Military Affairs Relationship Director

USAA•San Antonio, TX

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

At USAA, our mission is to empower our members to achieve financial security through highly competitive products, exceptional service and trusted advice. We seek to be the #1 choice for the military community and their families. Embrace a fulfilling career at USAA, where our core values – honesty, integrity, loyalty and service – define how we treat each other and our members. Be part of what truly makes us special and impactful. The Opportunity Leads the development, implementation, and management of Military Affairs programs and projects that create, deepen, and sustain relationships between USAA, strategic partners, military leaders/influencers, and individual members and prospects. Ensures alignment of all program activity to USAA strategic priorities and Enterprise Affairs operational plans. Synchronizes and integrates advocacy-related initiatives and activities in order to drive strategic USAA advocacy efforts. Contributes to USAA's long-term, cross-enterprise strategy focused on overseeing military advocacy initiatives. Provides enterprise strategic counsel and support related to military advocacy in support of established business priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree; OR 4 years of related experience (in addition to the minimum years of experience required) may be substituted in lieu of degree.
8 years of experience developing and leading military projects/programs.
10 years of experience serving in the Armed Forces; attendance at the DOD Keystone Course (Enlisted) or Senior Service College (Officer).
Deep understanding of the Armed Forces, military community, associated cultures, standards, military law, and Code of Conduct.
Demonstrated ability to develop effective work plans, translating strategy to executable tactics, and guiding operations to plan completion.
Previous experience handling contract negotiation and dispute resolution.
Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with internal and external partners, including matrixed work groups; share knowledge and coach partners to drive performance.
Comprehensive knowledge of military operations and metrics (demographics/trends), military markets, and basic financials.
Demonstrated ability to absorb and synthesize large quantities of information, and distill complex messages into succinct and compelling presentations applicable to business issues; excellent relationship development skills.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Expert knowledge of Microsoft Office products, including PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.

Nice To Haves

Extensive experience in all phases of program management, including planning, execution, monitoring, controlling, and closing, with a strong understanding of various program management methodologies (e.g., Waterfall, Agile, Hybrid).
PMP certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) is strongly preferred, demonstrating a high level of proficiency in project management methodologies and practices.
Experience in military intelligence analysis, joint military operations, or direct engagement with military leadership and decision-makers.
Familiarity with military transition programs, veteran support organizations, and initiatives aimed at improving the lives of service members and their families.
Ability to effectively engage with and manage expectations of diverse stakeholders, including executive leadership, business partners, and technical teams, providing clear and concise program updates, risk assessments, and progress reports
Proactive identification, assessment, and mitigation of program risks and issues, developing contingency plans to ensure program success

Responsibilities

Provides expert consultation and execution support to USAA National Platform issues.
Facilitates contact between internal and external stakeholders to complete business agreements and assists with contract negotiations, proof of concepts, and return on investment contract surveys.
Develops and executes enterprise military advocacy strategy, planning and integration to create internal and external partnerships within the military/veteran/spouse market to strengthen and enhance USAA's brand and protect USAA's reputation across multi-faceted channels such as social media.
Influences the development of enterprise policies, standards and procedures.
Collaborates with Marketing and Reputation partners to ensure accuracy and appropriateness of content and imagery depicting or referencing members of the Armed Forces.
Leads, monitors, motivates, and advises enterprise cross functional teams in the development and implementation of relationship and advocacy initiatives that create business opportunities for the company with the military community and serve on Currently Serving product teams as a subject matter expert.
Lead/Initiate team training opportunities (e.g., New Product information, Marketing Campaign, Eligibility etc.) for MA Field team and USAA enterprise entities
Develops internal Military Affairs processes, policies, and programs to support current and future opportunities
Identifies prospecting and deepening targets to Military Affairs Operations; facilitates MA Rep access to Armed Forces installations through dialogue with appropriate levels of military leadership.
Represents USAA at selected public events engaging the military community.
Analyzes and anticipates changes in the military community and recommends business adjustments to LoB product managers to sustain competitive advantage.
Advises and trains senior management, new employees, and third-party vendors on military culture and relationship issues.
Responsible for the coordination with the MA field team for military acumen trips to military installations.
Influences leadership on use of various channels to meet business objectives while protecting the USAA brand and reputation with the military community.
Monitors trends and modifies programs to meet changing situations; identifies issues for escalation, and institutes or recommends solutions to problems.
Ensures risks associated with business activities are effectively identified, measured, monitored, and controlled in accordance with risk and compliance policies and procedures.