Head of Implementation - Client Onboarding and Set-up

Do you want to lead a critical function that directly impacts customer satisfaction, retention, and business growth? Guardian is seeking a Head of Implementation - Client Onboarding and Set-up to lead the end-to-end implementation experience across our Select, Premier, Advisory, and Key market segments. In this role, you will be accountable for ensuring customers receive a seamless onboarding experience from notice of sale through successful setup, data exchange activation, and first premium payment. You will serve as the business process owner for implementation, driving operational excellence, service quality, customer outcomes, risk management, and continuous improvement while building and developing high-performing teams that deliver exceptional results.

You Are

A strategic and results-driven leader with a proven track record of leading implementation organizations across multiple market segments. You are a collaborative business partner who can align teams around business priorities, execute with discipline, and continue building the Implementation organization’s reputation as a trusted and valued partner across Group Benefits.

As a leader, you:

• Develop and inspire high-performing teams.
• Earn trust and confidence through transparency, accountability, and strong execution.
• Serve as the accountable business owner for the end-to-end implementation process, ensuring process performance, operating standards, service quality, customer satisfaction, and business results across all market segments.
• Foster a culture of inclusion, engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Lead effectively through changing business priorities while maintaining consistent customer and operational performance.
• Balance operational excellence with disciplined execution and strong customer outcomes.
• Demonstrate courage in decision-making and accountability for outcomes.
• Model Guardian’s values and customer-centric culture.
• Build strong partnerships and influence across a complex matrixed organization.

You Will

• Own the end-to-end implementation process across Select, Premier, Advisory, and Key market segments, providing operational leadership and accountability for onboarding, plan setup, eligibility configuration, EDI implementation, data exchange enablement, and operational readiness.
• Deliver a consistent, high-quality, and efficient onboarding experience that meets customer expectations and business objectives.
• Design and oversee implementation service models that support the needs of each market segment, balancing operational efficiency and scalability with differentiated experiences for larger and more complex customers.
• Direct implementation operations to balance customer needs, service excellence, productivity, capacity utilization, and financial performance.
• Develop and manage service, quality, productivity, expense, risk, customer experience, and financial performance metrics that support achievement of business commitments.
• Drive operational excellence through performance management, standardization, quality oversight, root-cause resolution, and continuous process improvement.
• Leverage customer feedback, service outcomes, and operational performance data to identify and implement opportunities that improve customer satisfaction, retention, and operational effectiveness.
• Collaborate with Sales, Client Management, Product, Technology, and Operations leaders to ensure implementation processes effectively support customer needs, business growth, and operational readiness.
• Partner with Technology, Product, and Transformation teams to ensure operational requirements, business priorities, and customer needs are incorporated into future-state solutions.
• Provide operational leadership and implementation expertise to support successful deployment, adoption, and ongoing support of new capabilities, tools, and processes while maintaining service commitments.
• Champion change adoption by reinforcing business purpose, aligning internal and external messaging, and removing barriers through visible leadership support.
• Lead, coach, and develop managers and team leaders while building organizational capabilities, workforce strategies, and talent pipelines that support business growth and employee development.
• Establish high standards for performance, accountability, and professional development.
• Serve as the accountable business owner for implementation policies, procedures, controls, operating standards, and governance, ensuring quality oversight, risk management, compliance, and performance management across the implementation organization.

You Have

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of leadership experience in implementation, operations, customer onboarding, or related operational functions within group benefits, insurance, financial services, or a similarly complex service environment.
• Demonstrated success leading large, multi-level operational organizations through managers and team leaders.
• Proven experience building and executing strategic plans that drive customer, operational, and financial outcomes.
• Strong operational and technical background with demonstrated analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Experience leading process improvement and operational excellence initiatives.
• Strong understanding of EDI, data exchange solutions, implementation processes, and customer onboarding practices.
• Exceptional communication and influence skills with the ability to partner effectively across matrixed organizations.
• Experience managing budgets, workforce planning, and organizational performance.
• Experience leading implementation functions supporting multiple customer segments and distribution models.
• Knowledge of group benefits administration, enrollment, eligibility, billing, and customer onboarding processes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leveraging automation, AI, workflow technologies, and digital solutions to improve customer experiences and operational efficiency.
• Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, or other continuous improvement methodology experience.
• Proven success driving customer-centric transformation while maintaining operational performance and service excellence.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations Management, Healthcare Administration, Finance, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.

Reporting Relationships

As our Head of Implementation, you will report to our Vice President, Customer Operations, who reports to our Head of Group Benefits Operations.

Location

The primary location for this position is within commuting distance of a Guardian hub location, with a preference for Bethlehem, PA, operating in a hybrid work arrangement (3 days a week in office).

Travel

Up to 20% travel may be required for this position.

Salary Range:

$110,350.00 - $181,285.00

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals.  Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits. Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [email protected]. Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment-based visas (e.g., such as an H-1B). In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future.

Notice Regarding Guardian’s Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

As part of Guardian’s job application process, Guardian may use artificial intelligence tools (“AI Tools") to automate the sorting and filtering of information provided by applicants as part of its preliminary screening. This preliminary screening may be used to help identify applicant materials and resumes relative to their indication that the applicant meets the requirements for the specific job for which they are applying, as specified in the listing posted on Guardian’s jobs website (Careers at Guardian at https://www.guardianlife.com/careers). At Guardian, we do not use AI Tools to substantially assist or replace human judgment or discretionary decision making in our hiring process. All hiring decisions will be made by Guardian colleagues.

Please be aware that if you apply for a specific position with Guardian, you will have the choice of opting out of Guardian’s use of AI Tools during the job application process. If you would like to request an alternative process that does not utilize AI Tools or would like to request a reasonable accommodation, within ten business days of your position application, you must email your request to [email protected], making sure to provide your name and job requisition identification number. Guardian will retain your applicant materials and resume and all information therefrom in accordance with Guardian’s document retention policy, a copy of which you may request via [email protected].

Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be found here. 

Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday.