COMPANY:

Are you interested in joining a fast-growing insurance company that is looking to disrupt the retirement market? Are you interested in helping to solve the current retirement savings crisis effecting Americans? Have you spent some time at a traditional life insurance company or a legacy financial institution and are looking for a more innovative and entrepreneurial environment? If this sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you at Merit Life!

Merit Life is on a mission to make retirement easier for everyone as a provider of next generation retirement solutions focused on simplifying historically complex and confusing retirement saving and income products. Merit maintains an A- rating from AM Best and is backed by the financial strength of 777 Partners, a holding company with global assets in excess of $7.5 billion.

JOB SUMMARY:

This role will be responsible for establishing and running the program management function within the firm's newly created Program Management Office (PMO). The PMO will operate at a strategic level and in collaboration with executive leadership and other cross-functional business partners reporting to the firm's Chief Operating Officer. This position will have a hands-on role leading and executing on large scale initiatives for such things as new product and distributor launches, key technology builds and ensure successful launch and measure adoption.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Management Leadership

• Executive Team Responsibilities
• Collaborate and work closely with Merit's leadership to lead the execution of strategic initiatives in a fast-paced environment.
• Responsible for executive level project communication - status and progress against plans, as well as emerging issues and risks to project and program success.
• Ensure proper risk management is established and project risks are mitigated.
• Program Leadership Responsibilities
• Build realistic and achievable project plans that are in alignment with organizational strategies and key milestones.
• Communicate and ensure project team members understand project goals, objectives, strategic value, project plan critical path, and any project risks both at their individual/ functional level as well as for the overall project and
• Ensure execution against project plans and schedules working in collaboration with cross-functional project team members.
• Supply accurate project estimates and tightly manage project budget, approved funding, forecasts, and actuals.
• Coordinate resource planning across projects to ensure that adequate resources are available and that individual program decisions do not have unintended impacts on other programs
• Ensure end-to-end successful implementation of project and realized project outcomes post implementation
• Overall Leadership Responsibilities
• Naturally lead and command authority, influence and inspire without control
• Coach and guide COO team members (ie: business/system analysts aligned to projects to support requirements and testing) to ensure their work aligns to the project objectives
• Contribute to the development and implementation of COO organizational best practices, including but not limited to: project management methodologies, change management, vendor management, process improvement, policies & procedures, SOPs, etc.

SKILLS / KNOWLEDGE / ABILITIES

• Exemplary core program and project management understanding & defined methodologies
• Mastery of written and oral communications, demonstrating ability to be effective across a variety of stakeholders both internal and external
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, capable of balancing multiple perspectives, effective at all levels up to senior executive
• Sound business and technical acumen, with demonstrated agility in learning and ability to quickly become comfortable with unfamiliar businesses areas or of technologies
• Self-driven, goal oriented, with the ability to work independently and with others, and not afraid to get their hands dirty in an entrepreneurial environment.
• Ability to organize, triage and flex priorities daily are a must for this position
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and creatively while applying sound business judgment and analytics to convey compelling value propositions
• Proficient presentation, communication, and relationship management skills
• Thrives in a "build and innovate" fast-paced environment
• A moderate understanding of annuities, life insurance, and retirement products.
• Experience using agile methodologies

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience
• Minimum 10 years of progressive, professional work experience leading large and/or transformational programs at a financial services institution

CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSES

• PMP certification, a plus