Director, Individual Life Distribution

Job ID: 9199

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: $150,000 - $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

Reporting to the Vice President, Sales & Distribution, The Director, Individual Life Distribution contributes to Wawanesa’s success by directing, planning, and implementing sales strategies and initiatives that develop and maintain products, support underwriting policies and rates in the individual area.  The Director will proactively search for areas of opportunity to drive profitable growth through programs and portfolios across distribution channels.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead all business development related activities for Individual Life in support of the distribution of our products and services to expand the business and achieve the company’s strategic growth objectives.
• Establish business targets and promote the vision around them.
• Prospect for new distribution partnerships, develop and strengthen current relationships through ongoing contact and support.
• Collaborate with the underwriting and product teams to advance corporate strategies and achieve new business, profitability and persistency targets to improve financial performance.
• Promote and lead research and development initiatives as required to provide innovative and competitive products to meet our customer needs for specialty lines.
• Responsible for building sales strategies that maximize upsell/cross sell 
• Lead the development and framework of the underwriting strategy for Wawanesa Life to be successful in program and portfolio business unique in nature. 
• Monitor performance trends of the portfolio, creating action plans to influence long term profitable growth results. 
• Contribute to and support the development and evolution of Wawanesa's policies and practices.
• Champion initiatives and be receptive to both employee resistance and acceptance, so that genuine understanding and commitment can occur.
• Work collaboratively with internal and external departments and partners to provide our customers with a dynamic service experience
• Evaluate and analyze complex business proposals utilizing expertise with the ability to confidently recommend a decision to proceed.
• Apply technical assessment and judgment to arrive at solutions for issues as they arise across the individual life business.     
• Stay abreast of industry, regulatory and company changes or trends as they relate to the insurance industry.
• Build, lead and develop a high-performing team to support and maintain Wawanesa’s distribution channel sales responsibilities.
• Oversee and coach a team to ensure the work environment is respectful, challenging and rewarding and employees are maximized to their full potential while contributing to the achievement of Wawanesa's goals.
• Develop and enhance productive business relationships by liaising with internal and external stakeholders.
• Lead the development and maintenance of individual lines underwriting guidelines and procedures.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
  
  

Qualifications

• Fifteen years Life insurance experience is required; 10 years in a leadership role.
• Prior experience developing and managing national and regional plans and teams
• Demonstrated ability to execute and deliver targeted top line revenue growth.
• Undergraduate level degree and/or successful completion of FCIP.
• Excellent planning and organizing skills involving goal setting and results measurement, with the ability to develop effective plans that define activities, resources and timelines.
• Excellent presentation skills with the ability to effectively facilitate sessions and deliver powerful presentations.
• Excellent leadership skills with the ability to influence and gain respect, credibility and confidence from others.
• Ability to make excellent and well justified decisions in complex and high-pressure situations.
• Strong negotiation skills with the ability to present information or arguments in a convincing manner.
• Ability to develop and implement comprehensive plans and solutions that bridge complex issues that span across time.
• Strong business acumen with excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to recognize and identify critical issues.
• Ability and willingness to travel.
  
  

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 [email protected].

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