AVP, Third Party Admin & Supplier Management – Life, Health & Annuities
USAA · San Antonio Home Office I · $195,230–$351,410 (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 accomplished and highly influential insurance operations leader to serve as the AVP of Third Party Administration & Supplier Management, a newly elevated leadership role responsible for defining and governing the third-party operating ecosystem supporting the Life, Health, and Annuity businesses.
Reporting directly to the Vice President of LifeCo Operations, this executive will own the strategy, governance, performance, and continued evolution of USAA Life's Third-Party Administration (TPA) and Supplier Management function. The role encompasses a complex ecosystem of third-party administrators, operational service providers, technology partners, and strategic suppliers that support critical capabilities across new business issuance, policy administration and servicing, claims, and other member-facing operations.
The mandate is particularly important as USAA Life evolves its distribution and operating model. Today, third-party distribution is most developed within the Annuity business, where USAA manufactures the product while external partners support distribution and administration. Over time, there is an opportunity to extend this model more broadly across Life and Health. This leader will help determine how USAA builds, governs, and scales that future-state ecosystem while ensuring that members and distribution partners receive a consistently exceptional experience regardless of who performs the underlying work.
Central to the role will be ownership of several of USAA Life's most strategically important external relationships. This executive must be equally comfortable understanding the intricacies of Life, Health, and Annuity operations and engaging directly with the senior-most executives of critical partners. The expectation is not simply to monitor contracts and SLAs, but to create true executive partnerships, challenge providers to perform at a higher level, resolve issues quickly, and hold them accountable for outcomes that directly affect USAA's members and business.
The AVP will also take a broader view of USAA Life's supplier ecosystem, establishing the governance, performance management, financial disciplines, risk controls, and relationship-management capabilities required across a significant portfolio of external providers. This includes evaluating where third parties can create greater scale, specialization, technology enablement, and economic value while determining where capabilities are most effectively retained internally.
For an accomplished Life Insurance, Health Insurance, or Annuity operations executive, this represents a compelling opportunity to shape a capability that will become increasingly important to USAA Life's future. The successful leader will inherit an established network of relationships, while having the mandate to raise expectations, strengthen accountability, optimize the supplier portfolio, and build a more scalable third-party operating model capable of supporting the company's evolving distribution strategy and future growth.
Additional Overview
The AVP of Third Party Administration and Supplier Management for Life, Health & Annuities is accountable for the strategy, governance, and execution of USAA Life Company's Third Party Administration (TPA) and Supplier Management function. This executive leads the selection, oversight, and optimization of third party administrators, operational service providers, technology partners, and strategic suppliers supporting Life Insurance, Health Insurance, and Annuity products. This executive is also responsible for developing and maintaining executive-level relationships with key external partners while ensuring operational excellence, regulatory compliance, service delivery performance, and risk management. This executive also partners across the association to drive innovation, improve member experiences, and deliver strategic and financial objectives.
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
Third Party Administration Strategy & Business Leadership
- Establish and execute the strategic vision, operating model, and long-term roadmap for Third Party Administration and Supplier Management capabilities supporting Life, Health, and Retirement Income businesses.
- Align third party servicing strategies with business growth objectives, member experience priorities, operational performance goals, and enterprise strategic initiatives.
- Partner with senior business leaders to evaluate, prioritize, and implement third-party capabilities, operating models, and technology solutions that enable business transformation and future growth.
- Identify emerging industry trends, market developments, regulatory changes, and innovation opportunities, translating insights into strategic recommendations and business priorities.
Supplier and Third Party Administration Relationship Management
- Lead the selection, due diligence, contract negotiation, onboarding, and ongoing management of third party administrators, technology providers, operational service providers, and strategic suppliers.
- Develop and maintain executive-level relationships with key supplier and third party administration partners to ensure alignment to business objectives, improve service delivery, and identify opportunities for innovation and value creation.
- Serve as the primary executive liaison for strategic supplier relationships, escalation resolution, and performance optimization initiatives.
- Drive collaborative partnerships that strengthen operational capabilities, member outcomes, and long-term vendor effectiveness.
Operational Performance & Service Delivery Oversight
- Lead end-to-end oversight of supplier and third party administration operational performance, including service delivery, business outcomes, issue resolution, contractual obligations, and overall partner effectiveness.
- Establish and govern performance management frameworks, service level agreements, operational metrics, and business review processes to ensure achievement of organizational objectives.
- Monitor operational performance trends and drive corrective actions, continuous improvement initiatives, and service enhancements as needed.
- Ensure third party providers deliver experiences that align with USAA’s member service standards.
Financial Management & Strategic Sourcing
- Oversee supplier-related financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, business case development, and contract governance activities.
- Lead strategic sourcing, supplier optimization, and cost management initiatives that improve operational effectiveness while maximizing business value and financial outcomes.
- Evaluate supplier investments, commercial arrangements, and service delivery models to ensure alignment with enterprise financial objectives.
- Drive efficiencies and optimization opportunities across the supplier ecosystem while maintaining service quality and compliance expectations.
Risk Management, Governance & Regulatory Compliance
- Establish and maintain governance frameworks, risk management practices, and control environments supporting third party administration and supplier management activities.
- Provide executive oversight for supplier due diligence, onboarding, business continuity planning, controls management, operational resilience, and regulatory compliance requirements.
- Ensure third party risks are appropriately identified, assessed, mitigated, monitored, escalated, and reported in accordance with risk management standards.
- Collaborate with Compliance, Legal, Procurement, Risk Management, and Business Controls partners to maintain compliance with applicable regulatory, contractual, and enterprise requirements.
- Promote a culture of accountability, governance excellence, and proactive risk management across the supplier ecosystem.
Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness
- Build and lead a high-performing organization through strategic workforce planning, talent development, succession planning, coaching, and performance management.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
- Develop organizational capabilities necessary to support evolving business strategies, supplier management complexity, and future growth objectives.
- Lead change management and communication efforts associated with supplier transformations, operating model enhancements, and enterprise initiatives.
What You Have:
- Bachelor’s degree, or 4 additional years of related experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted in lieu of a degree.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in supplier management, vendor management, third party administration, strategic partnerships, and/or insurance operations, preferably within Life, Health, or Annuity businesses.
- 6+ years of people leadership experience building, leading, and developing high-performing teams in complex, highly matrixed organizations.
- Demonstrated experience leading large-scale third party administration, outsourcing, and strategic supplier relationships with accountability for service delivery, operational performance, member/customer outcomes, and financial results.
- Proven expertise negotiating and governing complex contracts, service level agreements, performance standards, commercial arrangements, and executive-level supplier relationships.
- Experience establishing and overseeing third party risk, compliance, audit, business continuity, operational resilience, and governance programs within a highly regulated insurance or financial services environment.
- Demonstrated success driving supplier transformation, process improvement, operating-model changes, and vendor optimization that materially improve service, quality, efficiency, and cost.
- Strong understanding of Life, Health, and/or Annuity operations, ideally spanning new business issuance, policy administration and servicing, claims, and other outsourced operational capabilities.
- Proven ability to serve as an executive escalation point for critical supplier relationships, resolving complex performance issues while maintaining productive, strategic partnerships.
- Experience partnering with senior leaders across Operations, Product, Distribution, Technology, Procurement, Legal, Compliance, Risk, and Finance to evaluate third party capabilities and influence strategic business decisions.
- Strong knowledge of the regulatory, operational, financial, and reputational risks associated with third-party service providers and outsourced insurance operations.
- Executive-level business acumen with the judgment to balance member experience, service quality, financial performance, operational scalability, and risk while advancing strategic business objectives.
What Sets You Apart
- Deep experience within a prominent Life Insurance organization, leading sophisticated third party administration, outsourced operations, or strategic supplier relationships supporting Life, Annuity, and/or Health products.
- Proven ownership of large-scale third-party administration relationships spanning new business, policy administration and servicing, claims, and other critical operational capabilities, with accountability for both service and financial outcomes.
- A track record of turning underperforming suppliers into high-performing strategic partners, using rigorous performance management, executive escalation, contractual leverage, and continuous improvement to materially improve results.
- Experience managing both direct and third party distribution operating models, with a strong understanding of the distinct needs of policyholders, agents, advisors, distributors, and external administrators.
- Demonstrated success designing and scaling outsourced operating models, including supplier selection, transitions, governance, risk management, service-level design, and optimization of complex vendor ecosystems.
- Executive-level experience managing relationships with the most senior leaders of critical strategic partners, with the credibility and influence to challenge performance, drive accountability, resolve significant issues quickly, and create long-term value for both organizations.
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 $195,230 to $351,410.
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.