Chief Risk Officer

Come join one of America’s fastest-growing insurance companies. Since 1848, National Life Group has aimed to keep our promises, providing families with stability in good times and in bad. Throughout that history, we have provided peace of mind to those families as they plan their futures.

Our mission extends beyond the insurance and annuities policies that we offer. We strive to make the world a better place through our grants from our charitable foundation, paid volunteer time for our employees, environmentally sustainable and healthy workplaces, and events that promote the work of nonprofits in our own backyard.

We foster a collaborative environment with opportunities for growth and encourage our associates to live our values: Do good. Be good. Make good.

Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship for this position.

Role Summary

The Chief Risk Officer (CRO) is the enterprise-wide executive responsible for leading National Life Group's risk management strategy, governance framework, and independent risk oversight. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this role establishes the company's risk appetite, ensures effective enterprise risk management practices, and serves as the primary risk advisor to executive leadership and the Board of Directors.

The CRO partners across the enterprise to integrate risk-informed decision making into strategic planning, capital management, product development, investments, operations, and corporate initiatives. The role provides leadership for the enterprise risk organization, promotes a strong culture of governance and accountability, and ensures the organization effectively anticipates and responds to emerging risks.

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.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Risk Leadership & Enterprise Oversight

• Own the company’s risk appetite and limit structure — setting, continuously refining, and holding accountability for its alignment with strategic objectives and the evolving regulatory and business environment.

• Own and oversee the delivery of National Life Group’s annual Own Risk and Solvency Assessment (ORSA), including executive sign-off.

• Serve as the accountable risk advisor to the COO, CEO, Executive Leadership Team, and the Board on the actions and strategies required to manage the company’s material risk exposures.

• Monitor and evaluate key risk indicators, industry trends, emerging risks, and regulatory and accounting developments; direct timely, strategic responses.

• Act as the company’s accountable risk officer in communications with rating agencies and regulators on risk and solvency topics.

Governance, Assurance & Controls

• Provide objective, independent perspective on the effectiveness of governance, risk management, and internal control processes across the enterprise.

• Partner closely with Internal Audit, Compliance, Legal, and Security to align risk oversight, avoid duplication, and ensure timely remediation of control deficiencies.

• Evaluate risks and controls in the development and expansion of key business functions, offering proactive advice and mitigation strategies.

• Support investigations of alleged fraud or misconduct as appropriate, coordinating with Legal, HR, Compliance, and Internal Audit.

• Champion a strong culture of ethics, transparency, and accountability across the risk function and the broader organization.

Committee Leadership & Board Reporting

• Chair the enterprise risk committee and provide executive leadership across the Investment Risk, Product Risk, Operational Risk, and Model Governance Committees.

• Serve as the primary risk voice to the Executive Leadership Team and the Board, owning the reporting on the company’s risk profile, emerging risks, control matters, and solvency.

• Communicate significant risk exposures in a clear, business-focused manner — translating technical and actuarial concepts for executive and Board-level audiences — to enable informed governance decisions.

Enterprise Collaboration & Strategic Advisory

• Provide risk and broader business perspective into strategic decisions such as target setting, product-mix strategy, new ventures, divestitures, acquisitions, joint ventures, and reinsurance proposals.

• Serve as an executive-level advisor on strategic initiatives, major transactions, process redesigns, and significant system implementations.

• Partner regularly with the Capital Development team on new transactions.

• Work effectively and influence across organizational boundaries by building strong relationships with leaders in the business and functional units.

Modeling, Analytics & AI-Enabled Insight

• Support and strengthen modeling capabilities, including model risk management, model validation, and model governance.

• Advance the development and use of analytics throughout the organization; partner closely with the Head of IT to source, organize, and communicate actionable analytics to business stakeholders.

• Champion the responsible use of data analytics, AI, and continuous-monitoring tools to enhance the efficiency, insight, and forward-looking capability of the risk function.

Leadership, Talent & Organizational Development

• Own the structure, capability, and performance of the enterprise risk organization; recruit, develop, and retain the highest-quality risk talent and promote external involvement in industry and professional organizations.

• Build, lead, and retain a high-performing, diverse team with the skills, certifications, and mindset required for a future-ready risk function. &lt