Director, National Casualty Claims - Operations

Job ID: 10245

Employment Type: New Role

Work Environment: We 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; Wawanesa, MB; Vancouver, BC; Calgary, AB; Edmonton, AB; Lethbridge, AB; Toronto (North York), ON; Kitchener, ON; Ottawa, ON; Montreal, QC; Quebec City, QC, Moncton, NB; Dartmouth; NS.

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 - $170,000. Candidates with salary expectations outside of the range are still encouraged to apply.

About The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company

Founded in 1896, The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company is one of Canada’s largest mutual insurers, 100% owned by its members, with more than $4.1 billion in annual revenue and $12.5 billion in assets. Headquartered in Winnipeg, Wawanesa is the parent company of Wawanesa Life, which provides life insurance solutions throughout Canada, and Western Financial Group, a leading national distributor of personal and business insurance. In March of 2026, Wawanesa entered into an agreement to acquire Everest Insurance Company of Canada to strengthen its commercial insurance capabilities and advance its long‑term growth strategy.

Wawanesa proudly serves more than 1.8 million members and we are home to more than 3,000 employees across Canada. The company actively gives back to organizations that strengthen communities, donating more than $4 million annually to charitable organizations, including more than $2 million each year in support of people on the front lines of climate change. Learn more at 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, National Casualty Claims provides strategic and operational leadership for the Casualty claims function, with accountability for performance, consistency, and outcomes. This role ensures fair and consistent claims outcomes aligned with corporate objectives, regulatory requirements, and member expectations, while balancing member outcomes with financial and risk considerations. The Director translates enterprise claims strategy into operational plans, performance frameworks, and governance practices. This includes driving consistency, technical excellence, member experience, and financial performance across the Casualty portfolio. This role partners with executive and cross‑functional stakeholders to influence claims strategy, oversee risk, and lead initiatives that enhance operational effectiveness, support transformation, and sustain performance across Casualty claims nationally.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the Casualty claims function, translating enterprise direction into operational plans, priorities, and performance outcomes.
• Implement and continuously refine claims strategies and policies, to improve operational effectiveness, technical excellence, and service delivery.
• Define and oversee the end‑to‑end claims handling strategy for Casualty, including technical guidelines, risk assessment, litigation and resolution strategies for complex and high‑exposure claims.
• Establish governance frameworks across Casualty, including oversight of complex, high‑exposure, and litigated claims, alignment with Legal and SIU partners, and clear decision‑making and escalation processes.
• Oversee claims reserving practices to ensure accuracy, adequacy, and alignment with financial and actuarial expectations.
• Establish and manage strategic relationships with external partners (e.g., legal counsel, experts, and vendors) to support optimal claims outcomes and cost management.
• Monitor key performance indicators and claims trends (including quality, cycle time, indemnity, and expense performance), using data and insights to drive efficiency and improve outcomes.
• Responsible for financial performance of the Casualty portfolio, including claims cost management, expense oversight, budgeting, forecasting, and loss ratio performance.
• Provide leadership and direction to Claims Managers and leaders, fostering a high‑performance culture through workforce planning, talent development, succession management, and performance coaching.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of Property & Casualty claims experience, including Casualty/Bodily Injury claims.
• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience, including leadership of leaders and development of leadership capability.
• Experience leading multiple teams, regions, or a national claims portfolio.
• Post‑secondary education or equivalent experience.
• Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) designation required; advanced designation (e.g., FCIP) considered an asset.
• Strong ability to influence and build relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders within a matrix environment.
• Demonstrated leadership capability, including leader development, succession planning, and sound decision‑making in complex environments.
• Proven experience leading cross‑functional transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Expertise in Casualty claims operations, including litigation strategy, reserving, governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
• Strong financial acumen, including accountability for claims cost performance, expense management, and forecasting.
• Advanced analytical and problem‑solving capabilities.

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.

All Wawanesa job applicants are subject to Wawanesa's Privacy Policy.

Please note that the recruitment process for this position may involve the use of AI tools to screen, assess, or select applicants. All final decisions are taken or reviewed by human recruiters and human hiring leaders in compliance with all applicable legislation.

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