or technical degree from a top institution is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead 2-4 cross‑functional teams to identify, define, build, launch, and grow new businesses, products, and capabilities from concept through incubation, market launch, post‑launch growth, and enterprise handoff.
• In early stages, frame problems and opportunities, generate and refine hypotheses, and design analyses and delivery approaches that balance learning velocity with rigor.
• In later stages, partner with enterprise delivery and go‑to‑market teams to launch initiatives effectively and achieve intended customer and business outcomes.
• Drive a wide portfolio of strategic partnerships as needed – e.g. product-capability licenses with startups, distribution agreements with commercial partners, and various cross-Allstate, cross-functional partnerships.
• Build, lead, and sustain a single, inclusive EPIC team culture, and ways of working across initiatives.
• Set the tone for a culture of bold thinking, accountability, open dialogue, and continuous improvement, encouraging teams to persist through ambiguity and setbacks.
• Coach and develop teams as initiatives scale, balancing empowerment with appropriate guidance, challenge, and support.
• Serve as a role model for ownership, commitment, and collaboration across EPIC and the broader organization.
• Manage a cross‑functional and cross‑enterprise stakeholder group that includes senior Allstate executives, fostering alignment through clear, inclusive, and collaborative engagement.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for senior business leaders, communicating portfolio progress, risks, and outcomes with clarity and credibility.
• Build strong, trust‑based relationships across departments and levels, particularly developing influence and relationships in Sales, Marketing, Distribution, Property & Liability, Claims, Customer Service, and Technology to move work forward.
• Create clear, compelling narratives and materials that support executive decision‑making, alignment, and sustained momentum; play an active role in executive‑level discussions and forums.
• Constructively challenge conventional thinking and risk aversion while maintaining strong working relationships and shared ownership of outcomes.
• Define product and business vision, strategy, and roadmaps aligned with enterprise priorities and market opportunities.
• Drive rigorous opportunity assessment, hypothesis generation, and solution design informed by consumer needs, market dynamics, and competitive trends.
• Bring an outside‑in perspective, drawing on consumer behavior and innovation patterns from inside and outside the insurance industry.
• Operate at the intersection of strategy and execution, translating bold ideas and insights into practical, differentiated product and business strategies.
• Champion a customer‑centric mindset, ensuring consumer insights are consistently translated into compelling products, services, and experiences.
• Ensure disciplined execution from concept through launch and handoff, balancing speed, pragmatism, and rigor.
• Ensure effective go‑to‑market execution, leveraging agile principles and best practices.
• Partner closely with teams to unblock progress, stepping in as a hands‑on collaborator when needed—without owning day‑to‑day execution.
• Identify and remove barriers to speed‑to‑market, streamlining processes while maintaining appropriate governance.
• Track and communicate progress using clear metrics tied to launch readiness, execution health, and learning.
• Ensure initiatives are built with a clear path to sustainability, scale, and eventual handoff.

Benefits

• Allstate provides a comprehensive technology setup, including a laptop, monitors, headset, keyboard, and mouse.
• Employees eligible to work from home also receive a monthly connectivity reimbursement to help offset internet costs.
• When working from home, you must have a dedicated, private workspace free from distractions, along with appropriate desk and seating.

What This Job Offers

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