Back to jobs
New

Senior Director, Strategic Account Management

Topeka, KS-Hybrid

WHO WE ARE:

Zinnia is the leading technology platform for accelerating life and annuities growth. With innovative enterprise solutions and data insights, Zinnia simplifies the experience of buying, selling, and administering insurance products. All of which enables more people to protect their financial futures. Our success is driven by a commitment to three core values: be bold, team up, deliver value – and that we do. Zinnia has over $180 billion in assets under administration, serves 100+ carrier clients, 2500 distributors and partners, and over 2 million policyholders.

WHO YOU ARE:

As the Senior Director, Strategic Account Manager you are responsible for driving Zinnia’s clients and their end customers overall experience.  Success will be measured by the level of client satisfaction, strategic and tactical leadership, oversight and optimizing client support to the agreed upon strategies and plans.  The primary focus of the role will be to be a strong advocate for the client within Zinnia, and to represent a consolidated view of Zinnia within the client organization. This role will also represent a consolidated view of the client within the Zinnia organization.  This role will be central in defining new metrics and implementing in partnership with the delivery management team. The Sr. Director, Client Account manager will develop relationships with key client executives and decisions makers, be a strong business and Zinnia advisor to them, work on building their trust and confidence in order to successfully accomplish client goals while presenting a full view of Zinnia's services, products and technology for the clients to leverage.

The role requires significant oversight, planning and consultative skills; all leveraged in interfacing with some of the most senior decision makers in our client organizations.  This role is enabled by all Zinnia functions including and not limited to Business Operations and Services, Technology and Delivery Services, Finance and Zinnia executive leadership; forming a single point of client ownership and accountability. 

WHAT YOU’LL DO:  

This role will become an extended part of our client’s leadership team including responsibility for client joint governance and prioritization.

  • Ensure Zinnia business commitments and priorities are met, and any roadblock or contentions are addressed and resolved timely to the satisfaction of client. Ensure functional organizations are clear about lines of responsibility and authority
  • This role owns and is accountable for the Client within the Zinnia framework including project delivery, day to day operations, service delivery and financial management
  • The Client Partner will work closely with the Zinnia internal teams to represent and communicate frequently the end-to-end customer experience and will work with internal teams to help achieve client objectives and, at the same time, work with the client to identify what Zinnia would need to ensure that it is able to appropriately service the client’s outlined business requirements and objectives
  • Enable Zinnia offerings and capabilities by introducing client to opportunities based on holistic and comprehensive understanding of client’s needs/goals. Be the funnel and source for client input to influence Zinnia technology and servicing capabilities roadmap as well as Zinnia investments.
  • Coordinate with client on new Industry/Regulatory changes and go to market strategies
  • Design and implement the dedicated core team for client organization in partnership with vertical managers. Lead this team on a daily basis and ensure they are seen as an extension of the client team interfacing with Zinnia
  • Define and execute our account management strategy promoting a one-Zinnia mindset across the organization with assigned client accounts, seamlessly interface and gain the trust of at all levels and collaborate and lead the internal Zinnia teams through solutioning, implementation, execution and overall client satisfaction
  • Build long-term strategic partnerships focused on driving ROI for our clients and identify a clear path and execution approach to deliver an exceptional level of client experience to their customers. Ensure client satisfaction metrics are designed and implemented
  • Identify additional client pull-through business opportunities as part of account management strategy
  • Establish key client scorecard, supported by the Vertical Owners, to track internal/external key performance metrics for client accounts
  • Collaborate with the Zinnia senior management team to develop a strategic and tactical plan to ensure that we meet our financial goals at an aggregate relationship level across all the services performed for the client
  • Work with Vertical Owners to be responsive and support client requests for change, and support client needs in a timely, accurate and professional manner. This includes leading a strategic planning session with all internal constituents to ensure their understanding of how Zinnia can meet client needs.
  • Maintain professional internal and external relationships that reflect the Core Values of Zinnia, which include ARTIC (Being “Accountable”, “Responsive”, “Transparent”, “Innovative” and “Collaborative”)

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:  

  • Bachelor’s degree in in technology, business, finance, accounting or equivalent relevant work experience
  • Minimum of 12 years’ experience in relationship management, consulting, strategic advisory or other types of leadership roles, interacting with all levels within a client organization
  • Life insurance industry understanding especially Annuities preferred
  • Industry certifications a plus
  • Strong Technology-related skills / tech savvy (i.e. technical aspects of platforms and other Digital strategies)
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to synthesize, organize, analyze and present data in an understandable manner
  • Strong empathy for an understanding of clients, their businesses including the impact on their businesses (distributors and contract holders), in parallel with the ability to fold Zinnia Service and Offerings benefiting the client
  • Outstanding team player with a client relationship and a strategic partner mindset to interact effectively with technical and non-technical clients
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to clearly present ideas, points of views, updates, recommendation and results. Excellent negotiations and conflict management skills
  • Proven problem solving, critical reasoning, and influencing skills; ability to quickly grasp a range of complex business issues to develop recommendations and solutions to address these issues
  • Demonstrate excellent presentation skills to facilitate effective orientations & presentations (in person or live online delivery)
  • Demonstrate responsiveness to client escalations, excellent time management, prioritization, organizational skills
  • Demonstrate strong relationship building skills both internally and with clients, ability to work across dispersed teams in a virtual workforce
  • Diplomacy skills including the ability to broker and achieve reasonable compromise
  • Demonstrate strong goal orientation
  • Extremely organized with exceptional follow through
  • Self-starter with a high energy level, commitment to excellence, and a diligent work ethic
  • Strong ability to lead employees in a matrix environment
  • Ability to travel a minimum of 25%, depending on client situations

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?  

Zinnia offers excellent career progression and competitive compensation with the goal of retaining and growing talented team members. The salary range for this role is a good faith estimate, it is estimated based on what a successful candidate might be paid in certain Company locations. The salary range for this position is $200,000.00 to $230,000.00. All offers presented to candidates are carefully reviewed to ensure fair, equitable pay by offering competitive salaries that align with the individual’s skills, education, experience, training, and geographic location. The range may vary above or below the stated amounts. We offer great benefits, including health/dental insurance, parental leave, 401(k), incentive/bonus opportunity, tuition reimbursement, and so much more. We’re looking for the best and brightest innovators in the industry to join our team. At Zinnia, you collaborate with smart, creative professionals who are dedicated to delivering cutting-edge technologies, deeper data insights, and enhanced services to transform how insurance is done. Visit our website at www.zinnia.com for more information. Apply by completing the online application on the careers section of our website. We are an Equal Opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability.

Notice for California residents: Information about how we collect and use your personal information can be found here.

#LI-MW1

 

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Zinnia? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
How did you initially hear about this job? *

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Zinnia’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.