AVP, Digital Service - Life, Health & Annuities
USAA · San Antonio Home Office I · $224,250–$403,650 (stated in the posting)
Why USAA?
At USAA, our mission is to empower our members to achieve financial security through highly competitive products, exceptional service and trusted advice. We seek to be the #1 choice for the military community and their families.
Embrace a fulfilling career at USAA, where our core values – honesty, integrity, loyalty and service – define how we treat each other and our members. Be part of what truly makes us special and impactful.
We are proud to support active-duty military spouses. USAA roles may offer remote or hybrid flexibility for active-duty military spouses consistent with applicable policy and business needs.
The Opportunity
USAA Life Insurance Company is seeking an innovative and transformational leader to serve as its next AVP, Digital Service, a newly elevated leadership role responsible for defining the future of digital servicing across the Life, Health, and Annuity businesses.
Reporting to David McWilliams, Vice President, LifeCo Operations, this executive will own the end-to-end digital servicing experience across both USAA's direct-to-member and third-party distributed businesses. The role is accountable for the strategy, roadmap, and delivery of all customer-facing digital service capabilities, including web, mobile, IVR, conversational AI, digital messaging, authentication, and self-service experiences. The successful candidate will lead efforts to create seamless digital journeys spanning policy inquiries, beneficiary management, claims status, premium payments, withdrawals, policy changes, document delivery, and a broad range of servicing transactions.
While many organizations view digital servicing as a supporting capability, USAA views it as a strategic differentiator. As member expectations continue to evolve and digital engagement becomes increasingly central to the customer experience, this leader will be charged with creating intuitive, self-service experiences that improve satisfaction, reduce customer effort, and drive measurable operational efficiency. Success will be measured through meaningful business outcomes, including digital containment, call deflection, self-service adoption, authentication success rates, digital customer satisfaction, advisor utilization, and overall cost-to-serve reduction.
What makes this opportunity particularly compelling is the broader transformation underway within LifeCo Operations. Historically, USAA's Life, Health, and Annuity businesses have operated primarily through a direct-to-member model. Today, however, the organization is expanding its third-party distribution capabilities, creating new opportunities to serve policyholders through independent agents, broker general agencies (BGAs), financial advisors, and other future distribution partners. As that evolution accelerates, the AVP, Digital Service will play a pivotal role in designing and scaling the digital experiences that support both members and intermediaries while preserving the high-touch service standards that have long differentiated the USAA brand.
This role sits at the intersection of customer experience, digital product management, service operations, distribution strategy, and emerging technology. The selected executive will partner closely with leaders across Operations, Technology, Product Management, Experience Design, Distribution, Claims, Policy Service, and Third-Party Administration to create a unified vision for digital servicing across the enterprise. From modernizing existing capabilities to introducing new AI-enabled experiences, this leader will have significant influence over how customers and distribution partners interact with USAA for years to come.
For executives who are energized by transformation, few opportunities offer the combination of scale, complexity, and impact available in this role. The AVP, Digital Service will have the opportunity to shape enterprise-wide servicing strategies, enable future distribution growth, improve operational economics, and redefine the digital experience for Life, Health, and Annuity customers. Simply put, this is an opportunity to help build the next generation of servicing capabilities for one of the most respected and mission-driven financial services organizations in the country.
AVPs in the LOB Digital / Technical Products job family are responsible for leading a digital/technology team focused on defining, managing and delivering digital / technology member experiences and capabilities across the Line of Business and Enterprise Digital ecosystem: all platforms and related software programs. These AVPs will plan, organize, and control the day-to-day digital / technology delivery activities, collaborate with cross-functional stake holders and partners, and coordinate activities in a secure, stable, yet nimble environment, commensurate with the best interest of members and employees. These AVPs are also responsible for translating business priorities into digital / technology strategy and solutions by collaborating with senior leaders and internal stakeholders in enterprise digital / technology, marketing and line of business product with the end goal of deploying innovative solutions. Also, these AVPs are responsible for contributing to the digital / technology strategy and successfully executing on the strategy, goals and yearly Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) and Key Risk Indicators (KRI's). Additionally, AVPs in this job family effectively maintain, build and deliver improved member experiences through well-defined digital journeys using voice of member feedback, member satisfactions scores (MSAT) and data
Location
- USAA offers a flexible work environment that requires an individual to be in the office 4 days per week. This position can be based in one of the following locations: San Antonio, TX; Charlotte, NC; Phoenix, AZ. Relocation assistance is available for this position.
What You'll Do
- Define and execute the digital service vision for how members, policyholders, advisors, agents, and distribution partners interact with USAA Life across Life Insurance, Health Insurance, and Annuities.
- Lead the strategy, roadmap, and continuous evolution of USAA Life's digital servicing ecosystem across web, mobile, IVR, conversational AI, digital messaging, authentication, and self-service capabilities.
- Drive measurable improvements in digital containment, call deflection, self-service adoption, customer satisfaction, mobile engagement, and cost-to-serve performance.
- Reimagine and simplify servicing journeys across policy inquiries, beneficiary management, claims status, payments, withdrawals, policy changes, and document delivery.
- Create intuitive, frictionless digital experiences that reduce customer effort while increasing engagement and loyalty.
- Build and scale digital servicing capabilities that support USAA's growing third-party distribution strategy, including independent agents, BGAs, financial advisors, and future distribution partners.
- Partner closely with Technology, Product, Experience Design, Operations, Claims, Policy Service, Distribution, and Third-Party Administration leaders to deliver integrated servicing solutions.
- Champion emerging technologies and capabilities, including conversational AI, intelligent automation, digital messaging, and modern authentication solutions.
- Establish and manage key performance indicators, including Digital CSAT, NPS, CES, digital containment, authentication success rates, advisor self-service utilization, and operational efficiency metrics.
- Continuously identify opportunities to eliminate servicing friction, reduce unnecessary contacts, and improve the overall customer and advisor experience.
- Serve as a key member of the LifeCo Operations leadership team, helping shape the future servicing and distribution model for USAA's Life, Health, and Annuity businesses.
- Build, lead, and develop high-performing teams while fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, continuous improvement, and member advocacy.
- Influence senior leaders across Operations, Technology, Product, and Distribution to align priorities, investments, and resources around a shared digital servicing vision.
- Position USAA Life for future growth through differentiated digital experiences that strengthen member relationships, enhance advisor engagement, and create scalable servicing capabilities.
Additional General Tasks
AVPs in the LOB Digital / Technical Products job family perform the following tasks:
- Accountable for defining and socializing a data and insights-driven strategic line of business digital /technology capabilities and experience roadmap.
- Partners with and influences key stakeholders, including Enterprise Digital and IT, to drive the line of business digital/technology strategy and roadmap.
- Collaborates closely with the line of business Sales & Service and Analytics teams to produce required channel activity reporting and properly monitors expected/planned activity.
- Responsible for keeping abreast of industry trends and provides insights and translates and implements action plans resulting from findings.
- Leads a digital/technology team focused on defining and delivering innovative digital capabilities and experiences across line of business digital/technology platforms and channels in support of evolving member and business needs.
- Drives the performance and reliability of the strategy and roadmap, ensuring all key performance & risk indicators and objectives & key results are within expectations.
- Partners with Product GMs and other business stakeholders to identify and respond to changing business and/or member needs and subsequently translate into digital/technology action plans.
- Accountable for ensuring operational risk controls are in place in accordance with company or regulatory standards and policies.
- Builds and manages a high performing team of analytical digital/technology professionals through recruiting, training, coaching, performance management, and related managerial activities.
- Ensures risks associated with business activities are effectively identified, measured, monitored, and controlled in accordance with risk and compliance policies and procedures.
What You Have
- Bachelor's degree; OR 4 additional years of relevant education and/or experience in lieu of a degree.
- 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in digital product management, digital servicing, customer experience, service transformation, or related technology-enabled environments.
- Demonstrated success developing digital strategies, leading large-scale initiatives, and delivering measurable business outcomes within complex, highly matrixed organizations.
- 6+ years of experience building, leading, and developing high-performing teams and organizational capabilities.
- Deep expertise across digital channels and servicing platforms, including web, mobile, IVR, digital messaging, authentication, self-service, and emerging technologies.
- Proven ability to design and optimize digital customer journeys while improving key outcomes such as digital adoption, customer satisfaction, call reduction, operational efficiency, and cost-to-serve.
- Experience supporting customer, advisor, agent, or partner-facing digital experiences within financial services, insurance, wealth management, banking, healthcare, or other highly regulated industries.
- Strong product management orientation with experience developing roadmaps, prioritizing investments, and delivering capabilities that balance customer needs, operational objectives, and business value.
- Working knowledge of emerging technologies, including conversational AI, intelligent automation, digital engagement platforms, and modern authentication capabilities.
- Experience partnering closely with Technology, Operations, Product, Experience Design, and business stakeholders to deliver enterprise-scale digital solutions.
- Demonstrated ability to think strategically while executing against complex operational and transformation objectives.
- Strong understanding of regulatory requirements, risk management frameworks, governance practices, and compliance considerations within highly regulated environments.
- Experience working within Agile product development and delivery organizations.
- Exceptional business and technology acumen, combined with a deep understanding of digital servicing and customer experience best practices.
- Proven ability to lead through influence, build alignment across diverse stakeholder groups, and drive organizational change.
- Outstanding communication, facilitation, collaboration, and consensus-building skills, including experience presenting to senior executives and leadership teams.
- Executive presence and the ability to effectively influence leaders across Operations, Technology, Product, Distribution, and Customer Experience functions.
- Demonstrated ability to establish accountability, create urgency, and mobilize teams around strategic priorities and measurable results.
- Strong understanding of industry trends, digital servicing innovations, and evolving customer expectations across insurance, wealth management, banking, and adjacent financial services sectors.
What Sets You Apart
- Deep experience leading digital service, digital product, or customer experience organizations within the Life Insurance industry, with a strong understanding of the end-to-end policyholder journey from onboarding and servicing through claims and retention.
- Broad product expertise across Life Insurance, Annuities, and / or Health Insurance, enabling you to navigate complex servicing models, customer needs, regulatory requirements, and operational workflows.
- Demonstrated success transforming digital servicing capabilities through web, mobile, self-service, automation, AI, and authentication solutions that improve customer satisfaction while reducing servicing demand and cost-to-serve.
- Experience supporting both direct-to-member and advisor- or agent-based distribution models, with an appreciation for the distinct needs of policyholders, financial professionals, and distribution partners.
- A unique ability to bridge digital strategy, customer experience, and service operations, translating innovative ideas into scalable solutions that drive measurable business outcomes and lasting competitive advantage.
Visa Sponsorship
- USAA does not provide visa sponsorship for this position. Please do not apply for this position if at any time (now or in the future) you will need immigration support (i.e., H-1B, TN, STEM OPT Training Plans, etc.).
Compensation
- The salary range for this position is $224,250 to $403,650.
Compensation: USAA has an effective process for assessing market data and establishing ranges to ensure we remain competitive. You are paid within the salary range based on your experience and market data of the position.
Employees may be eligible for pay incentives based on overall corporate and individual performance and at the discretion of the USAA Board of Directors.
The above description reflects the details considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job and should not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be performed in the job.
Long Term Incentive Plan: Cash payment for Executive level roles only, representing a cash payment which is both time and performance based.
Benefits: At USAA our employees enjoy best-in-class benefits to support their physical, financial, and emotional wellness. These benefits include comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans, 401(k), pension, life insurance, parental benefits, adoption assistance, paid time off program with paid holidays plus 16 paid volunteer hours, and various wellness programs. Additionally, our career path planning and continuing education assists employees with their professional goals.
For more details on our outstanding benefits, visit our benefits page on USAAjobs.com.
Applications for this position are accepted on an ongoing basis, this posting will remain open until the position is filled. Thus, interested candidates are encouraged to apply the same day they view this posting.
USAA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.