Head of Product Strategy & Platform Innovation

The Head of Product Strategy & Platform Innovation is a senior leadership role responsible for thestrategic evolution, differentiation, and commercial success of our open‑architecture wealth management product platform. This individual wakes up every day thinking aboutwhat’s next—how product, partners, packaging, and go‑to‑market strategy come together to create acompelling, modern, and advisor‑centric platform across fee‑based advisory, annuities, and alternatives. We do not manufacture products. Our competitive advantage comes fromcuration, partnership, design, positioning, and delivery. This role exists to ensure our platform is not merely comprehensive—butdistinctive, relevant, and growth‑oriented. The role workshorizontally across the organization—marketing, sales, business development, training, product management—andexternally with asset managers, insurance carriers, TAMPs, and portfolio managers. Success requires influence without direct ownership, entrepreneurial energy, and a strong commercial mindset.

Key Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Innovation

• Own theforward‑looking product strategy across advisory, annuities, and alternatives within an open‑architecture ecosystem.

• Identifygaps, white spaces, and emerging opportunities driven by advisor needs, client behavior, regulation, and competitive dynamics.

• Design differentiatedproduct constructs, solutions, and portfolios by creatively leveraging third‑party partners rather than manufacturing products.

• Translate industry trends (e.g., retirement income, tax efficiency, private markets, managed solutions, model portfolios) into actionable platform initiatives.

Platform Differentiation & Go‑to‑Market

• Develop cleargo‑to‑market strategies for platform capabilities, including positioning, messaging, and advisor value propositions.

• Partner closely with Marketing to ensure product stories aresimple, compelling, and commercially effective.

• Work with Sales and Business Development to align product strategy withadvisor adoption, growth objectives, and field readiness.

• Drive clarity aroundwhy advisors should use specific solutions—not justwhat is available.

Partner Strategy & Ecosystem Management

• Serve as a senior point of engagement withasset managers, insurance carriers, TAMPs, and product sponsors.

• Evaluate, onboard, and rationalize partners with a focus onquality, differentiation, economics, and strategic fit.

• Co‑create solutions with partners where appropriate, includingcustom portfolios, white‑labeled offerings, or exclusive access strategies.

• Maintain a strong commercial lens on platform economics, scalability, and advisor impact.

Cross‑Functional Leadership & Influence

• Act as astrategic connector across Product Management, Sales, Marketing, Training, and Business Development.

• Provide strategic direction while leveraging existing execution teams for implementation.

• Influence priorities and outcomeswithout direct people ownership, using clarity, credibility, and collaboration.

• Partner with Training and Sales Enablement to ensure advisors understand not just products—buthow to use them in holistic planning conversations.

What Success Looks Like

• Advisors view the platform asthoughtful, differentiated, and easy to position with clients.

• Product initiatives are clearly linked toadvisor adoption, client outcomes, and revenue growth.

• Partners see the firm as astrategic collaborator, not just a distributor.

• The platform evolves proactively—not reactively—to market and advisor needs.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in wealth management, asset management, insurance, or fintech, with exposure toRIA and broker‑dealer environments.

• Deep knowledge offee‑based advisory, annuities, alternatives, and managed solutions.

• Demonstrated ability to build or evolveopen‑architecture platforms without manufacturing products.

• Strongcommercial and go‑to‑market orientation—understands how strategy translates into advisor behavior.

• Proven success workingcross‑functionally and influencing outcomes without direct authority.

• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to balancevision with practical execution.

• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and turning ideas into scalable initiatives.

Why This Role Matters

• This role ensures our product platform moves from“robust but pedestrian” tostrategically curated, commercially sharp, and advisor‑obsessed—without disrupting what already works operationally.

• It complements strong execution withvision, innovation, and market leadership.

Salary Range:

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals.  Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits atwww.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits. Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contactMyHR@glic.com. Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment-based visas (e.g., such as an H-1B). In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future.

Notice Regarding Guardian’s Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

As part of Guardian’s job application process, Guardian may use artificial intelligence tools (“AI Tools") to automate the sorting and filtering of information provided by applicants as part of its preliminary screening. This preliminary screening may be used to help identify applicant materials and resumes relative to their indication that the applicant meets the requirements for the specific job for which they are applying, as specified in the listing posted on Guardian’s jobs website (Careers at Guardian athttps://www.guardianlife.com/careers).At Guardian, we do not use AI Tools to substantially assist or replace human judgment or discretionary decision making in our hiring process. All hiring decisions will be made by Guardian colleagues.

Please be aware that if you apply for a specific position with Guardian, you will have the choice of opting out of Guardian’s use of AI Tools during the job application process. If you would like to request an alternative process that does not utilize AI Tools or would like to request a reasonable accommodation, within ten business days of your position application, you must email your request toMyHR@glic.com, making sure to provide your name and job requisition identification number. Guardian will retain your applicant materials and resume and all information therefrom in accordance with Guardian’s document retention policy, a copy of which you may request viaMyHR@glic.com.

Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be foundhere. 

Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday.