Job ID: 9306

Working Business Language : English; this role is considered a head-office role and will be required to communicate with internal stakeholders across Canada where the primary business language utilized is English

Salary: At Wawanesa, salary is only one component of a holistic, comprehensive and competitive offering that we provide to our employees. In addition to salary, full-time and part-time permanent employees are eligible for an annual bonus plan, leave of absence top-up programs and provided with generous vacation time, personal days, premium free benefits and pension plan.

The salary offered for this role is determined with consideration to various factors, including but not limited to: your work location, local labour market conditions, external market salary data, internal pay equity and the knowledge, skills, experience and anticipated proficiency in the role. The salary offered is estimated to be within the following range: $130,000- $180,000. Candidates with salary expectations outside of the range are still encouraged to apply.

About Us At Wawanesa, we’re proud to offer a hybrid work environment that offers flexibility to our employees in balancing in-office (2 days per week OR 15 hours per week in a Wawanesa office) and remote work. You may work from any of the following locations: Winnipeg, MB; Vancouver, BC; Calgary, AB; Edmonton, AB; Toronto, ON; Kitchener, ON; Ottawa, ON; Montreal, QC; Moncton, NB; Dartmouth; NS

The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company (“Wawanesa Mutual”), founded in 1896, is one of Canada’s largest mutual insurers, with over $3.5 billion in annual revenue and assets of $10 billion (CAD). Wawanesa Mutual, with its National Headquarters in Winnipeg, is the parent company of Wawanesa Life, which provides life insurance products and services throughout Canada, and Western Financial Group, which distributes personal and business insurance across Canada. Wawanesa proudly serves more than 1.7 million members in Canada, and we are home to more than 3,600 employees distributed across the Canadian regions and communities where we operate. We give back to organizations that strengthen communities, donating more than $3.5 million annually to charitable organizations, including over $2 million annually in support of people on the front lines of climate change. To learn more visit wawanesa.com.

We are currently looking for dedicated, driven, and enthusiastic individuals who thrive in an environment that welcomes change and are looking for an opportunity for diverse experience and advancement on a growing team.

Job Overview The Director, Risk & Governance - Commercial Insurance is responsible for leading and overseeing Wawanesa’s commercial-related governance programs, operational risk frameworks, prevention strategies, and quality assurance initiatives across all commercial lines of business. This role ensures robust governance structures, continuous quality improvement, and proactive risk management practices are embedded across Commercial Property & Casualty, Farm, Commercial Automobile and National Programs portfolios.

With direct accountability for risk strategy, quality assurance, training, standard work, and third-party risk partners, this leader partners closely with Underwriting, Claims, Operations, Compliance, and Enterprise Risk Management to support enterprise-wide goals toward achieving profitable growth.

Rooted in Wawanesa’s purpose. We are here to look after one another. This leader exemplifies the values of Service, Openness, Fairness, Collaboration, and Community by fostering a strong risk culture and ensuring members are protected through consistent and high-quality experiences.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead the national strategy for governance, risk oversight, and prevention programs across all lines of business within the Commercial Underwriting function.
• Oversee a multi-functional team responsible for quality assurance, operational risk management, risk inspection/prevention programs, training initiatives, and regulatory compliance support.
• Direct Wawanesa’s enterprise-wide risk prevention services, including oversight of field and virtual risk teams and vendor relationships, with a focus on loss prevention and member protection.
• Oversee quality assurance frameworks for claims operations, ensuring accurate execution of policy, compliance standards, and regulatory expectations.
• Drive governance practices including standard work documentation, best practice adoption, onboarding programs, and execution of continuous improvement strategies.
• Oversee the Risk Services Technology Platform (LC360) including vendor integrations and system connectivity with internal applications such as PolicyCenter and ClaimCenter.
• Lead the development and facilitation of risk knowledge resources, internal training content, and public education tools supporting risk prevention.
• Oversee communication strategies and the implementation of governance programs, partnering with business leaders to ensure clarity and adoption.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience in risk, governance, quality assurance, or insurance operations, with at least 5 years in a national or people leadership role.
• Strong business acumen and demonstrated success leading national governance, QA, or risk programs within insurance or financial services.
• Post-secondary education in business, insurance, risk management, or a related field; professional designation(s) such as CRM
• CIP or FCIP preferred.
• Extensive knowledge of commercial property, casualty, automobile, and farm insurance risk exposures, inspection practices, claims procedures, and operational controls.
• Experience with quality assurance frameworks, risk technology systems, and regulatory compliance processes.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence and partner at all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams, manage third-party vendors, and execute governance programs at scale.
• Personal resilience, self-awareness, and a leadership style aligned with Wawanesa’s cooperative values.
• Bilingualism in French and English is an asset.
• Willingness to travel across regions and attend on-site field visits as needed.

Wawanesa is proud to be one of Manitoba’s Top Employers, a Kincentric Best Employer in Canada and a Forbes Best Employer in Canada recognizing an exceptional place to work! Diversity Equity, Inclusion & Belonging At Wawanesa, we are committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) and believe that our strength lies in the diversity of our people – this is supported by having a representative workforce.

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, including racialized persons, women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, gender-diverse and neurodiverse individuals, and anyone who can contribute to the further diversification of thought and ideas.

We aim to ensure our recruitment process is accessible to all candidates. If you require accommodations during any stage of the recruitment process, please reach out in confidence to jobs@wawanesa.com.

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