Director, Customer Engagement

Overview
Operating within the core values and operating principles of the organization, the Director of Customer Engagement is a transformative leadership role responsible for defining and delivering AAA Life's member communication journey—from application to policy issuance, through policy servicing, and ultimately to beneficiary settlement.

This leader will spearhead the design, governance, and execution of a robust, omni-channel engagement strategy focused on improving the member experience, increasing retention, and accelerating time-to-settlement for beneficiaries. The role will serve as the enterprise owner of AAA Life's forthcoming member engagement platform while providing leadership over brand governance, creative development, and message alignment across the organization.

In partnership with cross-functional teams, this leader will ensure the right message reaches the right member at the right time—balancing compliance, impact, and brand consistency—while driving continuous optimization using data and A/B testing.

Responsibilities
Customer Engagement Strategy and Execution

• Lead the end-to-end communication lifecycle for all policyholders—from application through beneficiary payment
• Collaborate cross-functionally (New Business, Claims, Underwriting, Distribution, Marketing, etc.) to map the member journey and identify communication strategies that improve placed rate, lapse rate, SQI, and other key outcomes
• Define and continuously refine member segmentation strategies to enable personalization, targeted outreach, and increased engagement
• Design and run A/B tests , pilot programs, and iterative experiments to optimize messaging, timing, content, and channels
• Ensure all communications reflect the AAA Life brand values of clarity, empathy, and trust

Brand Governance & Creative Development

• Serve as the brand steward for all member-facing communications across channels (email, SMS, phone, mail, digital)
• Lead the development, standardization, and ongoing refinement of brand voice, communication guidelines, and visual identity as they apply to customer engagement
• Oversee creative development for engagement campaigns, including message strategy, copy development, and creative asset review
• Partner with Marketing and Compliance to ensure consistent, compliant, and on-brand communication experiences
• Establish and enforce brand and content governance processes , templates, and quality controls to ensure consistency across departments

Platform Ownership and Implementation

• Serve as the business owner for the enterprise member engagement platform (currently in RFP), ensuring alignment with communication, compliance, CX, and data requirements
• Lead platform implementation, rollout, and enterprise onboarding in partnership with IT, vendors, and key stakeholders
• Own and manage communication preference centers, opt-out mechanisms, identity verification processes, and regulatory communication requirements
• Provide strategic oversight of day-to-day campaign execution and long-term journey architecture within the platform
• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team of 3–5 customer engagement professionals

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Marketing, Distribution, Compliance, Legal, New Business, Technology, Claims, and Operations to align communication strategies with enterprise priorities
• Ensure member communications meet regulatory standards while remaining customer-centric and brand-aligned
• Serve as the organization's central coordinator for communication strategy , messaging alignment, and cross-departmental harmonization

Measurement, Optimization, and Reporting

• Track, analyze, and report on campaign performance, journey success, and channel effectiveness
• Leverage insights from engagement data, VOC, and segmentation to iterate strategy and improve business outcomes
• Champion a test-and-learn culture that encourages experimentation, iteration, and continuous improvement
• ion a test-and-learn approach across all communication efforts.

Qualifications
Core Competencies:
Leadership & Team Management

• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Strong business acumen, with deep understanding of interdependencies across operations, distribution, underwriting, service, marketing, and technology

Critical Thinking

• Evaluates alternatives using logical reasoning; identifies root causes, risks, and trade-offs
• Approaches complex problems holistically, identifying interdependencies and designing integrated solutions

Execution & Driving Results

• Makes sound decisions in high-pressure or ambiguous conditions
• Acts decisively to deliver improvements that meaningfully impact customer outcomes and business performance

Engage & Inspire

• Encourages high levels of performance, creativity, and ownership
• Builds commitment and energy around the member experience vision

Change Leadership & Influence

• Advocates for customer-centered change across the organization
• Ensures initiatives are implemented with proper communication, metrics, and cross-functional alignment

Effective Communication

• Models courageous and constructive dialogue
• Can articulate complex issues clearly and influence senior stakeholders toward alignment

Education/Experience

• Bachelor's in Business , Communications, Marketing, or a related field; Master's degree preferred
• 10+ years of experience in customer lifecycle communications, CX, marketing automation, CRM, or member engagement roles—ideally in insurance, financial services, or regulated industries
• Proven success implementing or managing omni-channel engagement platforms with measurable impact on customer behavior and retention
• Strong understanding of segmentation, A/B testing, journey orchestration, creative development, and communication compliance
• Demonstrated experience managing teams , influencing cross-functional leaders, and driving enterprise alignment
• Strong analytical and presentation skills; able to translate complexity into actionable insights
• Experience managing vendor relationships and platform rollouts preferred.

Essential Job Functions
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear . Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

This job requires the ability to perform duties contained in the job description for this position, including, but not limited to, the above requirements . Reasonable accommodations will be made for otherwise qualified applicants as needed to enable them to fulfill these requirements.

Success In This Role Looks Like

• Seamless orchestration of customer journeys across channels
• Increased personalization, relevance, and compliance in communications
• Strong alignment across CX strategy, brand governance, and technology execution
• Improved engagement, retention, and satisfaction (NPS, LTV)
• Reduced friction, faster resolution, and improved outcomes for members and beneficiaries