Job Details

About the role

We are looking for an Executive Director Sales Technology and Partner Relations.

Operationalizes the carrier's established benefits administration and Human Capital Management (HCM) partner ecosystem and formalizes relationships with approved benefits technology partners. Defines and implements clear engagement and operational guardrails, and ensure consistent, effective use of these partnerships across the sales organization. Serves as the connective tissue between benefits technology partners, internal stakeholders, and the field, ensuring partnerships are leveraged in a compliant, scalable, and revenue‑generating manner while protecting the carrier's operational and brand standards.

Key Accountabilities

Partner Relationship Establishment & Activation

• Establish working and executive level relationships with the carrier's approved benefits administration and HCM technology partners.
• Translate the defined partner ecosystem into clear, actionable relationship models.
• Serve as the primary day to day owner of partner relationships, including cadence, communication, and escalation management.
• Ensure partner alignment with the carrier's distribution strategy, target markets, and value proposition.

Guardrails, Governance & Operating Model

• Define and implement clear guardrails for engaging benefits administration and HCM partners, including:
• Approved engagement models and referral motions
• Sales involvement expectations and ownership boundaries
• Data sharing, integration, and implementation roles in partnership with IT
• Compliance, regulatory, and privacy requirements in partnership with Compliance, Legal, and IT
• Brand usage, co selling, and co-marketing standards in partnership with Marketing
• Establish processes for exception handling, partner escalations, and ongoing relationship review.

Sales Enablement, Education & Coaching

• Educate sales leadership and reps on how to appropriately and effectively leverage approved ben admin and HCM partners.
• Develop enablement materials such as:
• Partner overviews and positioning guides
• Ideal client profiles and qualification criteria
• Engagement playbooks and sales workflows
• FAQs and compliance friendly talking points
• Provide direct coaching to sales teams on live opportunities involving benefit technology partners.
• Act as a trusted advisor to sales leaders on technology enabled growth strategies.
• Establish and maintain clarity around cross‑functional roles, responsibilities, and engagement protocols for sales teams and partners.

Cross Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Product, Underwriting, Operations, and Technology teams to align partner engagement with operational readiness and client experience.
• Communicate field and partner feedback to inform future ecosystem refinement and prioritization.
• Represent Trustmark with technology partners in joint planning sessions, advisory councils, and industry forums.

Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Define and track metrics related to partner engagement effectiveness (e.g., opportunity influence, adoption, issue trends).
• Identify gaps in understanding, execution, or governance and proactively address them.
• Continuously refine guardrails, enablement, and engagement models based on real world usage.

Other duties as assigned

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelors Degree and 8-10 years of progressive experience in experience in insurance, employee benefits, HR technology, or related fields OR High School Diploma/GED and 15+ years of progressive experience.
• Deep familiarity with benefits administration platforms and/or HCM systems.
• Experience managing or operationalizing external partnerships.
• Strong understanding of insurance sales and distribution models.
• Proven ability to create structure, clarity, and governance in complex environments.
• Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred

• Experience within an insurance carrier or large brokerage.
• Background in sales enablement, practice leadership, or partner programs.
• Experience supporting a field based or distributed sales organization.

Brand: Trustmark

Compensation

The compensation range for this role is (based on the corporate location in Lake Forest, Illinois):

$136,933 - $204,463 per year

The final salary offer will be determined based on factors such as location, qualifications, experience, skill set, and other relevant factors. This position may also be eligible for bonus. We understand that compensation is an important factor when considering a new opportunity, and we strive to provide a competitive salary within the market.

Benefits

In addition to compensation, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes: Health/dental/vision, life insurance, FSA and HSA, 401(k) plan, Employee Assistant Program, Back-up Care for Children, Adults and Elders and many health and wellness initiatives. We also offer a Wellness program that enables employees to participate in health initiatives to reduce their insurance premiums. For questions about compensation and benefits, please speak to the Recruiter if you decide to apply and are selected for an interview.

Equal Opportunity

Trustmark is committed to leveraging the talent of a diverse workforce to create great opportunities for our people and our business. We are an equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veteran status.