Sr. Director, Project Management

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 Project Management Practice Lead is accountable for designing, evolving, and enabling the enterprise delivery system as a value delivery engine. This role establishes principles, capabilities, and practices that allow the organization to translate strategy into outcomes effectively. The Practice Lead drives alignment across functions, reduces friction in decision-making, and builds a high-performing PM capability focused on value, flow, and adaptability. This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you are in the office four days per week during onsite core days. Our current onsite core days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The work schedule type and core days are subject to change with advance notification and manager discretion. This role requires a minimum of 10 years of Life and Annuity industry experience. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Initiation & Value Alignment Ensure enterprise initiatives align to strategy and value outcomes Define principles and guardrails for value-based delivery and prioritization Partner with strategy and portfolio functions to reinforce outcome alignment Adaptive Planning & Flow Management Design systems that enable flow across the enterprise Partner with Portfolio to optimize sequencing, capacity and prioritization Remove systemic barriers to flow and improve speed to value Risk, Uncertainty & Decision Enablement Establish decision frameworks and governance models Reduce decision latency and organizational ambiguity Enable consistent, transparent tradeoff management across the enterprise Stakeholder Alignment & Influence Align Strategy, Portfolio, Business, and Technology functions Build a culture of accountability, transparency, and collaboration Influence executive leadership to support value-based delivery practices Minimum Qualifications 15+ years of experience leading enterprise delivery or transformation initiatives Minimum of 10 years of experience within the Life and Annuity industry, with demonstrated understanding of products, operations, and regulatory environment Demonstrated experience leading, coaching, and scaling Project Management teams in a complex, enterprise environment Demonstrated success evolving organizations from process-driven to value-driven delivery Deep expertise with enterprise prioritization, portfolio management, and decision frameworks Proven ability to design and optimize enterprise delivery systems Strong systems thinking and ability to operate in complex environments Executive-level influencing capability across business and technology leadership Proven track record of building and scaling high-performing PM capabilities Strong financial, strategic, and operational acumen PMP or equivalent experience required; advanced degree preferred AI Proficiency Expectations At National Life Group, we view AI as an enabler of human potential. We use AI to help us work smarter, serve more clients, and keep our promises, while remaining a relationship-driven business where our people are our greatest strength. All applicants are expected to: Leverage approved AI tools, where ap…