Tech Lead, Application Development – Product & Inforce Systems

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 Tech Lead, Application Development - Product & Inforce Systems serves as an experienced advisor across National Life Group's Life & Annuity Product & Inforce application environment. This role applies extensive, in-depth knowledge of insurance products, business processes, system logic, and application dependencies to resolve complex problems, and to guide technology solutions across product, inforce, illustration, policy administration, and related platforms.

The Tech Lead exercises independent judgment on complex issues, establishes methods and procedures for new assignments, and sets short-term goals (one year or less) that align delivery work with department and functional objectives. The role contributes to cross-disciplinary processes and policies, partners closely with business, IT, architecture, quality engineering, infrastructure, security, and vendor teams, and serves as a role model and resource for junior colleagues on assigned applications and processes.

The ideal candidate brings deep Life & Annuity or insurance technology experience, strong judgment in evolving situations, and a track record of applying professional expertise creatively to solve problems that span multiple systems or disciplines.

This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you will be in the office four (4) 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.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Serve as a recognized subject-matter resource for assigned Life & Annuity product, inforce, illustration, policy administration, and related application environments.

Independently analyze complex business and technology needs, translating them into requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, process flows, test scenarios, and implementation plans.

Establish methods, procedures, and approaches for new or non-routine assignments where precedent is limited.

Perform impact analysis for product changes, inforce enhancements, platform upgrades, regulatory requirements, integrations, production issues, and modernization initiatives, evaluating variable and interdependent factors.

Exercise independent judgment to resolve complex issues, identifying root causes and dependencies across systems and disciplines.

Set and manage short-term (one year or less) goals for assigned analysis and delivery work in alignment with department and functional objectives.

Own assigned analysis and delivery activities from discovery through testing, implementation, release readiness, and post-production support, with work reviewed upon completion.

Advise business and technology stakeholders, including senior partners, on application capabilities, system impacts, dependencies, risks, and implementation options.

Contribute to cross-disciplinary processes and policies, applying an understanding of the interrelationships among Product & Inforce systems and adjacent domains.

Network with key contacts across teams, departments, and functions, coordinating dependencies, risks, and delivery commitments across vendor and internal partners.

Create and maintain process documentation, system documentation, runbooks, decision records, and knowledge-transfer materials.

Serve as a role model and resource for junior colleagues, providing guidance on applications, business processes, and delivery practices.

Identify and recommend improvements to application processes, documentation, delivery methods, controls, and team efficiency, including responsible use of approved AI tools where appropriate.

All other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Business, Finance, or a related field and 8 or more years of related experience; advanced degree and 5 or more years of related experience; or 12 or more years of total equivalent relevant work experience.
• Extensive demonstrated experience in Life & Annuity insurance, financial services technology, actuarial systems, illustration systems, product systems, policy administration, business systems analysis, product implementation, or related technology delivery.
• Deep working knowledge of Life & Annuity products and one or more related domains such as inforce processing, illustrations, policy administration, actuarial systems, product configuration, commissions, or distribution systems.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve complex, ambiguous, or undefined business and system issues spanning multiple disciplines.
• Experience establishing methods, procedures, or approaches for new or non-routine assignments.
• Experience setting and managing short-term goals or operational plans aligned with department or functional objectives.
• Experience advising senior stakeholders and serving as a role model or resource for junior colleagues.
• Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving, written and verbal communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Must have lawful authorization to work in the United States without current or future visa sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Agile technology delivery and software development lifecycle practices.
• Working knowledge of SQL, APIs, batch processing, COBOL, JCL, DB2, mainframe environments, integrations, or insurance policy administration technologies.
• Experience with any of the following systems: Vantage, wmA, FAST, ALIP, CyberLife, LifePro, LifeSys, LifeCAD, Product Wizard, illustration systems, actuarial systems, or comparable Life & Annuity platforms.
• Experience supporting product launches, inforce initiatives, regulatory changes, platform upgrades, modernization efforts, or complex production issues within a Life & Annuity environment.
• Experience mentoring or providing technical guidance to junior analysts.
• LOMA, FLMI, actuarial coursework, insurance product training, or related industry certification.

This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you are in the office four (4) 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.

• Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Strong leadership qualities and organizational skills, as well as the ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities, assignments, and roles
• Establish and sustain high trust partnership with business stakeholders and product owners who are dependent on the incumbent’s technical guidance
• Ensure IT resources are effectively utilized in IT Application Service delivery
• Apply skills in application development and support while exhibiting leadership in process re-engineering and implementation of technology
• Collaborate with architects and development community to define and maintain standards, processes, and emerging technical roadmaps
• Collaborate with IT staff maintaining applications in the Inforce domain or with points of integration to applications

Judge the feasibility and trade-off of different technologies and make choices that fit the constraints of the project/product. Ensure solutions satisfy business requirements and are of the highest quality

• Estimate delivery cost and schedule for Inforce domain related solutions, projects and requests
• Build and maintain detailed working knowledge of key business applications
• Identify application transformation & rationalization opportunities as we transform to a simpler, more modern system platform
• Develop application design, application configuration, test and release management processes

Communicate effectively, and with an appropriate level of detail, to all levels in the organization.

Work with limited direction, usually within a complex environment, to drive delivery of solutions and meet service levels.

Strong conceptual and analytic skills. Ability to design and build complex algorithms.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, preferred in Computer Science, or relevant work experience.
• 10+ years Full System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) experience; Designing, maintaining and enhancing software applications leveraging COBOL, JCL, SQL, CICS, DB2, VSAM, ISPF/PDF, FILE-AID, MVS, Endevor and using IBM Mainframe environment preferred
• 3+ years of experience leading product / project development team on Vantage policy administrative platform preferred
• Open-minded with proven ability to work collaboratively in team environment
• Demonstrated ability to lead in a highly matrixed, heavily outsourced organization through a combination of influence, partnership, and authority
• Ability to manage IT Suppliers in a cost- effective manner
• Ability to manage change and cope with complex and ambiguous situations
• Agile solution delivery skills highly desired
• 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 appropriate, to improve the efficiency, quality, and impact of their work.
• Stay curious and open to new AI-enabled ways of working.
• Exercise sound judgment by reviewing and validating AI-generated content.
• Maintain accountability for the accuracy, quality, fairness, and integrity of work products by adhering to National Life’s AI guiding principles.
• Use AI responsibly and in accordance with company policies related to confidentiality, data privacy, security, compliance, retention and intellectual property.
• Core Competencies
• Service Focus
• Demonstrates a client centric focus for satisfying one's external and/or internal customers; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
• Decision Making
• Makes sense of complex information, critically evaluates, and creates solutions.
• Results Oriented
• Sets performance and personal goals; Driven to meet or exceed goals and objectives.
• Plans and Aligns
• Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals; Aligns people and skills to tasks and assignments; Evaluates results of work.
• Demonstrates Learning Agility
• Enhances skills and knowledge through continuous learning; Focuses on personal results by establishing stretch goals; Seeks feedback and changes accordingly.
• Establishes Relationships
• Builds partnerships with others to instill trust, collaborate, and meet shared objectives.
• Communicates Effectively
• Actively listens, conveys messages to meet different audience needs, and remains open to new ideas and opinions.
• Fosters Diversity
• Values diversity and difference in thought, experience, and perspective; Promotes an environment that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion; Supports equal and fair treatment for all.