Head of Customer Success & Retention

We are Farmers!

We are… more than just your favorite commercials.  At Farmers, we strive to deliver peace of mind to our customers by providing protection and comprehensive advice and delivering in the moments of truth. That means having people who can help us meet changing customer and business needs. Farmers high-performance culture is focused on results and the people who achieve them. We hold ourselves and others accountable for sustainably growing the business and each other. We seek solutions, own our actions, and grow through discomfort. We see setbacks as opportunities while continuously asking ourselves how we impact our customers. 

Farmers is an award winning, equal opportunity employer, committed to the strength of an inclusive workforce. We are dedicated to supporting the well-being of our people through our extensive suite of benefits, as well as the well-being of the communities we serve through employee volunteer programs and nonprofit partnerships. Helping others in their time of need isn’t just our business – it’s our culture!  To learn more about our high-performance culture and open opportunities, check out www.Farmers.com/careers/corporate and be sure to follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. 

Workplace: On-site ( #LI-Onsite ), Hybrid ( #LI-Hybrid ), Remote ( #LI-Remote )

Farmers believes in a culture of collaboration, creativity, and innovation, which thrives when we have the ability to work flexibly in a virtual setting as well as the opportunity to be together in person. Our hybrid work environment combines the best of both worlds with at least three (3) days in office and up to two (2) days virtual for employees who live within fifty (50) miles of a Farmers corporate office. Applicants beyond fifty (50) miles may still be considered.

SUMMARY:

This position directs strategic customer success and retention efforts across Farmers Insurance brands, transforming the service operation from a cost center into a key revenue-generating asset. The Head of Customer Success and Retention is a visionary leader who sets the long-term vision and drives cross-functional initiatives to retain and deepen customer relationships, increase product penetration, and deliver exceptional service in alignment with Farmers profitability and growth objectives. Achieve this success by building and scaling innovative platforms like the Customer Retention Team, Farmers Service Advantage and the Independent Agent (IA) Service Center. This role manages collaborative relationships with senior and executive leadership to align strategies with broader business objectives and near-term outcomes.

BUSINESS ACCOUNTABILTIES:

• Customer Success & Deepening: Develop the vision and execute a comprehensive strategy to drive retention, cross-selling, and up-selling within the service operations. Implement a framework that leverages customer lifetime value and deepening propensity to proactively identify opportunities to bundle products and grow and retain customer relationships.
• Farmers Service Advantage & IA Service Center:  Provide executive oversight for the rapid scaling and transformation of the Farmers Service Advantage and Independent Agent (IA) Service Center programs. Ensure these platforms deliver a cost-neutral seamless, high-touch service experience that empowers agents to focus on new business acquisition and growth.
• Revenue Generation:  Transform the customer service contact centers from a cost center to a revenue-generating operation. Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) focused on cross-sell conversion rates, policy retention, and premium growth from existing customer relationships.
• Retention Efforts: Set the strategic vision and consolidate retention operations across multiple Farmers Insurance brands.
• Staffing and Training:  Ensure the expansion of customer success staffing, training, best practices, and technology enable future value and build a global highly trained and productive workforce.
• Cross-functional Collaboration:  Act as the primary champion for the customer at the executive level, ensuring all business functions - including Marketing, Product, CX, Underwriting, and Distribution - are strategically aligned to deliver a cohesive and exceptional customer experience. Collaborate and provide thought leadership to partner teams that drive both service excellence and profitable growth.
• Organizational Leadership:  Build, develop, and lead a high-performing and scalable global organization. Foster a culture of innovation and accountability, and serve as an inspirational leader and mentor to the Customer and Agent Solutions (CAS) team. As a member of the senior leadership team, set the vision and strategic direction for customer success and retention, directly influencing company-wide technology, policy, product development, and market positioning.
• Process Improvement & Transformation:  Champion data and digital transformation initiatives within the Customer Success and Retention team, leveraging AI and other modern technologies to optimize processes, reduce costs, and enhance the customer and agent experience.
• P&L Ownership:  Own the P&L for the customer success and retention organization. Be accountable for managing multi-million dollar budgets, driving profitable growth, and delivering a significant return on investment for all service-related customer-facing initiatives.

KEY TASKS & ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Develop and Execute Customer Success & Retention Strategy: Design and lead a comprehensive strategy to increase customer lifetime value, retention, and revenue through proactive cross-sell and up-sell initiatives.
• Lead and Transform Customer Service Operations: Consolidate and optimize multi-brand customer service and retention functions, transforming contact centers into revenue-generating operations.
• Oversee Key Service Programs (Farmers Service Advantage & IA Service Center): Provide executive oversight to ensure these platforms scale effectively, remain cost-neutral, and deliver high-touch support that drives agent productivity and growth.
• Build and Lead a High-Performing Global Team: Recruit, develop, and manage a skilled global workforce, fostering a culture of innovation, customer-centricity, and accountability.
• Champion Digital Transformation and Process Optimization: Drive continuous improvement by leveraging AI and modern technologies to streamline operations, enhance the customer/agent experience, and reduce costs.
• Own P&L and Deliver Operational & Financial Results: Manage multi-million dollar budgets, track key performance metrics, and ensure strong ROI across all customer-facing service initiatives.

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Organizational Leadership & Team Development:  Build, develop, and lead a high-performing, scalable, and globally distributed team. Provide mentorship and inspirational leadership to the Customer and Agent Solutions (CAS) organization.
• Staffing, Hiring & Workforce Planning: Ensure appropriate staffing levels across service operations. Oversee strategic hiring, workforce expansion, and resource allocation to support future growth and customer needs.
• Training & Capability Building: Implement and continuously evolve training programs and best practices that enhance skill development, service quality, and operational efficiency across all levels of the team.
• Culture & Engagement: Foster a culture of innovation, customer-centricity, continuous improvement, and accountability. Promote employee engagement and high performance across a global workforce.
• Performance Management: Set clear expectations and success metrics for teams. Monitor performance and hold individuals and teams accountable for achieving business goals related to customer success, retention, and revenue.
• Leadership in Transformation: Empower the team to embrace digital transformation, AI, and data-driven decision-making. Champion change management and capability development to support the evolution of customer and agent experiences.

TRAVEL & OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

This role requires up to 25% travel to support in-person training delivery, vendor and partner engagements, team development activities, and cross-site transformation initiatives. Travel may include visits to operational centers, vendor locations, or corporate offices and will be planned in alignment with business priorities and team needs.

QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE:

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Insurance education such as CPCU or related courses preferred.
• Five+ years in contact center management.
• Minimum 2 years as a Director-level leader of leaders or equivalent
• Demonstrated experience leading contact center transformation
• Experience in insurance and operations/product experience, preferred. 

Experience: 

• Relationship Building: Strong ability to establish and maintain partnerships with vendors.
• Visionary Leadership: Ability to provide visionary leadership to drive transformation initiatives.
• Collaboration: Skilled in collaborating with senior executives to align strategies with business objectives and ensure seamless execution.
• Change Management: Expertise in leading and managing change within an organization.
• Efficiency Improvement: Ability to continuously drive efficiencies while achieving significantly better outcomes for customers and agents.
• Innovation: Strong drive for continuous improvement and innovation, positioning the contact center as a leader in AI-enabled customer service.

KNOWLEDGE:

• Insurance, Financial Services, or Banking Industry Expertise: Deep understanding of regulatory environments, customer expectations, and operational models specific to these sectors, enabling strategic alignment with industry standards and best practices.
• Contact Center and Digital Operations Leadership: Proven experience leading large-scale, omni-channel contact center and digital service operations, with a focus on optimizing customer and agent experiences through technology and process improvement.
• Enterprise Shared Services & Strategic Planning: Demonstrated success in building and scaling shared services functions, including data and analytics, program management, and workforce planning, with a strong track record of driving efficiency, consistency, and business impact across complex organizations.

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

• AI Integration: Knowledge of integrating AI solutions across contact center operations to ensure seamless implementation and adoption.
• Data Analysis: Skill in analyzing data to measure the impact of incentive and recognition programs.

Benefits

• Farmers offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience, qualifications and location.
• Bonus Opportunity (based on Company and Individual Performance)
• 401(k)
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Parental Leave
• Tuition Assistance
• For more information, review “What we offer” on https://www.farmers.com/careers/corporate/#offer

Job Location(s): R_US - United States

Anticipated application deadline: At Farmers, the recruitment process is designed to ensure that we find the best talent to join our team. As part of this process, we typically close open positions within 8 to 21 days after posting. If you are interested in any of our open positions, we encourage you to submit your application promptly.

Farmers will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in accordance with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance or other applicable law.  Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1033, Farmers is prohibited from employing any individual who has been convicted of any criminal felony involving dishonesty or a breach of trust without prior written consent from the state Department of Insurance.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Farmers is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in any employer/employee relations based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, marital status, military and veteran's status, or any other basis protected by applicable discrimination laws. 

Want to learn more about our culture & opportunities? Check out www.Farmers.com/careers/corporate and be sure to follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

Spokane, WA only:  Residents who prefer not to provide their address click here to submit your resume via email: careers@farmers.com