Head of Innovation (Hybrid)

Guardian Life Insurance Company•Boston, NY

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Head of Innovation in the Financial Protection & Retirement Solutions (FPRS) division is a leadership role responsible for defining and executing a forward-looking innovation strategy that reimagines how we serve advisors, clients, and Guardian colleagues. This leader will be responsible for championing innovation across the business by developing a set of tools and approaches leveraging emerging technologies and research methodologies that breed experience-led design to create new product concepts and customer experiences. This role operates at the intersection of strategy, technology, operations, and customer experience, partnering closely with Product, Service and Operations, Distribution, and Data and Technology leaders. Collaboration is a must as innovation has shared accountability across the business. The Head of Innovation will report into the Head of Innovation and Experience Strategy, part of the Business Operations and Experience organization in FPRS.

Requirements

10+ years of relevant work experience in design, business, market research, innovation or a similar field.
Bachelor’s degree required.
Experience leading design thinking / human-centered design organizations
Proven execution-oriented people leader with exceptional ability to hire and inspire teams creating high performance.
Proven success in designing and implementing innovative strategies to enhance the customer experience in a digital consumer-centric ecosystem.
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Ability to lead while adapting to changing business priorities and environments.
Ability to direct multiple key partner functions in a matrixed environment.
Ability to lead through influence and work with people across multiple disciplines to achieve results.
A passion for understanding consumer needs and bringing new solutions to market.
Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to manage complexity.
Ability to accelerate impact and lead change.
Strong executive presence and public speaking skills including presentation to senior leadership, as well as field stakeholders.
Experience using Figma, Sketch, Adobe Illustrator or other similar apps
Proficient in visual communication tools like PowerPoint with the ability to present information in a compelling way
Ability to work independently and be self-motivated
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Background in insurance, annuities, or retirement solutions preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead ideation, prototyping, and piloting of new solutions (e.g., alternative service models, new product offerings)
Stand up innovation test-and-learn frameworks, including rapid experimentation and MVP development
Partner with delivery teams to transition successful pilots into scaled, production-ready capabilities
Develop a multi-year innovation roadmap aligned to FPRS strategic priorities
Identify high-impact opportunities across customer experience, operational efficiency, and growth
Lead experience innovation across advisor, client, and internal user journeys
Translate emerging trends (e.g., AI, automation, digital engagement) into actionable business initiatives
Leverage insights and data to identify pain points and redesign experiences end-to-end.
Champion adoption of AI-enabled solutions to automate manual processes and enhance decision-making
Establish partnerships with external vendors, startups, and industry partners, as needed, for new capabilities and speed to market
Foster a culture of experimentation, curiosity, and continuous improvement, supporting long-term talent objectives
Partner with P&L leaders to embed innovation across their teams (e.g. design thinking, rapid prototyping, test & learn frameworks) and drive adoption and alignment of innovation principles
Create forums (e.g., innovation labs, showcases, offsites) to surface and scale new ideas