Director of Strategy and Adaptability

Dir Strategic Initiatives - NS06AE

We're determined to make a difference and are proud to be an insurance company that goes well beyond coverages and policies. Working here means having every opportunity to achieve your goals - and to help others accomplish theirs, too. Join our team as we help shape the future.

The Middle and Large Business (M&L) Insurance Director of Strategy and Adaptability will collaborate with Senior Leaders, enabling functions, and matrix partners to evolve business unit strategy, drive improved results and market share. This role will lead M&L in adaptability; support strategic change, shape a vision for a differentiated market experience, and analyze data to identify market trends and opportunities. This role requires strong emotional intelligence, innovative thinking, curiosity to solve business problems, and strong influence and ability to build followership to lead transformative projects in a complex, matrixed environment. This role reports to Head of Strategy, Middle & Large and is based in our Hartford, CT Home Office, or one of our primary Regional Offices.

• Advance M&L competencies related to adaptability, agility, and responsiveness to evolving conditions spanning market conditions, go-to-market strategy needs, and advanced technology.
• Drive leader accountability in adoption and leadership through change.
• Lead cross-functional teams in the development and execution of change management plans, including impactful communications and stakeholder engagement campaigns, to support organizational goals and drive process adoption.
• Cultivate strong relationships with key stakeholders, including senior leadership, to support change adaptability and strategic initiatives.
• Establish metrics and best practices to assess the effectiveness of change initiatives and make data-driven adjustments as needed to ensure sustainable, positive impact.
• Partner with SLT, HR, Training Teams, and other partners to develop tools facilitating change adoption (ex: Strategic Workforce Planning, training)
• Partner with regional leadership across M&L to ensure local change management and strategic priorities harmonize with the overarching, top M&L priorities. Test and learn sustainable approaches to driving strong connectivity across regions and products.

• Provide key insights and information to collaboratively inform strategy and evaluate the success of implemented strategies
• Partner as a thought leader on challenging problems and support implementing innovative solutions to drive results
• Share a deep understanding of competitor positioning and new and innovative capabilities being developed externally that will accelerate the growth of the business
• Present innovative ideas and critical thinking to influence executive leadership
• Leverage observations, facts, quantitative analysis, and customer insights to reach thoughtful and creative decisions while executing with a sense of urgency
• Partner with the Transformation Office and senior leaders to influence routines and trade-off decisions that impact roadmap execution
• Understand and identify the dynamics of a rapidly changing marketplace and evolving broker/producer environment. Develop competitor and marketplace intelligence regarding overall industry, segment, distribution, and individual National Partner trends, including but not limited to M&A activity, talent, emerging technology/platforms, and HIG rank and headroom. Identify critical growth strategies in response that strengthen our competitive position
• Assist senior management in compilation of multi-year strategies and plans through market research, secondary research, client, operational and financial performance analysis
• Analyze M&L's competitive landscape and market position to identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities to determine improvement opportunities
• Communicate complex insights to senior business leaders and partners in an actionable manner.

• Superior collaboration and influence skills, including ability to manage and negotiate with multiple stakeholders in a complex matrixed organization with proven ability to earn the trust of the senior leadership team by supporting their vision, while simultaneously influencing their vision as a thought partner; builds effective relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizations and teams through large and continuous change. This involves articulating a clear vision, inspiring and motivating employees, and creating a sense of ownership and accountability.
• Adaptability: Being flexible and able to adjust strategies and plans as needed to respond to changing circumstances and feedback.
• Demonstrated business and financial acumen.
• Proven ability to manage across businesses and functions with ability to "translate" strategic vision/direction into actionable steps and to synthesize significant amounts of information and data points into pertinent messages/themes for broad consumption.
• Demonstrated strong verbal/written communication and collaborative approach to work in highly matrixed and dynamic organization; understanding the needs of all partners and developing solutions that help achieve our goals.
• The ideal candidate is a "storyteller" who can communicate complex ideas in a cogent, crisp, succinct, and inspiring manner based on the audience.
• Ability to work independently and produce work product/outcomes while maintaining a strategic focus.
• Ability to challenge conventional wisdom, including healthy debate of current business model, but to do so collaboratively and in a way that drives buy-in across the organization. This includes both having a strong point-of-view, and asking for, listening to, and synthesizing input from multiple stakeholders.
• Strong execution and experience leading complex projects and managing deadlines.
• Self-motivated individual with experience handling multiple high priority demands, managing expectations, and achieving objectives.
• Preferred: ADKAR certified or Certified Change Management Professional