AVP, Strategy and Executive Operations (Chief of Staff

Location(s)

Birmingham, Alabama, CORP-Randolph-Chicago-IL, P&C-3400 N Central Expwy-Richardson-TX, P&C-N Stephanie Street-Henderson-NV, Remote-TX

Details

Kemper is one of the nation’s leading specialized insurers. Our success is a direct reflection of the talented and diverse people who make a positive difference in the lives of our customers every day. We believe a high-performing culture, valuable opportunities for personal development and professional challenge, and a healthy work-life balance can be highly motivating and productive. Kemper’s products and services are making a real difference to our customers, who have unique and evolving needs. By joining our team, you are helping to provide an experience to our stakeholders that delivers on our promises.

The AVP, Strategy & Executive Operations serves as Chief of Staff and trusted advisor to the Head of Distribution and as a member of the Distribution Executive Leadership Team. The role enhances executive effectiveness, facilitates strategic planning, coordinates cross-functional priorities, and manages the leadership operating cadence across Exclusive Agency, Personal Auto, Commercial Auto, Lead Generation, Direct to Consumer, Marketing, and Distribution Enablement.

The Chief of Staff serves as a strategic advisor and force multiplier to the Head of Distribution, shaping the leadership processes through which executive leaders align on strategy, priorities, business performance, and enterprise decisions. The role creates organizational leverage by connecting priorities across functions, anticipating risks and dependencies, improving decision quality, and ensuring leaders have the insights and alignment needed to drive business outcomes. The Head of Distribution and functional executives retain accountability for strategic choices, resource decisions, operational execution, and business results. Acting as a strategic extension of the Head of Distribution, this role synthesizes information, frames complex issues anticipates and surfaces risks and opportunities, facilitates alignment, and ensures executive commitments receive appropriate follow-through and enables effective executive decision-making across a highly matrixed organization.

The Chief of Staff does not assume accountability for business results, functional execution, project delivery, or organizational decision rights. Functional leaders remain accountable for strategy execution and outcomes. The Chief of Staff creates value through strategic insight, organizational alignment, executive decision support, and proactive identification of risks and opportunities.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

Executive partnership and leadership effectiveness: Serve as a trusted advisor to the Head of Distribution; anticipate leadership needs, prepare executive briefings and decision materials, coordinate sensitive cross-functional matters, and facilitate follow-through on executive commitments and help focus leadership attention on the highest value opportunities, risks, and decisions.

Strategic planning process: Design and facilitate the annual and ongoing strategic planning process. Coordinate inputs from executive leaders, structure planning discussions, document strategic choices, and integrate functional plans into a coherent Distribution agenda while leaders retain ownership of strategy and execution.

Executive governance and operating cadence: Establish and manage leadership meetings, business reviews, planning forums, agendas, decision logs, escalation paths, and accountability tracking that enable organizational alignment, transparency, and effective execution. Coordinate executive committee, CEO, and Board materials as requested.

Cross-functional alignment: Facilitate coordination across Exclusive Agency, Personal Auto, Commercial Auto, Lead Generation, Direct to Consumer, Marketing, and Distribution Enablement, as well as Finance, Product, Underwriting, Claims, Operations, Technology, and other enterprise partners by connecting priorities, resolving ambiguity, identifying dependencies, and ensuring critical decisions and information flow effectively across organizational boundaries.

Performance insights and decision support: Coordinate executive scorecards and business performance reviews; synthesize financial, operational, customer, and distribution information; identify trends, emerging risks, opportunities, trade-offs, and strategic implications requiring leadership attention.

Strategic portfolio visibility: Maintains an integrated view of major initiatives, strategic priorities, critical dependencies, organizational friction points, and emerging risks. Proactively identify potential collisions, surface issues early, and facilitate executive dialogue to enable timely decisions and course correction.

Executive communication: Support consistent communication of Distribution priorities and leadership decisions across functions and enterprise stakeholders; prepare executive narratives, updates, and presentations.

Organizational effectiveness: Creates organizational leverage for the Head of Distribution by connecting priorities, aligning stakeholders, reducing complexity, accelerating decision-making, and ensuring leadership attention remains focused on the issues most critical to business performance and growth.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant experience supporting senior executives and complex business priorities, with progressive experience in strategy facilitation, executive operations, distribution, marketing, or program/portfolio governance.
• Experience influencing multidisciplinary teams and senior leaders in a matrixed organization; direct line authority over functional execution is not required.
• Demonstrated ability to connect business performance, financial outcomes, customer insights, and market dynamics into actionable executive recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop executive-level briefings and materials for senior management, executive committees, and Boards.
• Strong business and financial acumen, analytical judgment, discretion, emotional intelligence, and ability to synthesize complex information into actionable decisions.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, relationship-building, and organizational skills; experience in insurance, financial services, or another multichannel consumer business preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience; proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

The range for this position is $152,000 to $253,500. When determining candidate offers, we consider expereince, skills, education, certifications, and geographic location among other factors. This job is eligible for an annual discretionary bonus and Kemper benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO, 401K, etc.)

Kemper is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, disability status or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We are committed to supporting diversity and equality across our organization and we work diligently to maintain a workplace free from discrimination.  

Kemper does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Kemper and Kemper will not be obligated to pay a placement fee. 

Kemper will never request personal information, such as your social security number or banking information, via text or email. Additionally, Kemper does not use external messaging applications like WireApp or Skype to communicate with candidates. If you receive such a message, delete it.

Originally posted on Himalayas