Analyst, Application Development – Product & Inforce Systems at National Life Insurance Company in Addison, TX; Montpelier, VT

Job description

• The Analyst, Application Development - Product & Inforce Systems provides business and technical expertise across National Life Group's Life & Annuity Product & Inforce application environment. This role applies specialized knowledge of insurance products, business processes, system logic, and application dependencies to analyze complex needs, assess impacts, and support effective technology solutions across product, inforce, illustration, policy administration, and related platforms.
• The Analyst independently manages assigned analysis and delivery activities, evaluates complex circumstances, recommends practical solution approaches, and partners across business, IT, architecture, quality engineering, infrastructure, security, and vendor teams. The role serves as a knowledgeable resource for assigned applications and processes, strengthens documentation and operational knowledge, and provides guidance to stakeholders on system impacts, delivery risks, and implementation considerations.
• The ideal candidate brings established Life & Annuity or insurance technology experience, strong analytical and problem-solving skills, sound judgment, and the ability to work effectively with limited information. The successful candidate is comfortable navigating complex systems, adapting existing approaches to new challenges, and building productive relationships with technical and business partners.
• This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you will be in the office four (4) days per week during onsite core days. Our current onsite core days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The work schedule type and core days are subject to change with advance notification and manager discretion.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain comprehensive working knowledge of assigned Life & Annuity product, inforce, illustration, policy administration, and related application environments.
• Independently analyze business and technology needs and translate them into clear requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, process flows, test scenarios, and implementation plans.
• Perform impact analysis for product changes, inforce enhancements, platform upgrades, regulatory requirements, integrations, production issues, and modernization initiatives.
• Evaluate complex system and process issues, identify root causes and dependencies, and recommend effective solution approaches using available business and technical information.
• Apply sound judgment to determine appropriate actions and exceptions within established policies, procedures, architectural standards, and delivery practices.
• Own assigned analysis and delivery activities from initial discovery through testing, implementation, release readiness, and post-production support.
• Advise business and technology stakeholders on application capabilities, system impacts, dependencies, risks, testing considerations, and implementation options.
• Coordinate activities across internal teams and vendor partners, proactively managing dependencies, open questions, risks, testing needs, and delivery commitments.
• Partner with Product & Inforce leaders, product owners, architects, developers, quality engineering, infrastructure, security, vendors, and business stakeholders to resolve complex delivery and production issues.
• Create and maintain process documentation, system documentation, runbooks, decision records, and knowledge-transfer materials that strengthen organizational understanding of Product & Inforce systems.
• Provide guidance and knowledge sharing to colleagues on assigned applications, business processes, system dependencies, and established delivery practices.
• Identify and recommend improvements to application processes, documentation, delivery methods, controls, and team efficiency, including responsible use of approved AI tools where appropriate.
• Communicate recommendations, issues, risks, and decisions clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, including senior internal and external partners.
• All other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Business, Finance, or a related field and 5 or more years of related experience; advanced degree and 2 or more years of related experience; or 9 or more years of total equivalent relevant work experience.
• Demonstrated experience in Life & Annuity insurance, financial services technology, actuarial systems, illustration systems, product systems, policy administration, business systems analysis, product implementation, or related technology delivery.
• Working knowledge of Life & Annuity products and one or more related domains such as inforce processing, illustrations, policy administration, actuarial systems, product configuration, commissions, or distribution systems.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex business processes, system logic, data flows, calculations, rules, integrations, dependencies, and downstream impacts.
• Experience independently developing requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, process documentation, test scenarios, implementation plans, or production-support analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate complex issues, work effectively with incomplete information, identify alternatives, and recommend practical solutions.
• Experience coordinating work across business stakeholders, application teams, vendors, architecture, infrastructure, security, and quality engineering.
• Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving, written and verbal communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to independently manage assigned deliverables while escalating significant risks, exceptions, and decisions appropriately.
• Must have lawful authorization to work in the United States without current or future visa sponsorship.
• Experience with Agile technology delivery and software development lifecycle practices.
• Working knowledge of SQL, APIs, batch processing, COBOL, JCL, DB2, mainframe environments, integrations, or insurance policy administration technologies.
• Vantage, wmA, FAST, ALIP, CyberLife, LifePro, LifeSys, LifeCAD, Product Wizard, illustration systems, actuarial systems, or comparable Life & Annuity platforms.
• Experience supporting product launches, inforce initiatives, regulatory changes, platform upgrades, modernization efforts, or complex production issues within a Life & Annuity environment.
• Experience advising business and technical stakeholders on application impacts, dependencies, solution alternatives, or implementation considerations.
• LOMA, FLMI, actuarial coursework, insurance product training, or related industry certification.

Skills

Required

• Business systems analysis
• Impact analysis
• Problem-solving
• Analytical thinking
• Stakeholder management
• Communication (written and verbal)
• Coordination across teams and vendors

Preferred

• Agile technology delivery
• Software development lifecycle practices
• SQL
• APIs
• Batch processing
• COBOL
• JCL
• DB2

Benefits

• Your benefits start day one and are flexible and customizable to your and your family’s specific needs. Check out the BENEFITS of a Career at National Life!
• Base Pay Range. The base pay range for this position is the range National Life reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for the position taking into account the wide variety of factors, including: prior experience and job-related knowledge; education, training and certificates; current business needs; and market factors. The final salary or hourly wages offered may be outside of this range based on other reasons and individual circumstances.
• Additional Compensation and Benefits. The total compensation package for this position may also include a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered. The successful candidate may also be eligible to participate in National Life’s discretionary annual incentive programs, subject to the rules governing such programs. If hired, the employee will be in an "at-will position" and National Life reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.
• National Life is accepting applications for this role on an ongoing basis and the role remains open until filled.
• $90,000 - $132,000 USD