The Executive Vice President, Employee Benefits owns the division: its strategy, its people, its clients, its carrier relationships, and its results. This is a senior operating role for someone who has run a benefits practice and wants full accountability for growing one, with the backing of an established, well-capitalized firm and a leadership team that stays close to the business.
You will serve as the senior benefits advisor to our most important clients, partner with producers to win new business, build the team and service model needed to retain and expand the book, and keep the practice ahead of a compliance and technology landscape that changes every year. You will sit on the firm's leadership team and report directly to the CEO.
What You Will Own
Division leadership and results
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Set the annual strategy for the Employee Benefits division, and own the division's revenue, retention, and results.
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Serve on the firm's leadership team, contributing to firm-wide decisions on hiring, technology, compensation, and client experience.
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Report regularly to executive team on pipeline, renewals, retention, staffing, and risk.
Client leadership
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Act as the executive relationship owner and senior advisor for the division's largest and most complex group accounts.
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Lead renewal strategy for key accounts: funding analysis (fully insured, level-funded, self-funded, captives), plan design, contribution strategy, and multi-year cost management.
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Lead open enrollment meetings and new-business onboarding meetings personally for key accounts, and ensure every group's enrollment runs on time and without errors.
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Present to C-suite and HR decision-makers with confidence, and step in personally when a relationship is at risk.
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Set and enforce the division's service standards, from renewal timelines and open enrollment execution to claims advocacy and day-to-day responsiveness.
Growth and producer partnership
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Partner with the firm's producers on prospecting, discovery, and proposals, and bring a benefits point of view to cross-sell opportunities within the commercial book.
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Develop and maintain a personal pipeline of new business alongside the producer team.
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Build the division's market positioning: capabilities, differentiators, case studies, and the story we tell prospects.
Team building and development
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Recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing team of account executives.
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Design the division's structure and workload allocation so that service quality, capacity, and profitability stay in balance as the book grows.
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Set clear expectations, coach actively, run performance reviews, and hold the team to a high standard of accuracy and follow-through.
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Build bench strength and succession so the division is never dependent on any single person.
Carrier, vendor, and market relationships
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Own the division's relationships with medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and ancillary carriers, general agents, PEOs, TPAs, stop-loss markets, and point-solution vendors.
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Negotiate renewals and new placements, and use the firm's scale and carrier relationships to secure the best outcomes for clients.
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Stay current on carrier appetite, underwriting trends, and new products, and translate that into client recommendations.
Compliance and technical excellence
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Serve as the firm's subject-matter authority on ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, Section 125, Form 5500, and state and federal benefits regulation, and ensure clients receive timely, accurate compliance guidance.
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Establish quality-control practices (file audits, proposal review, binding checklists) that protect clients and the firm from errors and omissions exposure.
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Maintain and expand the division's compliance resources and client education (webinars, alerts, HR support).
Operations and technology
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Own the division's use of Applied Epic and drive consistent, accurate data and workflows across the team.
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Own the division's Employee Navigator practice: case builds, carrier integrations, enrollment workflows, and team training, so clients get a clean, reliable enrollment experience.
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Evaluate additional benefits administration platforms, HR technology, and AI-enabled tools that improve client experience and team productivity.
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Continuously evaluate processes and procedures and lead changes that gain efficiency without sacrificing service.
What You Bring
Required
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10+ years in employee benefits brokerage or consulting.
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Deep technical command of group medical, ancillary, and voluntary products; alternative funding; underwriting; and benefits compliance.
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A track record of retaining and growing a book of group benefits business and of winning new accounts alongside producers.
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Demonstrated success hiring, developing, and leading account management teams.
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Active Florida 2-15 Life, Health and Variable Annuity license.
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Executive-level presentation, writing, and relationship skills.
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Working proficiency with Employee Navigator, including case setup, carrier connections, and enrollment management.
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Comfortable leading open enrollment meetings and new-business onboarding meetings, in person and virtually, and presenting plans clearly to employees and employer leadership.
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Proficiency with Applied Epic or a comparable agency management system, and with Microsoft.
Preferred
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Experience with self-funded and level-funded programs, stop-loss placement, captives, and PEO evaluations.
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Experience with additional benefits administration or enrollment platforms beyond Employee Navigator (e.g., Ease or carrier-integrated solutions).
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Experience in a family-owned or independent agency environment.
Who Succeeds Here
The right person is an owner, not a caretaker. They are comfortable being the most technically capable benefits professional in the room and equally comfortable delegating so the team grows. They set a high bar, communicate directly, and treat every client as if their own name were on the door. They see technology and process as tools for better service, and they want to build something that lasts.
Compensation and Benefits
Competitive base salary plus a performance-based incentive tied to division revenue, retention, and growth, with total compensation commensurate with experience. Client offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life and disability coverage, a 401(k) plan, and paid time off.