Director, Operational Excellence & Governance

AAA Life Insurance Company • Livonia, MI

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

We need an ambitious, curious leader to become the Director, Operations Excellence & Governance in the Claims, New Business & Underwriting Operations Team to help drive the biggest change in the company's history. Are you ready to redefine how an entire industry engages with customers? At AAA Life we leverage technology to put human connection at the heart of what we do. If you are someone who thrives on purpose and wants to make a tangible difference in people’s lives when it matters most, then join AAA Life who has the unique ability to access tens of millions of existing AAA customers powered by the strength of one of America’s most trusted brands. We have embarked on a mission to double in size - Becoming one of the largest providers in the US. Our mission is to provide those services for as many people as we can. To achieve that we need to evolve. We need to boldly embrace innovation and technology. Your leadership will help us deliver on our mission together and achieve our transformation. At AAA Life, empathy and progress go hand in hand, creating a culture where bright ideas flourish and meaningful impact grow. If you are drawn to an environment that values purpose as much as potential, we invite you to join us. Because here, being there for people isn’t just a promise, it is our driving force.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Insurance, Finance, Risk Management, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in life insurance operations, underwriting, claims, quality, audit, or operational governance.
• Minimum 7 years leading managers and cross-functional operational teams.
• Demonstrated experience designing governance frameworks, quality programs, or operational controls in a regulated environment.
• Experience partnering with Compliance, Legal, Risk Management, and Internal Audit.
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise operational improvement initiatives and executive reporting.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree (MBA or related discipline).
• FLMI, ACS, AIRC, ALHC, Lean Six Sigma, or comparable professional designation.
• Experience leading quality assurance, operational audit, or governance organizations.
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, SQL, or other business intelligence platforms.
• Experience supporting automation, workflow modernization, citizen development, or AI-enabled operational improvements.
• Knowledge of life insurance claims, underwriting, and new business operations.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for Operations Excellence, including quality, audit, training, DCC/correspondence management, operational support, citizen development, operational analytics, vendor support, and governance functions.
• Establish and maintain governance frameworks that strengthen operational consistency while preserving separation of duties between production, audit, procedure governance, and training.
• Ensure audit activities remain independent from procedure ownership, development, and approval.
• Lead enterprise quality assurance and operational audit programs that identify trends, control gaps, and improvement opportunities.
• Develop governance standards, reporting, and documentation supporting regulatory compliance, market conduct expectations, and operational risk management.
• Drive ethical decision-making and foster a culture of integrity, objectivity, accountability, and regulatory compliance.
• Partner with Claims, New Business, Underwriting, Compliance, Legal, Risk, Internal Audit, and Technology while maintaining appropriate functional independence.
• Oversee enterprise training strategy and learning consistency while ensuring business-area ownership of technical content.
• Lead operational analytics and KPI reporting to identify trends, monitor control effectiveness, and support executive decision-making.
• Champion operational excellence, Lean process improvement, automation, citizen development, and best-practice sharing without assuming production decision authority.
• Oversee vendor governance and operational support functions.
• Build and develop high-performing leaders and teams focused on continuous improvement and governance excellence.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage starting from your first day
• Employer 401k match and employer contribution to a pension plan
• Generous PTO and paid parental leave to support your family needs
• Various associate resource groups and community involvement initiatives

What This Job Offers

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