AVP Technology Ecosystem & Partnership

Job Description

We’re seeking an energetic AVP, Technology Ecosystem & Partnership for Pacific Life’s Workforce Benefits division—an agile team just a few years into its startup journey and scaling fast. You’ll blend executive presence with deep technical chops across modern software development, enterprise architecture, data management, and IT operations, with a heavy emphasis on orchestrating complex, vendor‑delivered SaaS platforms s is a roll‑up‑your‑sleeves role: you’ll turn ambiguity into clear roadmaps, set guardrails for Dev Sec Ops /SRE, review APIs and data models, negotiate SLAs and product roadmaps with strategic partners, and elevate operational reliability and delivery quality.

If you’re fired up to lead high‑performing talent, simplify a multifaceted partner landscape, and convert technology into measurable business value, Workforce Benefits is the place to do it.

Note:

This role is on-site at our state‑of‑the‑art Newport Beach, CA headquarters.

Key Competencies and Attributes

• Strategic Influence:
Ability to shape and communicate a clear technology vision that resonates across all levels of the organization.

• Technical Mastery:
Demonstrated depth and hands‑on experience across architecture, engineering, and SaaS operations.

• Change Leadership:
Proven track record of leading large‑scale transformation initiatives and managing organizational change.

• Business Acumen:
Deep understanding of financial services or insurance, with the ability to translate business strategy into actionable technology roadmaps.

•

Collaboration:

Exceptional ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders across business, technology, and vendor ecosystems.

• Results Orientation:
Relentless focus on delivering measurable business outcomes, balancing speed, quality, and cost‑effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

Visionary & Agile Technology Leadership

• Serve as a pivotal technology leader, partnering with the CIO and executive team to shape and execute a forward‑looking technology strategy that accelerates business growth and transformation.

• Leads through ambiguity, adapts strategies in response to evolving priorities, and inspires teams to embrace change as a source of innovation and competitive advantage.

• Architect and evolve technology roadmaps, ensuring solutions are scalable, resilient, and aligned with both current and future business needs.

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, delivering insights on emerging technologies, industry trends, and innovation opportunities that drive competitive advantage.

Strategic Vendor Relationship Management

• Own and nurture strategic partnership with core system providers.

• Negotiation and management of contractual agreements.

• Develop and influence long‑term roadmaps.

Engineering & Architecture

• Oversee the end‑to‑end technology ecosystem, from initial design and prototyping through delivery, optimization, and ongoing innovation.

• Partners with the Engineering Excellence function to embed best practices in SDLC, Dev Sec Ops , and site reliability engineering, ensuring that technology platforms are secure, scalable, and resilient.

• Establishing and continuously elevating standards for engineering practices, operational reliability, and delivery quality.

• Lead experimentation and rapid prototyping efforts, fostering a culture of innovation and the adoption of emerging technologies.

• Oversight of quality assurance standards from build through delivery.

• Ensure architectural discipline and alignment with business objectives, prioritizing initiatives that deliver measurable impact.

Operational Excellence & Delivery

• Drive the successful execution of technology initiatives, balancing speed, quality, and cost‑effectiveness to deliver transformative results.

• Maintain oversight of IT operations and projects, ensuring commitments are well‑planned, resourced, monitored, and transparently reported.

• Collaborate across the organization to proactively identify and resolve resource constraints, enabling high performance and agility.

Talent Development

• Build, develop, and inspire a high‑performing technology team, cultivating a culture of continuous learning,…