Head of Group Distribution Economics

Guardian Life Insurance • Boston, MA

1d • $158,480 - $260,360

About The Position

The Head of Distribution Economics is a member of the Group Benefits Distribution Operations leadership team and leads Guardian’s total Distribution expense and partner investment strategy. The role owns the Sales Planning Process, Distribution Compensation Strategy, compensation and planning operations, and oversight of total Distribution expense. It determines how Distribution investment dollars are allocated, governed, measured, and optimized across the Distribution ecosystem, including strategic business unit investment management, financial stewardship, and executive decision support. Compensation Operations reports to this role. The position reports to the Head of Distribution Operations, Group Benefits.

The role partners with Finance, Pricing, Product, Underwriting, HR, Partnership Management, and Distribution leadership to develop clear investment trade-offs and decision-ready recommendations. It leads portfolio management and governance for Distribution investments; evaluates partner, administrative fee, enrollment, and broker platform programs; builds economic models, scenario analyses, and ROI frameworks; and establishes scorecard accountability to support reallocation of underperforming spend.

The role also leads the Compensation Operations sub-function, covering compensation plan design and implementation, calculation, administration, sales credit, commission and override payments, compliance, and payment integrity for internal and external programs. It builds relationships across Distribution and related functions, leads and develops the Distribution Economics team, and ensures alignment with legal, regulatory, market, and corporate policy requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, business, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in distribution economics, financial planning and analysis, corporate strategy, portfolio or investment management, or sales and distribution compensation, including experience with external broker, general agency, and partner fee structures.
• Enterprise investment strategy and portfolio management experience, including making and defending trade-off, reallocation, and sunset recommendations.
• Strong financial acumen and economic modeling skills, including ROI, profitability, persistency, pricing, and scenario modeling.
• Experience with executive governance and decision leadership, including designing decision rights, intake and approval processes, scorecards, and review cadences that hold investments accountable.
• Demonstrated ability to influence across a large, matrixed company and influence senior leaders without direct authority.
• Ability to turn data, analytics, and multiple data sources into strategic insights and clear executive recommendations.
• Strong knowledge of compensation practices, commission and override structures, and supplemental compensation programs, with experience leading or overseeing compensation operations, administration, and payment integrity.
• Strong communication skills and ability to explain complex economic concepts simply to different audiences.
• Strong project management and planning skills, including the ability to lead, plan, organize, and resource complex assignments.
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills, strong PowerPoint skills, and ability to create audience-specific, decision-ready presentations.
• Judgment and willingness to recommend redesigning, reallocating, or sunsetting spend when the economics do not hold.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and develop a course of action.

Nice To Haves

• MBA or advanced degree in a related field.
• Group Benefits or insurance industry experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for total Distribution expense across Group Benefits, including partner economics, broker supplemental compensation and incentive investment, internal compensation, GA/COE, BenTech/API, enrollment support, and market access strategies.
• Determine where Distribution investment dollars should be invested, governed, measured, reallocated, redesigned, or sunset.
• Lead portfolio management of Distribution investments, including trade-offs, prioritization, investment recommendations, economic guardrails, and renewal, redesign, and sunset recommendations.
• Build and operate governance for material Distribution investment decisions, including intake, approval-readiness standards, decision logs, RACI, scorecards, review cadence, and enforcement triggers.
• Evaluate strategic partner fee programs, BenAdmin administrative fee programs, enrollment firms, and broker platforms for justification, measurability, strategic alignment, and stewardship commitments.
• Connect Finance compensation analytics with partnership management, pricing, funding, profitability, persistency, and market-access economics to inform enterprise trade-offs.
• Establish scorecard accountability for Distribution investments and drive reallocation of underperforming spend toward higher-value opportunities.
• Build economic models, scenario analyses, and ROI frameworks to quantify costs, returns, and risks of Distribution investment alternatives.
• Deliver executive recommendations and facilitate leadership discussions on funding trade-offs, growth objectives, and investment priorities.
• Lead Compensation Operations, including compensation plan design and implementation, calculation, administration, sales credit, commission and override payments, compliance, and payment integrity for internal and external programs.
• Ensure compensation execution is accurate, compliant, and aligned with Distribution investment decisions.
• Build relationships across Distribution, including Regional Vice Presidents across segments and Client Management heads, and with Finance, Pricing, Legal, and Partnership Management to provide consultation and identify needs and priorities.
• Lead, hire, develop, and manage the Distribution Economics team, including Compensation Operations.
• Stay current with and ensure alignment to legal, regulatory, and market requirements affecting Distribution expense, compensation, and partner arrangements, as well as corporate policies.

Benefits

• The company describes supportive and flexible benefits and resources, and refers candidates to its corporate benefits information; specific benefits are not itemized in the posting.
• The role may be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.
• Skill-building, leadership development, and philanthropic opportunities.

What This Job Offers

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