Relationship Manager
National Life Insurance Company · Addison, Texas, United States · Montpelier, Vermont, United States · United States · hybrid
Come join one of America’s fastest-growing insurance companies. Since 1848, National Life Group has aimed to keep our promises, providing families with stability in good times and in bad. Throughout that history, we have provided peace of mind to those families as they plan their futures.
Our mission extends beyond the insurance and annuities policies that we offer. We strive to make the world a better place through our grants from our charitable foundation, paid volunteer time for our employees, environmentally sustainable and healthy workplaces, and events that promote the work of nonprofits in our own backyard.
We foster a collaborative environment with opportunities for growth and encourage our associates to live our values: Do good. Be good. Make good.
Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship for this position.
Role Summary
The Relationship Manager helps make National Life a preferred carrier by strengthening partner confidence, improving field effectiveness, and turning partner needs into coordinated action and measurable business results. Serving as the operational connection between Distribution and the Customer Innovation Group (Service & Operations), the role owns onboarding, business readiness, and the ongoing operational relationship for a portfolio of assigned Distribution partners.
The Relationship Manager helps partners launch successfully, adopt new capabilities, reduce friction, and improve the ease of doing business with National Life. By anticipating needs and improving operational performance, the role supports business retention and sustainable growth.
Aligned to portfolios of similarly structured organizations, the Relationship Manager develops deep knowledge of each partner's business model, organizational structure, operating practices, technology, training capabilities, service expectations, growth priorities, and quality-of-business considerations. The role proactively identifies emerging needs, establishes relationship plans and operating approaches, and mobilizes cross-functional partners to deliver business outcomes.
The Relationship Manager also looks across assigned organizations to identify shared trends, apply industry best practices, and develop scalable improvements to processes, technology, training, communications, and service. The role may develop business cases for new initiatives and, remains engaged through implementation, adoption, and outcome measurement.
This is not a passive service or escalation role. The ideal candidate is an ambitious, creative, and relationship-focused self-starter with strong insurance industry and distribution acumen. Success is measured through stronger partner confidence, improved readiness and adoption, reduced friction, quality of business, field effectiveness, and measurable business value—not activity alone.
This position is ideally based in Addison, TX or Montpelier, VT with a hybrid work arrangement. Remote work may be considered for candidates located outside of a reasonable commuting distance to these offices
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Own the operational health, readiness, and experience of assigned Distribution partner relationships, acting as a primary connection between partners and the Customer Innovation Group (service and operations), with a focus on strengthening relationships and retaining and growing business.
- Build a thorough understanding of each partner's structure, business practices, growth priorities, technology, service expectations, training needs, and quality-of-business considerations.
- Set relationship plans, short and mid-term objectives (one year or less), governance routines, and communication approaches that support Distribution and service and operations goals.
- Coordinate marketing, sales, and support services for assigned accounts so partners receive consistent, coordinated support across NLG.
- Anticipate new operational needs and bring in the right functional teams before they become significant partner or business issues.
- Lead the Operations experience for partner onboarding and for significant business, product, process, or technology changes, from planning through stabilization.
- Create readiness plans that bring together milestones, responsibilities, dependencies, education, communications, risks, and success measures.
- Represent the partner perspective in implementation planning, testing, communications, training, and post-implementation assessment for assigned relationships.
- Explain operational and technology changes to Distribution partners in terms of what they mean for the business and what to do next.
- Track adoption, early performance, and partner feedback, identify barriers, and drive adjustments when intended outcomes aren't met.
- Lead resolution of complex partner issues that span functions by defining the problem, clarifying who owns what, aligning stakeholders, and keeping work moving through closure.
- Use independent judgment to decide when established approaches are enough and when new solutions, escalation, or leadership decisions are needed.
- Balance advocacy for Distribution with customer, regulatory, risk, operational, financial, and enterprise considerations.
- Combine operational metrics, partner feedback, adoption results, service trends, and quality-of-business information into a single view of relationship performance.
- Separate isolated events from recurring patterns, and lead or support root-cause analysis and improvement efforts that reduce recurring friction.
- Prepare client presentations and briefing materials for senior management covering relationship health, key commitments, risks, and recommendations.
- All other duties as assigned.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree and 8 or more years of related work experience, OR an advanced degree and 5 or more years of related experience, OR 12 or more years of total equivalent work experience.
- Relevant experience in life insurance, annuities, financial services, relationship management, distribution support, Operations, business readiness, or a related field.
- Strong insurance industry and distribution acumen, including an understanding of current market trends, competitive practices, and how different agency structures affect onboarding, service, technology, training, and quality of business.
- Strong knowledge of life insurance and/or annuity distribution and the operational processes that support new business, underwriting, policy issuance, service, and field support.
- Knowledge of different distribution models, such as MLM, IMO, Direct, Brokerage, or comparable structures.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex partner relationships, onboarding, operational initiatives, or cross-functional problem solving.
- Demonstrated creative problem-solving skills and the ability to develop practical, scalable solutions for ambiguous or emerging business needs.
- Proven ability to work proactively, identify opportunities without waiting for formal direction, and move ideas from concept through execution and measurable results.
- Ability to independently evaluate ambiguous business issues, choose appropriate approaches, and influence outcomes without direct authority.
- Experience using operational metrics, partner insight, and business context to identify trends, explain what is driving performance, and recommend improvements.
- Experience developing business cases, recommendations, or initiatives that influenced operational or technology priorities.
- Strong written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills, including the ability to prepare briefing materials and communicate effectively with senior internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and significant areas of accountability in a matrixed environment.
- Ability to travel as needed.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and relevant collaboration, CRM, workflow, and repor