Director Education
Job ID #: VALIC-DH-Director Education
Location: TX-Houston
Functional Area: Education/Training
Company Name: VALIC
Employment Type: Full Time - Regular
Education Preferred: Bachelors
Experience Required: 3-5 years
Relocation Provided: No


Position Description
Position Overview
The Director of Education is responsible for field and executive communications, instructional design methodology, and participant education programs including seminar marketing content development, maintenance and advisor support.

Organization
This position resides in Houston, Texas. It reports to the Vice President of Field Development. Peers in this group include the Associate Director of Financial Planning and the Director of Sales Training. Reporting to this position is the Instructional Design Manager and Senior Education Consultant. The span of control includes two individuals.

Performance Objectives
1. Work with the National Sales Manager (NSM) and VP of Field Development to write and develop messaging for field communication and presentations. Responsibilities include writing a weekly field message for the NSM and creating PowerPoint presentations used by the NSM at training events, district, regional and national conferences.

2. Work with the NSM to write and create other ad hoc communications and presentations as needed.

3. Oversee the design, development, and maintenance of participant education programs for VALIC’s clients. This includes seminar marketing programs on various financial management topics as well as other communication platforms that could be used by VALIC’s advisors or directly by VALIC’s group clients. The purpose of these programs is to educate employees on financial topics such as retirement planning, investment planning, cash management, risk management, tax planning, estate planning or other topical presentations as needed.

4. Support Group Relations, advisors and field management with their workplace seminar needs.

5. The Director of Education and the Instructional Design Manager are responsible for writing and creating curriculum utilized by VALIC’s training department, wholesalers and wholesalers from Western National Life. This position will partner with various subject matter experts such as the VP of Field Development, Director of Sales Training, wholesalers, top advisors and managers, or other subject matter experts to develop training presentations and materials as needed.

6. Work with executive management and internal departments to ensure consistency and timing of field messaging – Be the One, field presentations, ECHO messaging, etc.

Position Requirements
The Director of Education will be a strong writer with excellent communication skills. The ideal candidate will be able to work independently to craft messaging and presentations for executive management. The candidate should also be someone who is able to view the opportunities of participant education and field communications on a higher order – one with a direct and significant impact on the overall company strategy and profitability.

The preferred candidate will possess:
• Exceptional written communication skills and the ability to think creatively and proactively suggest and develop topics for weekly field communications as well as overarching themes and messaging for executive presentations.
• The ability to internalize business strategy and translate that strategy into an actionable participant education plan that delivers measurable results;
• Five or more years of success developing executive communications and presentations. Prior experience within the financial services industry a plus but not required assuming the candidate is able to translate their skills to a financial sales environment.
• Experience with adult learning theory and curriculum architecture.
• Excellent decision making and ability to negotiate, consult, collaborate with internal and external groups with the result being a proper prioritization of deliverables;
• Ability to utilize and expand team dynamics through effective coaching and mentoring.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong knowledge of PowerPoint and the ability to develop engaging and effective PowerPoint presentations independently.
• Bachelor’s degree.

About Us
Retirement Services serves more than five million customers with retirement savings products and services through its vast distribution network of registered representatives, independent broker-dealers, national and regional securities firms, banks and insurance agencies.

The six major businesses that comprise Retirement Services include:

Advisor Group, Inc., one of the largest independent broker-dealer networks in the United States and consists of FSC Securities Corporation, SagePoint Financial, Inc. and Royal Alliance.

SunAmerica Affordable Housing Partners, Inc. (SAAHP), one of the nation's leading investors in low-income housing tax credit transactions and the fifth largest apartment investor in the nation.

SunAmerica Asset Management Corp., a mutual fund and asset management business.

SunAmerica Retirement Markets, Inc., specializing in marketing and distributing retirement savings products through an extensive national network of registered representatives at independent broker-dealers, securities firms and banks.

VALIC, who, for more than half a century, has served as a leading plan provider for K-12 schools and school districts, as well as for higher education and healthcare institutions.

Western National Life Insurance Company, the largest issuer of fixed annuities in the United States and the leading provider of annuities sold through financial institutions.

Equal Opportunity Employer.