Customer Experience Specialist

What You’ll Do

We’re looking for a Customer Experience Specialist 1 to join our Individual Life Engagement Center. The Customer Experience Specialist is responsible for handling inquiries from our customers, including policy owners, third‑party payers, and assignees, regarding a broad range of needs. In this role, you will apply service skills and product/procedural knowledge to provide exceptional customer experiences and meet the business unit objectives.

• Responsible for interacting with customers via inbound / outbound phone calls and ensuring a consistent, positive experience for Principal’s customers while incorporating the established service processes in all interactions.
• Responds and anticipates the customer’s needs while navigating several systems and web applications.
• Understands the customer’s previous interactions with Principal in order to provide an integrated, 360 experience.
• Builds customer relationships by providing accurate information, communicating the process effectively and solving the customer inquiries real‑time.
• Demonstrates ability to recognize when an interaction needs to be escalated for resolution. Identifies innovation solutions to improve the customer experience and identifies voice of the customer opportunities for the enterprise.

This role will offer you the opportunity to work closely with Principal’s customers, solving problems, resolving issues, and helping to build their financial confidence.

Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose‑led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 140 years!

• 2+ years of customer service experience or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education.
• Demonstrates excellent typing skills and verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficient with desktop applications such as MS Office and Internet browsers.
• Ability to effectively navigate within numerous software and web applications.
• Ability to quickly learn how to use new computer applications and call center systems.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks in a fast‑paced environment with attention to detail.
• Ability to learn and understand a broad range of products and apply that knowledge by referencing appropriate tools and resources.
• Must be able to maintain confidentiality.

We’re open to hiring remote. However, if you reside within a 30-mile radius of our home office in Des Moines, we’ll offer a hybrid arrangement featuring a blend of both office and remote work in a typical workweek.

To be available to our clients, the hours for this role aren’t always traditional business hours. Our department is staffed to help callers Monday through Friday from 6:55am - 6:05pm CST. If you’re interested, you’ll need to be available for an assigned shift during these hours.

We’ll invest heavily in your training for the role to set you up for success. Given the extensiveness of our 10-week training program, we ask that you limit personal time off requests during this timeframe. We are hiring for an August 24th start date.

Salary ranges below reflect targeted base salaries. Non-sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation for all roles will be based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer.

$18.17 - $32.31 / hour

• Wichita, KS: $18.17 /hr - $24.23 /hr
• Des Moines, IA: $19.18 /hr - $25.58 /hr
• Charlotte, NC: $20.19 /hr - $26.92 /hr
• Chicago/Minneapolis: $22.21 /hr - $29.62 /hr
• Los Angeles/New York City: $24.23 /hr - $32.31 /hr

Personal Time Off (PTO) is provided to hourly (non-exempt) employees and provides a set amount of accrued time earned each pay period. Employees can use their PTO for vacation, personal or short-term illness.

Yes

We will accept applications for 3 full days following the Original Posting Date, after which the posting may remain open or be removed based upon applications received. If we choose to post the job again, we will accept additional applications for at least 1 full day following the Most Recently Posted Date. Please submit applications in a timely manner as there is no guarantee the posting will be available beyond the applicable deadline.

6/26/2026

6/26/2026