Operations Director Jobs in Avon, CT (NOW HIRING)

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Assistant Vice President (AVP), Sales Operations Support is responsible for defining the vision, strategy, and service model that supports Global Atlantic Individual Markets wholesalers, financial professionals, and firm back-offices. Leading through managers and team leaders, the AVP oversees the Sales Operations Support (SOS) organization to deliver a seamless, high-quality, service experience that strengthens distribution relationships and drives measurable business results.

This role serves as a key connection point between Operations and the Sales organization. The AVP is accountable for building and maintaining trusted relationships with sales teams and sales leaders, representing the voice of Operations in distribution-facing forums, and partnering with functional business leaders across the organization to turn service and escalation data into meaningful process improvement. The AVP is expected to drive measurable efficiencies across service delivery, champion self-service offerings that reduce manual effort and accelerate resolution, and use data to anticipate needs, manage performance, and continuously improve the support model.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the SOS model end-to-end, ensuring service requests, escalations, and accommodation requests from internal and external partners (including TPAs such as EXL and Zinnia) are resolved accurately, timely, and within documented guidelines - serving as the accountable escalation owner even when resolution requires coordination outside the SOS team.
• Provide leadership and direction for the Sales Operations Support organization, leading through managers, team leads, and analysts responsible for end-to-end resolution of service requests across the Annuity and Preneed lines of business.
• Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with sales teams, sales leaders, and firm partners serving as the senior Operations partner in distribution-facing discussions and creating an environment of collaboration, transparency, and open dialogue.
• Partner with functional business leaders (e.g., New Business, Post Issue) to identify root causes behind escalation trends and drive cross-functional process improvements, taking ownership of resolution beyond what SOS can control directly.
• Drive efficiencies across the service model by identifying opportunities to streamline workflows, eliminate rework, standardize processes, and improve cycle times, straight-through-processing (STP) rates, and SLA attainment.
• Champion and expand self-service offerings for sales partners, financial professionals, and firm back-office representatives - promoting adoption of tools and capabilities that reduce manual inquiry volume and accelerate issue resolution.
• Establish the service strategy, direction, policies, and performance standards for the team, and ensure consistent execution against customer service metrics and performance deliverables.
• Ensure designated firms receive a coordinated, relationship-driven service experience with clear ownership, proactive communication, data insights, and timely escalation resolution across all operational needs.
• Leverage data and analytics to track trends, identify root causes, and translate findings into actionable process improvement recommendations; manage team performance, and prioritize improvement initiatives; prepare and deliver executive-level presentations on key service indicators, risks, and strategic initiatives.
• Manage resource allocation, capacity planning, and workflow across both teams to ensure day-to-day service continuity and scalable support as the business grows.
• Develop and mentor managers and team leads, building organizational capability, bench strength, and succession depth within the SOS organization.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A Bachelor's degree, and/or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of related experience in Annuity or financial services operations, including progressive leadership responsibility and experience leading teams and/or leaders.
• Demonstrated success building and maintaining relationships with sales organizations, distribution partners, and senior stakeholders.
• Prove ability to influence and drive outcomes cross-functionally with business leaders outside one's direct organization.
• Ability to drive operational efficiency, process improvement, and adoption of self-service or automation capabilities.
• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to set direction and translate strategy into executable plans and measurable outcomes.
• Strong focus on delivering positive client and partner experiences.
• Advanced data gathering, analysis, and interpretation skills, with the ability to use data to inform decisions and manage performance.
• Experience overseeing resolution through third-party administrators or other outsourced service partners
• Strong research, problem-solving, analytical, and project management skills.
• Outstanding interpersonal and leadership skills, with a proven ability to motivate, influence, and lead teams and leaders through complex problem resolution.
• Proven leadership skills with the ability to influence across all levels, including business and distribution leaders.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with team members, business partners, and senior leaders.

This is the expected annual base salary range for this position. Actual salaries may vary based on factors, such as skill, experience, and qualification for the role. Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus, based on factors such as individual and team performance.  Base Salary Range - $125,000 to $150,000.

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