Relationship Manager

National Life Insurance • Addison, TX

19d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Relationship Manager strengthens confidence among National Life Group’s Distribution partners, improves field effectiveness, and turns partner needs into coordinated action and measurable business results. The role is the operational connection between Distribution and the Customer Innovation Group (Service & Operations), owning onboarding, business readiness, and the ongoing operational relationship for an assigned portfolio of partners. The position helps partners launch successfully, adopt new capabilities, reduce friction, and improve the ease of doing business with National Life, supporting retention and sustainable growth.

The Relationship Manager develops detailed knowledge of assigned partners’ business models, organizational structures, operating practices, technology, training capabilities, service expectations, growth priorities, and quality-of-business considerations. The role anticipates needs, establishes relationship plans and operating approaches, and mobilizes cross-functional teams to deliver outcomes. It also identifies shared trends across assigned organizations and develops scalable improvements to processes, technology, training, communications, and service. The role may develop business cases for new initiatives and remains engaged through implementation, adoption, and outcome measurement. This is a proactive, relationship-focused role—not a passive service or escalation role—and success is assessed through partner confidence, readiness and adoption, reduced friction, quality of business, field effectiveness, and measurable business value.

The position is ideally based in Addison, Texas, or Montpelier, Vermont, with a hybrid arrangement. Remote work may be considered for candidates outside a reasonable commuting distance of those offices. The role requires travel as needed. National Life Group does not offer visa sponsorship for this position.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and 8 or more years of related work experience; or an advanced degree and 5 or more years of related experience; or 12 or more years of total equivalent work experience.
• Relevant experience in life insurance, annuities, financial services, relationship management, distribution support, Operations, business readiness, or a related field.
• Strong insurance industry and distribution acumen, including understanding market trends, competitive practices, and how agency structures affect onboarding, service, technology, training, and quality of business.
• Strong knowledge of life insurance and/or annuity distribution and operational processes supporting new business, underwriting, policy issuance, service, and field support.
• Knowledge of distribution models such as MLM, IMO, Direct, Brokerage, or comparable structures.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex partner relationships, onboarding, operational initiatives, or cross-functional problem solving.
• Creative problem-solving skills and ability to develop practical, scalable solutions for ambiguous or emerging business needs.
• Ability to work proactively, identify opportunities without formal direction, and move ideas from concept through execution and measurable results.
• Ability to evaluate ambiguous business issues independently, choose appropriate approaches, and influence outcomes without direct authority.
• Experience using operational metrics, partner insight, and business context to identify trends, explain performance drivers, and recommend improvements.
• Experience developing business cases, recommendations, or initiatives that influenced operational or technology priorities.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills, including preparing briefing materials and communicating with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and significant areas of accountability in a matrixed environment.
• Ability to travel as needed.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and relevant collaboration, CRM, workflow, and reporting tools.
• Leverage approved AI tools where appropriate, remain open to AI-enabled ways of working, review and validate AI-generated content, and follow company policies and guiding principles for responsible AI use.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting Field Leaders, agencies, advisors, key accounts, or other Distribution-facing relationships.
• Experience in strategic account management, partner onboarding, relationship governance, or executive partner engagement.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional support and tracking commitments, dependencies, and outcomes for assigned relationships.
• Experience with business readiness, implementation planning, testing, adoption, and post-implementation assessment.
• Experience leading continuous-improvement or cross-functional change initiatives.
• Experience with advisor-facing platforms, CRM systems, workflow tools, digital application platforms, document-management systems, or sales-enablement technology.
• LOMA, LIMRA, project-management, process-improvement, change-management, or other relevant professional certification.

Responsibilities

• Own the operational health, readiness, and experience of assigned Distribution partner relationships, serving as a primary connection between partners and the Customer Innovation Group (Service & Operations).
• Build a thorough understanding of each partner’s structure, business practices, growth priorities, technology, service expectations, training needs, and quality-of-business considerations.
• Establish relationship plans, short- and mid-term objectives, governance routines, and communication approaches that support Distribution and service and operations goals.
• Coordinate marketing, sales, and support services across National Life Group for assigned accounts.
• Anticipate operational needs and engage appropriate functional teams before issues become significant partner or business concerns.
• Lead the Operations experience for partner onboarding and significant business, product, process, or technology changes, from planning through stabilization.
• Create readiness plans covering milestones, responsibilities, dependencies, education, communications, risks, and success measures.
• Represent partner perspectives in implementation planning, testing, communications, training, and post-implementation assessment.
• Explain operational and technology changes to Distribution partners, including business implications and next steps.
• Track adoption, early performance, and partner feedback; identify barriers and drive adjustments when intended outcomes are not achieved.
• Lead resolution of complex cross-functional partner issues by defining problems, clarifying ownership, aligning stakeholders, and moving work through closure.
• Use independent judgment to determine when established approaches are sufficient and when new solutions, escalation, or leadership decisions are needed.
• Balance Distribution advocacy with customer, regulatory, risk, operational, financial, and enterprise considerations.
• Combine operational metrics, partner feedback, adoption results, service trends, and quality-of-business information to assess relationship performance.
• Identify recurring patterns, lead or support root-cause analysis, and advance improvements that reduce recurring friction.
• Prepare client presentations and briefing materials for senior management on relationship health, commitments, risks, and recommendations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Benefits start on day one and are flexible and customizable to the employee’s and family’s needs.
• Medical, financial, and/or other benefits, depending on the position offered.
• 401(k) eligibility.
• Paid time off benefits, including vacation and sick time.
• Parental leave.
• Possible eligibility for discretionary annual incentive programs.

What This Job Offers

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