Director, NFG Annuity Sales

Cetera•Dallas, TX

About The Position

The Director, NFG Annuity Sales is responsible for building and leading the annuity distribution engine of the firm’s broker‑dealer‑owned IMO. This role is responsible for executing the annuity growth strategy on the ground, in the field, including the development and oversight of field sales reps, designing and driving sales activity and engagement plans in support of channels, communities, firms, teams, and advisors across the Cetera ecosystem and similar stakeholders served in firms supported outside Cetera. Specific solutions supported include fixed, fixed indexed, variable, RILA/structured, SPIA/DIA and immediate income annuities— delivering advisor education, point of sale support, compliant recommendations, and consistent production through an internal/external wholesaling model. This role will scale multi‑carrier access, training, and back‑office enablement typical of IMOs (appointments, contracting, tools, and marketing support), while aligning closely with broker‑dealer supervision and Reg BI/NAIC best‑interest standards that govern annuity recommendations.

Requirements

Distribution & IMO Fluency: Understand the hierarchy and roles across IMO/FMO/BGA/MGA/GA; navigate multi‑layered contracting and support models.
Regulatory Acumen: Ability to translate Reg BI, FINRA, and NAIC best‑interest expectations into day‑to‑day sales processes and advisor coaching.
Advanced Sales & Case Design: Proficiency in retirement income design, product comparisons, and illustration analysis for advisors.
Carrier & Economics Savvy: Skilled in negotiating compensation structures, marketing arrangements, and placement priorities.
Data‑Driven Leadership: Build dashboards for pipeline, conversion, placement, lapse/surrender, persistency, and advisor adoption; use insights to coach and prioritize.
People Leadership: Recruit, develop, and retain top wholesaling and advanced sales talent with a coaching culture.
Communication: Executive‑caliber storytelling; clear, compliant sales messaging for advisors and clients.
10+ years in annuity distribution/wholesaling leadership (internal/external) within IMOs/FMOs, carriers, or broker‑dealers.
Deep knowledge of annuity product mechanics across categories (FIA, VA, RILA/structured, SPIA/DIA) and their planning applications.
Demonstrated success building advisor adoption programs, field training, and carrier partnership outcomes.
Active state Life & Annuity insurance license; FINRA registrations (e.g., Series 6/7 and 63/65/66) or willingness to obtain per product set and BD policy.
State Life & Annuity license required; FINRA registrations may be required based on product shelf (e.g., VA/RILA).
Working command of Reg BI (SEC), FINRA Rule 2330 (VAs), and NAIC best‑interest model implications for producers and insurers.

Nice To Haves

Experience inside an IMO/FMO model (multi‑carrier appointments, overrides, agent recruiting/support).
Strong carrier network and prior negotiation of shelf economics, data sharing, and marketing co‑op.
Track record integrating e‑app/e‑delivery, CRM, and data pipelines for annuity distribution.

Responsibilities

Build a 3 year annuity growth plan with annual production targets by channel, region, and product; align to advisor segments and client needs (retirement income, accumulation, protection).
Lead and coach a high performing wholesaling organization (external + internal), advanced sales/case design, and sales enablement to increase illustration to submission conversion and placement rates.
Work with the broader NFG team to establish a compelling advisor journey (education → discovery → illustration → submission → in force review) supported by IMO services (multi carrier access, training, marketing tools).
Work closely with the Strategic Partnership team to develop and support strategic relationships and QBRs with annuity carriers; including the negotiation of shelf placement, economics, marketing support, and data feeds.
Curate a competitive multi carrier product menu (fixed, FIA, VA, RILA/structured, SPIA/DIA); provide comparative positioning and playbooks for advisors and field leaders.
Stay current on market trends and distribution share (e.g., IBD and independent agent channels) to inform priorities and capacity planning.
Deploy scalable training (live/virtual) on product mechanics, use cases, and regulation; equip advisors with compliant sales narratives and tools (illustrations, proposal templates, checklists).
Build advanced planning content for retirement income design, tax considerations, and integration with financial plans.
Partner with the broker dealer’s Compliance, Supervision, and Legal to operationalize Reg BI obligations for securities annuities (e.g., VAs and RILAs) and ensure documented care, conflicts, and disclosure controls; reinforce FINRA Rule 2330 processes for VAs.
Adhere to broker‑dealer supervision, advertising standards, and carrier co‑brand rules.
Coordinate with Insurance Compliance on NAIC’s Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model (best interest) and safe harbor alignment for producers who are RR/IARs.
Ensure licensing/appointments, advertising, and training standards are met across agents under the IMO umbrella.
Oversee licensing/contracting, appointment workflows, case status visibility, commission accuracy, and service escalations—core IMO value pillars.
Partner with Tech/Data to implement CRM, pipeline dashboards, illustration ingestion, STP e app/e delivery, and in force data feeds for proactive reviews.
Align with Wealth, Product, Planning, and Branch/Practice Management to embed annuity guidance into advisor platforms and client experiences.
Serve as executive sponsor for strategic initiatives (e.g., RILA education, income lab pilots, enterprise training)
Other duties as assigned.