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Lisa Stephanites

@lisastephanites

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Senior fixed annuity operations manager who leads teams to improve compliance, accuracy, and turnaround time.

United States

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead insurance operations where I can drive compliance and accuracy, improve turnaround time and data quality with KPI tracking, and mentor teams through process improvement and clear escalation paths.

I’m a Results-driven Operations Manager with 20+ years of progressive experience at Allianz Life Insurance of North America, specializing in Fixed Annuity Operations. I lead and develop high-performing teams, optimizing fixed annuity processing workflows while driving compliance and accuracy across complex insurance operations.

In my current role, I coach a team of 15 employees and focus on measurable operational improvement—tracking and reducing NIGO (Not In Good Order) applications by identifying recurring errors and streamlining data collection. I serve as an escalation point for agents, financial advisors, and FMOs on complex or time-sensitive cases, and I establish, monitor, and report on KPIs including turnaround time, data accuracy, and daily production volumes.

Before this, I served as a Senior Account Service Representative, acted as a team lead and subject matter expert, and supported new hire training and system onboarding. Earlier experience includes managing direct suitability review functions under regulatory supervision, and building operational readiness through systems like RoboHelp for knowledge management and procedure resources, with strong accountability for Market Conduct Exam support and year-end 1099 reporting.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Senior Fixed Annuity Operations Manager

Allianz Life Insurance of North America

Jan 2024 - Jan 2026 (2 years)

Led and coached a 15-person fixed annuity operations team while tracking KPIs for turnaround time, data accuracy, and daily production volumes. Reduced NIGO (Not In Good Order) applications by identifying recurring errors, serving as escalation support, and partnering with project teams to implement accurate new processes under regulatory requirements.

Team Leadership KPI’S NIGO Reduction Process Improvement Regulatory Compliance Escalation Management Data Quality Management

Senior Account Service Representative

Allianz Life Insurance of North America

Jan 2019 - Jan 2024 (5 years)

Served as team lead, mentor, and subject matter expert for department operations, reviewing and processing complex fixed annuity paperwork including Power of Attorney, Plan Paperwork, Trust cases, and Employee Purchase policies. Delivered new-hire training and supported onboarding/system testing while maintaining workload grids and coordinating cross-departmental step-ins to improve service delive

Team Leadership Fixed Annuity Paperwork Review Onboarding Compliance Documentation

Suitability Reviewer

Allianz Life Insurance of North America

Jan 2017 - Jan 2019 (2 years)

Managed implementation of direct suitability review functions under regulatory supervision, ensuring recommendations aligned with client needs and objectives. Partnered with marketers and producers and supported the compliance team by helping maintain appropriate policies and procedures.

Suitability Review Regulatory Compliance Product Recommendation Alignment

Operations Specialist

Allianz Life Insurance of North America

Jan 2002 - Jan 2017 (15 years)

Maintained department knowledge base and procedure resources using RoboHelp while serving as Market Conduct Exam contact for complex case reviews. Supported agent and FMOs with transfer requests and new business requirements, participated in an Experience Quality peer transfer review rotation, and handled year-end 1099 reporting.

Knowledge Base Management 1099