Annuities Program Director

The Annuities Program Director role is accountable for overseeing and delivering the Fixed Indexed Annuity portfolio. The role needs deep FIA and annuity industry knowledge, proven end-to-end implementation experience, and hands-on experience with FAST and Fire Light. When needed, The Program Director works with senior leaders, business sponsors, cross-functional teams and vendors to make sure FIA initiatives deliver the expected business results.

Key Responsibilities Build and implement the initiative roadmap to execute FIA strategy and scale the business. Manage the integrated FIA initiative portfolio, which may cover product launches, enhancements, technology, operations and distribution readiness. Set priorities with sponsors based on business value, risk and capacity.

Secure cross-functional alignment working with Product, Actuarial, Technology, Operations, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Distribution and Marketing, and drive decisions without direct authority.

Oversee successful delivery by developing and managing the portfolio through detailed project plans, schedules, milestones, RAID logs, dependencies, and status reports.

Manage portfolio governance and steering committees. Communicate/present consolidated key insights to Program Sponsors and Senior Management audiences/stakeholders that assist in the understanding of overall health and performance of the program, and any required actions or decisions

Manage portfolio budgets and forecasts with Finance.

Oversee third-party vendors and coordinate delivery across multiple vendors.

Set clear expectations for planning, reporting and escalation, and hold teams accountable for delivery.

Act as the project manager for priority or complex initiatives, balancing portfolio oversight with hands-on delivery.

Deep dive into specific initiatives/outcomes to remove roadblocks and solve emerging issues

Oversee delivery from requirements through testing, UAT, cutover, go-live and stabilization. Bring informed challenge on FAST, Fire Light and related integrations.

Success Outcomes The FIA portfolio is delivered on its approved scope, timeline, budget and quality.

Initiatives are delivered on time, with strong quality and stakeholder confidence.

Project managers and work streams execute consistently and are clearly accountable.

Risks and dependencies are raised early and resolved.

Business, technology, operations and distribution are ready for each launch.

Leaders get timely, reliable reporting and clear decision points.

New capabilities move smoothly into business-as-usual operations.

Required Qualifications
10+ years leading complex programs or portfolios in financial services.

FIA subject-matter expertise:
Deep knowledge of Fixed Indexed Annuities products, implementation requirements, operational impacts, and industry practices.

Proven experience delivering FIA or annuity products from concept through launch.

Hands-on experience with FAST and Fire Light. Luma or similar platforms are a plus.

Experience overseeing several concurrent projects and leading project managers.

Has personally managed annuity implementation projects, and is comfortable switching between strategic oversight and hands-on execution.

Strong grounding in Agile, Waterfall and hybrid methods, and in governance and RAID management.

Hands-on skill with project management tools such as Jira, MS Project or Smartsheet.

Strong vendor management and executive communication skills.

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. PMP or Agile certification preferred.

When you join our team:

We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want. We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words. As part of our global team, we’ll support you in…