Director Sales Operations & Enablement

Why Wellmark: We are a mutual insurance company owned by our policy holders across Iowa and South Dakota, and we’ve built our reputation on over 80 years’ worth of trust. We are not motivated by profits. We are motivated by the well-being of our friends, family, and neighbors–our members. If you’re passionate about joining an organization working hard to put its members first, to provide best-in-class service, and one that is committed to sustainability and innovation, consider applying today! 

Learn more about our unique benefit offerings here. 

Want to know more? You can learn about life at Wellmark here.

Are you a strategic leader who excels at the intersection of customer experience, business strategy, and cross-functional execution? Join Wellmark as the Director of Sales Operations & Enablement and play a key role in transforming how we engage with internal and external sales agents, and partners across our sales and distribution channels. 

In this high-impact role, you’ll work with key sales executives to define the vision and roadmap for strategic sales initiatives, bringing clarity to complex challenges, advocating for the customer, and ensuring every initiative aligns with meaningful business outcomes. You’ll lead and collaborate with cross-functional teams using Agile principles to prioritize, develop, and deliver solutions that elevate the customer journey, improve sales performance, and drive measurable growth. 

From shaping long-term strategies to guiding investment decisions, you’ll influence how we innovate and compete in an evolving market. 

We’re seeking a forward-thinking leader with a track record of defining value, navigating ambiguity, and achieving results. You bring clarity to execution, lead through influence, and turn strategic vision into tangible outcomes. 

Required:  

• Bachelor's degree or direct and applicable work experience. 
• Minimum of 7 years of demonstrated success leading complex, successful cross-functional strategic programs.  
• 5 years of demonstrated broad-based healthcare and/or sales and distribution background. 
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including building/developing high performing teams. Establishes clear goals/expectations and motivates teams to achieve success. 
• Demonstrated ability to be a highly functioning and influential leader on high-performing cross-functional teams.  
• Skilled in agile processes and principles, including documentation of features, user stories, and acceptance criteria. Familiar with principles of product development flow. 
• Demonstrated ability to communicate how their current requirements, user stories align to the business strategy. 
• Advanced process improvement skills. Demonstrated ability to manage work processes by measuring, evaluating, and improving processes to achieve organizational goals. Comfort with ambiguity; strong problem solving and analytical skills. 
• Demonstrated financial acumen. Proficient with analyzing, interpreting, and managing financial data. 
• Ability to prioritize roadmaps and the vision for responsible area of product while connecting the dots to contribute to company strategy and vision. 
• Exhibits strong consulting with, excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills. 
• Proven skills in building relationships. Strong negotiation, facilitation and influencing skills to drive decision-making among stakeholders with diverse perspectives and priorities. 
• Strong critical thinking skills. Thinks up/downstream and evaluates interdependencies. 
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex information in a condensed manner to various stakeholders verbally and in writing to achieve shared vision and goals. 
• Self-starter who works well under pressure while remaining adaptable, open to feedback, and focused during unanticipated challenges. 
• Ability to identify risks, determine root causes, and introduce and implement solutions. 
• Proficient with Microsoft Office (e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook) and other web-based applications.

Preferred: 

• Master of Business Administration (MBA). 
• Health insurance industry experience.  
• Agile and/or lean product management competencies, which includes SAFe agile certification.

a. Define (in conjunction with key Business Owners), lead, and prioritize the product vision and strategic priorities, acting as the voice of the customer, for sales and distribution channels including, roadmap development, developing and prioritizing new capabilities that delivers customer value and defines business value to align with corporate prioritization.

b. Provide strategic direction and leadership for a team that supports Wellmark divisional strategy and goals. Cascades and communicates strategy and initiatives to team members and to the organization. Responsible for leading the development of strategic initiatives through strong cross-functional collaboration and leading teams through execution, providing direction as each stage is complete to ensure highest value work continues to be prioritized and executed. Provide coaching and mentorship for the team. Guides individuals or groups to accomplish work, reach consensus or take action.

c. Oversee the review and analysis of market trends for sales and distribution channels to understand the competitive landscape and opportunities to invest that put Wellmark above the competition. This data feeds multi-year strategic initiative roadmaps that drive team prioritization.

d. Accountable for leading the team in the development of metrics that define the value of sales and distribution strategic initiatives to gain Business Owner alignment. Responsible for ensuring outcomes are achieved or pivoting as appropriate.

e. Leads, in partnership with Business Owners, development of business cases for sales and distribution strategic initiatives, including metrics defining the outcomes (ROI) and monitoring to ensure outcomes have been achieved.

f. Responsible for the financial performance of the sales and distribution strategic initiatives and continuously looking for ways to optimize and improve performance of teams and systems.

g. Collaborate and influence cross-functionally with other areas such as technology, finance, legal, compliance, marketing, client solutions etc., to ensure sales and distribution strategic priorities are clearly defined and all necessary team alignment and prioritization is in place for PI planning.

h. Utilize expertise to lead others in the development of deep understanding of internal and external sales experiences and expectations in working with Wellmark. Leverage tools like journey maps, performance data, surveys etc. to assist in setting strategic priorities that will provide value to our partners and strengthen relationships.

i. Other duties as assigned.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

The policy of Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is to recruit, hire, train and promote individuals in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law.

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