VP, Strategic Partnerships - Employee Benefits

Together we fight for everyone’s opportunity for a better financial future.

We will do this together — with customers, partners and colleagues. We will fight for others, not against: We will stand up for and champion everyone’s access to opportunities. The status quo is not good enough … we believe every individual and every community deserves access to financial opportunities. We are determined to support both individuals and communities in reaching a better financial future.  We know that reaching this future depends on our actions today.

Like our Purpose Statement, Voya believes in being bold and committed to action.  We are committed to a work environment where the differences that we are born with — and those we acquire throughout our lives — are understood, valued and intentionally pursued. We believe that our employees own our culture and have a responsibility to foster an environment where we all feel comfortable bringing our whole selves to work. Purposefully bringing our differences together to positively influence our culture, serve our clients and enrich our communities is essential to our vision.

Are you ready to join a company with a strong purpose and a winning culture? Start your Voyage – Apply Now

Role Summary

The Vice President (VP), Strategic Partnerships – Employee Benefits is a senior leader responsible for shaping and executing Voya’s Employee Benefits partnership and distribution strategy, with a primary focus on national and regional broker relationships and benefit technology partnerships. This role drives sustainable, profitable growth by improving ease of doing business, expanding high‑value market access, and strengthening Voya’s position with brokers, consultants and benefit technology partners.

Reporting to the President of Employee Benefits, this leader owns the strategy, governance, and performance management of Voya’s most critical partnerships across the broker channel and benefit technology ecosystem. The role integrates partnership strategy with distribution enablement, compensation governance, and technology partnerships to deliver measurable growth, disciplined investment, and long‑term value—while ensuring alignment with profitability, risk, and compliance objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Partnerships & Growth Strategy

• Define and execute the Employee Benefits enterprise partnership strategy, with an emphasized focus on national and regional broker/consultant relationships and benefit technology partnerships that improve ease of doing business and expand high-value market access.
• Provide strategic oversight and governance of external compensation programs related to Employee Benefits partnerships, ensuring disciplined spend, appropriate incentives, and alignment with profitability, risk, and compliance objectives, including negotiation strategy, budgeting assumptions, modeling, licensing, and reporting, in partnership with Compensation, Finance, Legal, and Sales leadership
• Proactively identify, prioritize, and rationalize strategic partnerships that support Voya’s long‑term growth strategy, strengthen broker confidence, and deliver differentiated value to brokers, employers and employees.
• Leverage market intelligence, broker feedback, and competitive insights to anticipate emerging trends, identify unmet needs, and inform partnership strategy and investment decisions for Employee Benefits

Broker & Distribution Leadership (Employee Benefits)

• Establish the broker and consultant distribution strategy for Employee Benefits, in collaboration with Sales leadership, including broker segmentation, identification of growth opportunities with national, regional, and emerging partners, and development of unified go‑to‑market approaches that drive profitable, sustainable growth
• Serve as the enterprise relationship owner for key national and regional broker partners, consulting firms, and benefit technology intermediaries, setting strategic direction for how Voya engages, grows, and retains these partnerships
• Define strategic market priorities, growth objectives, and broker engagement models for Voya’s strategic broker partnerships, aligning closely with Sales leadership to support new business growth and long‑term retention
• Drive consistency and best practices across broker and partner engagement, including stewardship models, planning cadence, performance standards, and cross‑functional coordination (without direct oversight of sales teams or field execution)
• Represent Voya Employee Benefits in key industry forums and partner venues (e.g., EBLF and major broker and technology partner conferences) to strengthen relationships, influence industry dialogue, and reinforce Voya’s strategic positioning

Benefit Technology Partnerships & Strategy

• Lead the strategy and execution of Employee Benefits benefit technology partnerships, including benefit administration, enrollment, placement, and quoting platforms (broker‑owned and independent), to support Voya’s enterprise and Employee Benefits goals and enable scalable distribution.
• Own the Employee Benefits benefit technology roadmap, inclusive of platform partnerships and integrations (e.g., APIs), ensuring technology priorities are aligned to broker workflows, market access, ease of administration, and long‑term growth.
• Partner with product, operations, IT to translate Employee Benefits and distribution strategy into technology‑enabled capabilities, advancing data exchange, platform effectiveness, and consistency across broker, employer, and employee experiences
• Evaluate, onboard, and govern benefit technology partners, including administration, enrollment, and placement/quoting solutions, that strengthen Voya’s competitive positioning with brokers and consultants and support sustainable scale
• Lead the Benefit Technology Partnerships team, responsible for managing day‑to‑day technology partner relationships and supporting Distribution and Strategic Partnerships in positioning Voya’s technology capabilities and integrations in the market

Cross-Functional Alignment & Execution

• Partner with product, underwriting, actuarial, finance, legal, marketing, and operations to deliver integrated solutions to the market
• Represent distribution and strategic partnerships across key functional areas to influence product design, pricing strategies, and service models
• Lead resource prioritization for strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with growth and profitability goals
• Support resolution of complex issues across distribution, including compensation, partner alignment, and service challenges

Partnership Governance & Performance Management

• Establish governance frameworks to manage partner performance, accountability, and strategic alignment
• Define and track KPIs including revenue growth, client acquisition, persistency, and partner ROI
• Deliver regular executive reporting on partnership performance and strategic impact
• Implement structured engagement models with partners, including joint planning, business reviews, and innovation roadmaps

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and develop a senior, multi‑layered Strategic Partnerships organization, including AVPs, Directors, Relationship and Program Managers, with accountability for sustained high performance.
• Build leadership bench strength and succession readiness by recruiting, coaching, and mentoring talent, supporting internal mobility and Voya’s commitment to developing future leaders
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement, empowering teams to lead complex partnerships with confidence and sound judgment.
• Influence and lead cross‑functional initiatives at all levels of the organization, modeling inclusive, people‑first leadership aligned with Voya’s values

Required Knowledge & Experience

• 10+ years of leadership experience in employee benefits, insurance distribution, or broker/consulting environments
• Deep expertise in broker partnerships, distribution strategy, and employee benefits ecosystem
• Strong understanding of Stop Loss, Group Insurance, and workplace benefits solutions
• Proven track record of building and scaling strategic partnerships and distribution models
• Experience integrating technology partnerships (benefits administration, enrollment platforms, HCM, and ERP) into go-to-market strategies
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams and complex initiatives

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or related field; MBA preferred
• Experience and/or deep-strong exposure across insurance, wealth, or investment management industries
• Strong executive presence with ability to influence senior stakeholders and external partners
• Experience operating in ambiguous, fast-evolving environments

Role Scope (Simplified)

• Growth: Broker partnerships, distribution expansion, new revenue streams
• Market Access: National brokers, consultants, technology platforms
• Execution: Employee Benefits distribution strategy
• Innovation: Benefits admin & enrollment technology ecosystem
• Leadership: Partnerships team + cross-functional influence

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Compensation Pay Disclosure:

Voya is committed to pay that’s fair and equitable, which means comparable pay for comparable roles and responsibilities.

The below annual base salary range reflects the expected hiring range(s) for this position in the location(s) listed. In addition to base salary, Voya offers incentive opportunities (i.e., annual cash incentives, sales incentives, and/or long-term incentives) based on the role to reward the achievement of annual performance objectives. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Voya Financial is willing to pay at the time of this posting.

Actual compensation offered may vary from the posted salary range based upon the candidate’s geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.

$210,510 - $263,140 USD

Be Well. Stay Well.

Voya provides the resources that can make a difference in your lives. To us, this means thriving physically, financially, socially and emotionally. Voya benefits are designed to help you do just that. That’s why we offer an array of plans, programs, tools and resources with one goal in mind: To help you and your family be well and stay well.

What We Offer

• Health, dental, vision and life insurance plans
• 401(k) Savings plan – with generous company matching contributions (up to 6%)
• Voya Retirement Plan – employer paid cash balance retirement plan (4%)
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year
• Paid time off – including 20 days paid time off, nine paid company holidays and a flexible Diversity Celebration Day.
• Paid volunteer time — 40 hours per calendar year

Learn more about Voya benefits (download PDF)

Critical Skills

At Voya, we have identified the following critical skills which are key to success in our culture:

• Customer Focused: Passionate drive to delight our customers and offer unique solutions that deliver on their expectations.
• Critical Thinking: Thoughtful process of analyzing data and problem solving data to reach a well-reasoned solution.
• Team Mentality: Partnering effectively to drive our culture and execute on our common goals.
• Business Acumen: Appreciation and understanding of the financial services industry in order to make sound business decisions.
• Learning Agility: Openness to new ways of thinking and acquiring new skills to retain a competitive advantage.

Learn more about Critical Skills

Equal Employment Opportunity

Voya Financial is an equal-opportunity employer. Voya Financial provides equal opportunity to qualified individuals regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, veteran status, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other status protected by state or local law.