Director, Personal Lines

Director, Personal Lines - National Product Build / Monitoring Job ID: 9518 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 generous vacation time, personal days, premium free benefits and a 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- $160,000. 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. Director, Personal Lines – National Product Build / Monitoring reports to the Vice President, Personal Lines, Product Management. This role is responsible for the overall maintenance, health, and evolution of Wawanesa’s national Personal Lines product model and underwriting philosophy. Working closely with the Director, Personal Lines – National Product Design, the successful candidate will oversee the build and deployment of new product and underwriting rules and enhancements, while also optimizing the existing national Personal Lines offering and seeking timely opportunities for retiring obsolescent product/underwriting rules, based on market conditions, broker experience improvement needs, and profitable growth opportunities. This role ensures profitable growth, regulatory compliance, and the existence of competitive member‑centric products, while fostering innovation and removing friction in distribution among our broker partners. This position requires strong vision, excellence in product design and feature/benefit realization, working collaboratively with leaders across key functions to identify market opportunities, insurance product trends and prioritize initiatives that impact national financial results. Job Responsibilities Develop and implement product roadmaps, lifecycle reviews, and associated underwriting strategies aligned with Wawanesa’s national budget objectives in Personal Lines. Lead product and underwriting initiatives to optimize pricing, risk selection, and portfolio management, leveraging new product build and deployments and existing product portfolio optimization in Personal Lines as the conduit for success. Monitor the competitive landscape and regulatory changes to inform product innovation and differentiation strategy requirements for the existing product portfolio. Collaborate with the National Product Design team and execute aligned leadership on new product curation and market/distribution expansion opportunities. Oversee day‑to‑day underwriting rule(s) and product/rate change philosophies, including product features, pricing change execution support, underwriting rule(s) & supporting guideline updates, and supporting Underwriting Excellence workflow/quality assurance protocols. Foster a culture of innovation, curiosity, member‑centricity concurrent with accountability, continuous improvement and product profitability reviews. Partner with stakeholders to enhance underwriting automation & use of digital asset tools. Leverage Data/Business Intelligence teams and tools along with Advanced Analytics insights to improve risk assessment and decision‑making protocols within the product and underwriting domains of Personal Lines. Drive adoption of modern product and underwriting platforms and member‑centric solutions. Establish member product density strategies and Personal Lines accumulation management philosophies and practices to diversify and mitigate concentration risk. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in business, insurance, or a related field. MBA or relevant professional designation (i.e. FCIP, CIP) considered an asset. Minimum 8 years of progressive leadership experience in the Canadian P&C insurance industry, with experience in product management/design, underwriting strategy, technology build support, and portfolio oversight. Proven success leading initiatives and driving cross‑functional collaboration within a matrixed organization. Strong technical expertise in pricing, product, underwriting, and actuarial practices, with exceptional quantitative and analytical skills. Demonstrated financial acumen with experience in supporting P&L management through product proliferation. Critical thinker who leverages data and scenario analysis to inform decision‑making; decisive and accountable with the ability to prioritize effectively. Persuasive and influential leader, able to motivate others and drive success without relying solely on direct reporting relationships. A brand champion with a proven ability to launch new offerings and reimagine existing ones to drive market relevance and impact. Deep understanding of the Canadian personal insurance markets, regulatory environments, emerging risks, and evolving member needs. Strong alignment with Wawanesa’s mutual values of integrity, service, innovation, and a commitment to looking after one another. Bilingualism in English and French is considered an asset. 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. 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 #J-18808-Ljbffr