Career Opportunity Role Title Manager, Insurance Operations, Document & File Management Purpose of role The Manager, Insurance Operations, Document & File Management provides leadership and ensures a consistent and exceptional service experience for internal and external customers as well as lead the planning and implementation of major change initiatives. This role is a blend of people leader and individual contributor skillsets. The Manager, Insurance Operations, Document & File Management provides leadership and oversight over the document handling environment supporting the entire Insurance Operations organization. This role leads the Document Services teams (Mail Services, Imaging & Indexing, Packaging, and Documaker) to support and continuously improve the Insurance Operations document environment by stress testing controls, continuously identifying enhancements, and working with stakeholders across the organization. As a member of the Insurance Operations, the Manager is accountable for achieving the required business results through effective team development and leadership. The Manager will ensure a consistent and exceptional service experience for internal & external customers by ensuring the employees are motivated, coached, developed and skilled to meet the department’s performance targets. The Manager will have a view of operational efficiency with a focus on enhancing the customer experience and relationship with Foresters. The Manager will also play a lead and/or key role in the implementation of major change initiatives. Job Description Key Responsibilities Drive Operational Excellence Manage Document & File Management Team including day-to-day coaching, performance management, recognizing and rewarding progress, and fostering teamwork Work with businesses to understand needs and how automation can help. Develop automation systems and stay up to date with industry standards and maintain compliance. Train staff on automated features and manage change Manage day to day operations of the Document & File Management Team, consisting of the following functions: Indexing, Mail Services, Packaging, Documaker (creation, maintenance of documents) and forms Ensure department adheres to internal corporate guidelines and builds processes that are efficient and comply with state and provincial regulatory requirements Responsible for all aspects of recruitment, people management and performance, including coaching, employee recognition, employee engagement and providing opportunities for continuous learning and development Collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure all business functions are fully integrated and support business goals Support corporate and departmental business projects and initiatives and lead multiple concurrent transformation efforts for the functions supported Implement change management strategies and plans to maximize employee adoption and the achievement of planned results Understand team dynamics; build strong, productive, and cohesive teams Oversee and manage relationships with external service providers such as system vendors Review and approve transactions as required for financial journal entries and reports Ensure process controls adhere to applicable state/provincial insurance statutes, including tax laws and regulations Drive OCR/RPA initiatives Assist Sr Manager to maintain and manage reporting for Insurance Operations key risks and operational controls Work proactively to identify trends and then work in conjunction with operational managers to drive necessary improvement Assist Sr Manager in preparing, manage, and forecast departmental budgets Leadership & Talent Development Proactive, transparent communication with Sr Manager and Division leadership team regarding successes, challenges, and status of business processing Coach and mentor with the ability to demonstrate leadership by obtaining needed resources, setting, and communicating standards for team performance and successfully leading the team to achieve Develop leaders through coaching, succession planning, recognizing, and rewarding progress, encouraging and modeling continuous learning and development Establish relationships with business leaders in order to determine optimal solutions for complex business development needs Establish and re-establish priorities based on changing business demands and reset priorities in consultation with business partners. Ensure issues are resolved or escalated Develop critical plans when necessary to ensure adherence to service standards Drive Process Improvement Drive innovation and transformations, find opportunities for improvements and efficiencies Proactively support the IOLT with required reports, summaries, investigations, feedback, and potential challenges. Effectively liaise and negotiate with other business units to resolve and enhance customer service expectations and business deliverables Lead Change Management, including the ability to work in a new and ambiguous environment where tasks, processes, procedures, and lines of authority are evolving and changing Actively develop and grow knowledge of Financial Industry Products and Services, including a basic knowledge of their characteristics and suitability for different customer needs, keeping current with IOF products and services as partnerships develop, being able to present complex financial concepts clearly and simply, and keeping up to date with general trends in the financial industry Actively handle customer escalations to include root cause analysis, remediation, mitigation act ivies and solutions Implement a culture encouraging continuous improvement, operational efficiencies and cost reduction initiatives Lead and/or support business projects and initiatives for the functions supported Expense Management Plan and control department budget by anticipating future staff needs, projecting needs for supplies and equipment, and improving department effectiveness while decreasing expenses whenever possible Ensure proper expense records are maintained and paid on in a timely manner Key Qualifications Education (minimum required): University degree in a business/accounting discipline and/or applicable business experience, preferably in life insurance, or an equivalent combination of education and experience Experience (minimum required): 3-5 years operational and leadership experience within Insurance Operations. 3-5 years of insurance (or related) industry experience. Proven technical skills working with large & complex documentation Strong business analytics with critical understanding of Foresters products, systems and business operations Strong background in life insurance operations and financial services management Proven credibility and presence necessary to interact with and effectively influence stakeholders Ability to organize and prioritize, strong time management and capable of balancing multiple and changing needs Strong written, verbal and presentation skills Ability to work in a multi-product / multi-platform environment Ability to work independently and in a team environment Effective negotiation skills with the ability to influence and affect change Excellent technical skills and superior knowledge of best practice s for the electronic document management systems used in production environment such as Documaker Studio, to meet the business needs and the ability to translate this knowledge into an overall strategy that will best utilize the tool and increase productivity Knowledge of DAL Scripting, SQL Databases and system mapping is an asset Knowledge of life insurance products. An understanding of Foresters Financial products is an asset Have sufficient functional knowledge of the New Business and Policy administration process to enable ‘paperwork’ validation Detailed knowledge of required Interstate Compact/Province and State Standard Contract Provisions would be an asset Strong logical thinking as well as attention to detail to scrutinize form composition for content and errors Strong interpersonal and communication skills to interact with staff and management at all levels Ability to work well within a team environment and independently with little or no supervision Ability to plan, organize, track, and execute activities for individually and in collaboration Effectively apply knowledge, experience to and decision-making skills to analyze, interpret and evaluate information of varying degrees of complexity from various sources to facilitate and ensure effective resolution of issues Work ethic that demonstrates service and results orientation, self-motivation, and innovation Demonstrated ability to prioritize workload in a fast paced and high-volume environment Demonstrated ability to multi-task, evaluate work effort and balancing competing priorities #LI-Hybrid Equal Opportunity Employment and Inclusion – at Foresters Financial, we are committed to sustaining an equal opportunity environment for all job applicants. We embrace Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) as a core strategic objective for building strong, innovative teams in which all our employees can show up wholly and authentically as themselves. Foresters Financial strives to provide an accessible candidate experience for prospective employees with different abilities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodations during the recruitment process, please email accommodations@foresters.com in advance of your appointment. Thank you for choosing Foresters. Only those candidates who will be selected for further consideration will be contacted by our Talent Acquisition Team. Foresters Financial™ is an international financial services provider with a unique history that began in 1874 when we set out to provide access to life insurance for average, working families. More than 150 years later, we provide life insurance, savings, retirement and investment solutions that help families achieve long-term financial health and security.
