VP, Strategic Partnerships - Employee Benefits

Voya Financial • Minneapolis, MN

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Together we fight for everyone’s opportunity for a better financial future. We will do this together — with customers, partners and colleagues. We will fight for others, not against: We will stand up for and champion everyone’s access to opportunities. The status quo is not good enough … we believe every individual and every community deserves access to financial opportunities. We are determined to support both individuals and communities in reaching a better financial future. We know that reaching this future depends on our actions today. Like our Purpose Statement, Voya believes in being bold and committed to action. We are committed to a work environment where the differences that we are born with — and those we acquire throughout our lives — are understood, valued and intentionally pursued. We believe that our employees own our culture and have a responsibility to foster an environment where we all feel comfortable bringing our whole selves to work. Purposefully bringing our differences together to positively influence our culture, serve our clients and enrich our communities is essential to our vision. The Vice President (VP), Strategic Partnerships – Employee Benefits is a senior leader responsible for shaping and executing Voya’s Employee Benefits partnership and distribution strategy, with a primary focus on national and regional broker relationships and benefit technology partnerships. This role drives sustainable, profitable growth by improving ease of doing business, expanding high‑value market access, and strengthening Voya’s position with brokers, consultants and benefit technology partners. Reporting to the President of Employee Benefits, this leader owns the strategy, governance, and performance management of Voya’s most critical partnerships across the broker channel and benefit technology ecosystem. The role integrates partnership strategy with distribution enablement, compensation governance, and technology partnerships to deliver measurable growth, disciplined investment, and long‑term value—while ensuring alignment with profitability, risk, and compliance objectives.

Requirements

• 10+ years of leadership experience in employee benefits, insurance distribution, or broker/consulting environments
• Deep expertise in broker partnerships, distribution strategy, and employee benefits ecosystem
• Strong understanding of Stop Loss, Group Insurance, and workplace benefits solutions
• Proven track record of building and scaling strategic partnerships and distribution models
• Experience integrating technology partnerships (benefits administration, enrollment platforms, HCM, and ERP) into go-to-market strategies
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams and complex initiatives

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or related field; MBA preferred
• Experience and/or deep-strong exposure across insurance, wealth, or investment management industries
• Strong executive presence with ability to influence senior stakeholders and external partners
• Experience operating in ambiguous, fast-evolving environments

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the Employee Benefits enterprise partnership strategy, with an emphasized focus on national and regional broker/consultant relationships and benefit technology partnerships that improve ease of doing business and expand high-value market access.
• Provide strategic oversight and governance of external compensation programs related to Employee Benefits partnerships, ensuring disciplined spend, appropriate incentives, and alignment with profitability, risk, and compliance objectives, including negotiation strategy, budgeting assumptions, modeling, licensing, and reporting, in partnership with Compensation, Finance, Legal, and Sales leadership.
• Proactively identify, prioritize, and rationalize strategic partnerships that support Voya’s long‑term growth strategy, strengthen broker confidence, and deliver differentiated value to brokers, employers and employees.
• Leverage market intelligence, broker feedback, and competitive insights to anticipate emerging trends, identify unmet needs, and inform partnership strategy and investment decisions for Employee Benefits.
• Establish the broker and consultant distribution strategy for Employee Benefits, in collaboration with Sales leadership, including broker segmentation, identification of growth opportunities with national, regional, and emerging partners, and development of unified go‑to‑market approaches that drive profitable, sustainable growth.
• Serve as the enterprise relationship owner for key national and regional broker partners, consulting firms, and benefit technology intermediaries, setting strategic direction for how Voya engages, grows, and retains these partnerships.
• Define strategic market priorities, growth objectives, and broker engagement models for Voya’s strategic broker partnerships, aligning closely with Sales leadership to support new business growth and long‑term retention.
• Drive consistency and best practices across broker and partner engagement, including stewardship models, planning cadence, performance standards, and cross‑functional coordination (without direct oversight of sales teams or field execution).
• Represent Voya Employee Benefits in key industry forums and partner venues (e.g., EBLF and major broker and technology partner conferences) to strengthen relationships, influence industry dialogue, and reinforce Voya’s strategic positioning.
• Lead the strategy and execution of Employee Benefits benefit technology partnerships, including benefit administration, enrollment, placement, and quoting platforms (broker‑owned and independent), to support Voya’s enterprise and Employee Benefits goals and enable scalable distribution.
• Own the Employee Benefits benefit technology roadmap, inclusive of platform partnerships and integrations (e.g., APIs), ensuring technology priorities are aligned to broker workflows, market access, ease of administration, and long‑term growth.
• Partner with product, operations, IT to translate Employee Benefits and distribution strategy into technology‑enabled capabilities, advancing data exchange, platform effectiveness, and consistency across broker, employer, and employee experiences.
• Evaluate, onboard, and govern benefit technology partners, including administration, enrollment, and placement/quoting solutions, that strengthen Voya’s competitive positioning with brokers and consultants and support sustainable scale.
• Lead the Benefit Technology Partnerships team, responsible for managing day‑to‑day technology partner relationships and supporting Distribution and Strategic Partnerships in positioning Voya’s technology capabilities and integrations in the market.
• Partner with product, underwriting, actuarial, finance, legal, marketing, and operations to deliver integrated solutions to the market.
• Represent distribution and strategic partnerships across key functional areas to influence product design, pricing strategies, and service models.
• Lead resource prioritization for strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with growth and profitability goals.
• Support resolution of complex issues across distribution, including compensation, partner alignment, and service challenges.
• Establish governance frameworks to manage partner performance, accountability, and strategic alignment.
• Define and track KPIs including revenue growth, client acquisition, persistency, and partner ROI.
• Deliver regular executive reporting on partnership performance and strategic impact.
• Implement structured engagement models with partners, including joint planning, business reviews, and innovation roadmaps.
• Lead and develop a senior, multi‑layered Strategic Partnerships organization, including AVPs, Directors, Relationship and Program Managers, with accountability for sustained high performance.
• Build leadership bench strength and succession readiness by recruiting, coaching, and mentoring talent, supporting internal mobility and Voya’s commitment to developing future leaders.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement, empowering teams to lead complex partnerships with confidence and sound judgment.
• Influence and lead cross‑functional initiatives at all levels of the organization, modeling inclusive, people‑first leadership aligned with Voya’s values.

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision and life insurance plans
• 401(k) Savings plan – with generous company matching contributions (up to 6%)
• Voya Retirement Plan – employer paid cash balance retirement plan (4%)
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year
• Paid time off – including 20 days paid time off, nine paid company holidays and a flexible Diversity Celebration Day
• Paid volunteer time — 40 hours per calendar year

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees