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Chicago, Illinois, United States
Hybrid
Location(s)
Birmingham, Alabama, CORP-Randolph-Chicago-IL, P&C-3400 N Central Expwy-Richardson-TX, P&C-N Stephanie Street-Henderson-NV, Remote-TXDetails
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 Chief Distribution & Marketing Officer and as a member of the Distribution and Marketing 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 Chief Distribution & Marketing Officer, shaping the leadership processes through which executive leaders align strategy, priorities, business performance, and enterprise decisions. The role creates organizational leverage by connecting priorities across business units and enterprise functions, anticipating risks and dependencies, improving decision quality, and ensuring leaders have the insights and alignment needed to drive business outcomes. Acting as a strategic extension of the Chief Distribution & Marketing Officer, the Chief of Staff synthesizes information, frames complex issues, anticipates and surfaces risks and opportunities, facilitates alignment, supports follow-through on executive commitments, and enables effective executive decision-making across a highly matrixed organization. The Chief Distribution & Marketing Officer and business-unit and functional leaders retain accountability for strategic choices, resource decisions, operational execution, decision rights, and business results; the Chief of Staff does not assume accountability for functional execution, project delivery, or business outcomes.
· Executive partnership and leadership effectiveness: Serve as a trusted advisor to the Chief Distribution & Marketing Officer; anticipate leadership needs, prepare executive briefings and decision materials, coordinate sensitive cross-functional matters, support follow-through on executive commitments, and 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 business-unit and enterprise-function plans into a coherent Distribution and Marketing 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. Shape and 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 functions, by connecting priorities, clarifying ambiguity and facilitating resolution, identifying dependencies, and supporting the effective flow of critical decisions and information across business units and enterprise functions.
· Performance insights and decision support: Coordinate executive scorecards and business performance reviews; synthesize financial, operational, customer, and distribution performance information; identify trends, emerging risks, opportunities, trade-offs, and strategic implications requiring leadership attention.
· Strategic portfolio visibility: Maintain 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 and Marketing priorities and leadership decisions across business units and enterprise functions; prepare executive narratives, updates, and presentations.
· Organizational effectiveness: Create organizational leverage for the Chief Distribution & Marketing Officer by strengthening leadership-team effectiveness, improving operating practices, removing systemic friction, and ensuring leadership attention remains focused on the issues most critical to business performance and growth.
· 10+ years of relevant experience partnering with senior executives and coordinating complex business priorities, with progressive experience in strategy facilitation, executive operations, distribution, marketing, or program and 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 the Board.
· 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.
· Advanced proficiency in executive presentation and analytical tools, including 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 experience, 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.
