Employee Benefits Director, Relationship Management - East Region

The Hartford•Tampa, FL

9d•$142,400 - $213,600

About The Position

The Hartford is seeking an Employee Benefits Director, Relationship Management to lead its East Region team. The role provides direct and indirect leadership to Assistant Directors, Relationship Managers, and Client Relationship Executives, with responsibility for persistency, growth, customer satisfaction, and overall book-of-business performance. The Director focuses on talent development, operational excellence, and a superior customer experience, partnering with the AVP and peer leaders to shape and execute segment strategy. The Director establishes and executes strategy for the Regional Accounts Relationship Management organization, develops a high-performing team, translates enterprise and segment strategies into measurable plans, and represents customer, field, and marketplace perspectives in strategic planning and enterprise decisions. The role provides strategic oversight of the Regional Accounts book of business, leads account and renewal strategies, builds relationships with customers and marketplace stakeholders, and partners across business functions to support customer outcomes and profitable growth. The position also oversees performance expectations, business metrics, operational standards, analytics, organizational capacity, and adoption of enterprise tools and processes. The Director leads continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives and ensures compliance with regulatory, audit, and governance requirements. The position offers a hybrid or remote arrangement. Candidates near a Hartford office are expected to work onsite Tuesday through Thursday; those who do not live near an office may work remotely, with periodic travel to a Hartford office as business needs require. Travel of up to 30% is required. The annualized base pay range is $142,400 to $213,600.

Requirements

10 or more years of Group Benefits experience, including at least five years in relationship management.
At least five years of successful team leadership experience.
Depth of Group Benefits product knowledge and relationships.
Demonstrated business acumen and strategic thinking skills.
Critical thinking skills and ability to prioritize, execute, and support operational excellence.
Understanding of organizational processes, methods, and systems, with ability to influence cross-functional resolution and outcomes.
Ownership, initiative, ability to drive improvements, and high standards for self and others.
Ability to drive employee engagement, build an inclusive environment, and provide professional development opportunities for team members.
Understanding of external market dynamics and ability to use best practices and data to influence persistency and OAI.
Group Life & Health license, with ongoing continuing education completed in a timely manner to maintain license(s).
Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
Ability and willingness to travel up to 30% of the time.

Nice To Haves

Highly effective, inspirational leadership.

Responsibilities

Establish and execute a strategic vision for the Regional Accounts Relationship Management organization aligned with business objectives, growth priorities, and operating plans.
Lead, inspire, and develop Relationship Management leaders and professionals, fostering accountability, engagement, inclusion, and continuous development.
Translate enterprise and segment strategies into priorities, measurable goals, and actionable plans.
Anticipate market dynamics, customer needs, and industry trends to identify opportunities for innovation, differentiation, and growth.
Drive adoption of new operating models, capabilities, and organizational initiatives.
Represent customer, field, and marketplace perspectives in strategic planning, product development, and enterprise decision-making.
Build partnerships across Sales, Underwriting, Claims, Operations, Product, and Service organizations.
Provide strategic oversight of the Regional Accounts book of business and execute retention, growth, profitability, and customer experience objectives.
Lead teams in developing and executing account strategies to strengthen client relationships, improve persistency, and enhance risk performance.
Promote a customer-centric culture and consistent delivery of service, advocacy, and value across the customer lifecycle.
Provide executive guidance on complex customer, broker, and business issues, remove barriers, and align resources to achieve desired outcomes.
Partner with Sales, Underwriting, Claims, Legal, Product, and Service leaders to deliver consultative solutions that address customer needs and support profitable growth.
Drive renewal, add-issue, and cross-functional execution strategies.
Cultivate strategic relationships with customers, brokers, consultants, and marketplace stakeholders.
Establish and monitor performance expectations, business metrics, and operational standards.
Use data, insights, and performance analytics to identify trends, inform decisions, and drive continuous improvement.
Ensure adoption and governance of Salesforce, MAP, Customer Barometer, and other enterprise platforms.
Optimize organizational capacity, resource allocation, and talent deployment.
Promote accountability through coaching, leadership development, succession planning, and performance management.
Lead operational excellence initiatives to improve efficiency, scalability, compliance, risk management, and business effectiveness.
Ensure adherence to regulatory, audit, and governance requirements.
Maintain required Group Life & Health license(s) and complete continuing education requirements in a timely manner.
Travel up to 30% of the time.