Agency Operations Manager

Job Description

The Agency Operations Manager is the primary person responsible for accountability at Daiju Yoshino Insurance Agency. Reporting directly to the Owner, this leader guides every manager and team member toward their goals and keeps the agency running smoothly day to day.

This role leads through people, not a personal book of business. You will set clear expectations, coach and develop managers, own hiring and onboarding, and oversee the HR, financial, administrative, and technology functions that support the team. You will also drive new ideas and systems that improve how the agency works. We are looking for someone who leads by example. You understand that modeling the behavior you expect is the surest way to earn alignment and buy-in.

Benefits

• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Health Insurance
• Retirement Plan

Responsibilities

Leadership and Accountability

Serve as the agency's primary point of accountability, leading all managers and team members to achieve their individual, team, and agency goals.

Ensure the agency meets the KPIs set by Farmers and keeps its Prime status.

Set clear goals and performance expectations with each direct report, and track progress through regular one-on-ones, team meetings, and agreed metrics.

Model the behaviors, work ethic, and standards expected of the team to build alignment and buy-in.

Communicate effectively with on-site and remote team members through in-person conversations, phone calls, virtual meetings, text messages, and email.

Partner with the Owner on agency priorities and report regularly on team performance, operations, and results.

Performance Management and Employee Relations

Own employee performance management, monitoring performance, time management, and errors.

Coach team members proactively and address issues early, consistently, and with empathy.

Issue verbal warnings, written notices, and formal write-ups when appropriate, and keep accurate documentation.

Recruiting, Hiring, Onboarding, and Training

Manage the hiring process for new team members, including reviewing candidate applications, screening, interviewing, and making hiring recommendations to the Owner.

Lead onboarding so every new hire is fully set up and can begin work immediately.

Oversee the setup of new employee work accounts and equipment, including email, time clock, file storage, Adobe, phones, and printers.

Ensure all required training is assigned, completed, and documented, for both new hires and existing team members.

HR, Payroll, and Commission Oversight

Oversee timecard management, ensuring time correction sheets and time-off requests are submitted and time entries for hourly employees are adjusted accurately.

Oversee payroll processing, including timecard collection, confirmation of available funds, and transfers between accounts when needed.

Oversee month-end commission calculations, including gathering outside carrier commission statements, sharing them with agents, and completing the commission sales and payroll sheets.

Ensure carrier commission statements are saved and organized in the agency's file system.

Financial and Administrative Oversight

Oversee banking activity across the agency's First Citizens Bank and Farmers Credit Union accounts, ensuring proper cash flow for operations and payroll.

Oversee QuickBooks bookkeeping and record cleanup, and resolve issues with QuickBooks support as needed.

Oversee invoice management, including sorting invoices for all lines and recording them accurately.

Oversee agency bill payments, ensuring payments are applied to the correct carrier and that account balances are checked first to prevent overdrafts.

Oversee ACA payment tracking, completion of bank deposit sheets, and timely bank deposits.

Manage system subscriptions and payment methods for all agency software and services.

Carrier and Vendor Relationships

Own new carrier setup, completing all onboarding paperwork and submitting company documentation to activate new carrier appointments.

Own new vendor setup, coordinating with new service vendors, completing setup, and training employees on their use.

Agency Systems and Process Improvement

Develop and implement new ideas, systems, and workflows that improve the agency's efficiency and service.

Keep the agency's Google Drive and Egnyte file systems organized, with clearly labeled folders and numbering that agents can navigate easily.

Maintain functional Cognito forms and ensure all questionnaires work properly.

Develop and maintain manuals and scripts, including personal lines procedures, email templates, discount explanations, and FFR protocols.

Manage AgencyZoom, including adding carriers, tags, and insurance types, building new pipelines, managing the service pipeline, and training employees on implementation.

Oversee admin portals for Outlook and other agency systems, keeping all programs running smoothly and contacting vendors when issues arise.

Office and IT Oversight

Oversee phone system setup and troubleshooting for team members.

Oversee printer installation and maintenance.

Oversee general computer and software support, including Adobe, email, and file storage issues.

Oversee general office maintenance, including plumbing, internet outages, and equipment failures, coordinating with vendors to resolve problems.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

High school diploma, at minimum.

At least 3 years of experience leading people.

Experience managing a team of at least 4 direct reports.

An active California insurance license, or willingness to obtain one within 30 days of hire.

Proficiency with Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Meet).

Proficiency with QuickBooks.

Comfort communicating through every channel the team uses: in-person conversations, phone calls, virtual meetings, text messages, and email.

Ability to work in person, on site, while leading a mix of on-site and remote team members.

Preferred Qualifications

Familiarity with AgencyZoom.

Experience in an insurance agency or similar office environment.

Who You Are

Collaborative. You build strong working relationships across sales, service, financial services, and support teams, and you bring people together to solve problems.

Detail-oriented. You catch errors before they become problems, whether in payroll, commissions, bank balances, or system setup.

Empathetic. You understand what motivates each person on your team and hold them accountable with fairness and respect.

A leader by example. You model the behavior you expect, knowing that is how you earn alignment and buy-in.

A clear communicator. You adapt your style to the person and the channel, and you keep remote and on-site team members equally informed and engaged.

A continuous improver. You look for better ways to work and follow through on putting them in place.