Client Management Market Leader - West Region

Guardian is seeking a Client Management Market Leader (CMML) to lead our Advisory West team within the large market segment. This highly visible leadership role is accountable for driving client retention, profitable growth, and market impact across a portfolio of large, complex cases (2,000+ lives). The CMML will lead and develop a seasoned team of Client Executives, ensuring disciplined execution of client strategies, strengthening broker and consulting relationships, and delivering differentiated outcomes for clients and the business.

The CMML provides strategic leadership and operational direction to an experienced team, ensuring consistent execution aligned to business goals. With a strong emphasis on large-case management, this role requires both strategic insight and disciplined execution to deliver sustained financial performance and exceptional client outcomes.

This leader is responsible for fostering a high-performance culture, reinforcing client management discipline and best practices, and optimizing book-of-business alignment to drive team effectiveness. The CMML will set clear expectations, provide ongoing coaching, and partner with team members on development plans aligned to Guardian’s priorities.

You are:

• A proven leader who sets high personal performance standards and leads by example, with a demonstrated ability to build and sustain alignment within a large market strategy
• An operator with strong business and underwriting or service discipline, capable of navigating complex client needs while delivering profitable results
• A collaborator who builds strong partnerships across Client Management, Underwriting, Distribution, and Home Office teams, and establishes credibility with broker and consulting firm leaders in the market
• A change agent who inspires followership, drives accountability, and elevates performance across a seasoned, high-performing team

You have:

Education:

Four-year college degree or equivalent work experience

Experience:

• 5+ years of group insurance experience preferred
• 3+ years of leadership experience in Account or Service Management
• Demonstrated success leading high-performing teams, ideally within large market or advisory segments
• Strong understanding of group insurance, large case strategy, and the broker/employer landscape
• Experience in underwriting and/or frontline operational leadership strongly preferred
• Must achieve required industry licensing within 90 days of hire and maintain through continuing education

You will:

Drive Achievement:

• Energize the team around clear, measurable outcomes aligned to Client Management’s core purpose: persisting customers, executing rate actions, and driving profitable growth
• Lead disciplined execution across case-level and book-of-business-level profitability, balancing strong financial outcomes with high client satisfaction
• Drive premium growth by expanding relationships with in-force clients, including cross-selling additional lines of business
• Ensure thoughtful development and execution of annual enrollment strategies that support retention, client value, and long-term growth
• Build and strengthen relationships with broker and consulting firm leaders across the Advisory West territory to position Guardian as a trusted partner and enable sustained growth
• Establish clear performance expectations, monitor results, and hold the team accountable for consistent delivery in a competitive large market environment

Lead Through Change:

• Translate change into clear business and client value
• Build trust, engagement, and commitment across the team and key stakeholders
• Foster resilience, adaptability, and strong followership in a dynamic market environment

Take Purposeful Action:

• Act decisively and proactively to move the business forward
• Identify and advance opportunities to improve processes, elevate service, and drive growth across large, complex client portfolios
• Leverage data and insights to inform decisions and enhance client and business outcomes

Reporting Relationships:

As our Client Management Market Leader – Advisory West, you will report to the Head of Client Management – Advisory & Key Markets within Group Benefits.

Location and Work Arrangement:

• Must reside within Central, Mountain, or Pacific time zones
• Preferred locations: Plano, TX; Newport Beach, CA; Kansas City, MO; or Chicago, IL
• Hybrid work arrangement (combination of in office and remote) preferred

Travel:

• Approximately 30% of travel is required for this position

Salary Range:

$134,460.00 - $184,890.00

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals.  Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits. Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [email protected]. Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment visas. In order to be a successful applicant. you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship.

Notice Regarding Guardian’s Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

 

As part of Guardian’s job application process, Guardian may use artificial intelligence tools (“AI Tools") to automate the sorting and filtering of information provided by applicants as part of its preliminary screening. This preliminary screening may be used to help identify applicant materials and resumes relative to their indication that the applicant meets the requirements for the specific job for which they are applying, as specified in the listing posted on Guardian’s jobs website (Careers at Guardian at https://www.guardianlife.com/careers). At Guardian, we do not use AI Tools to substantially assist or replace human judgment or discretionary decision making in our hiring process. All hiring decisions will be made by Guardian colleagues.

 

Please be aware that if you apply for a specific position with Guardian, you will have the choice of opting out of Guardian’s use of AI Tools during the job application process. If you would like to request an alternative process that does not utilize AI Tools or would like to request a reasonable accommodation, within ten business days of your position application, you must email your request to [email protected], making sure to provide your name and job requisition identification number. Guardian will retain your applicant materials and resume and all information therefrom in accordance with Guardian’s document retention policy, a copy of which you may request via [email protected].

 

Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be found here. 

Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday.