Vice president of operations Jobs in Toronto, ON

Vice President, Operations & Business Management

ARAG Legal Solutions Inc., part of the ARAG Group, is a global leader in legal expense insurance operating in 20 countries offering an innovative and comprehensive range of legal expense products and services for brokers, underwriting agents and insurers across Canada.

The Vice President, Operations & Business Management is responsible for the end-to-end operational backbone of the organization, including Transaction Processing, Business Management, Process Governance, Office Management, and Enterprise Project & Program Management. The role ensures operational excellence, financial transaction integrity, harmonized enterprise-wide process landscapes, and structured project execution across the company.

The position reports directly to the CEO for Operations, Business Management, PMO, Program Management, and Office Management. Additional functional reporting line to the CFO for Transaction Processing, unallocated cash management, and related financial KPIs. This role is for a current vacancy.

Please note due to the nature of the position, while we support employees locally, the successful candidate will need to be flexible and accommodate different time zones accordingly. Our main office is in downtown Toronto with employees in both Eastern and Western regions including our IT department in the United Kingdom (UK).

What will you do?

Business Management & Enterprise Process Landscape

• Implementation of a structured Business Management framework.
• Establishment of a harmonized, company-wide process landscape.
• Review of all core and supporting processes for:
  • Efficiency
  • Control gaps
  • Operational breakpoints
  • Redundancies
• Redesign or full re-engineering of processes where required.
• Documentation of:
  • Process descriptions
  • Process flows
  • Workflows
  • Control points
• Ongoing workflow optimization.
• Establishment and enforcement of Process Governance in coordination with:
  • Chief Risk Officer
  • Risk Management
• Ensuring ongoing compliance with OSFI governance expectations and internal control standards.

Project Management Office (PMO) & Project Leadership

• Establish and lead the Project Management Office (PMO).
• Support as Project Management Officer for projects that are led directly by CEO or CFO / CRO
• Central coordination of all company projects (Program & Portfolio Management):
  • Portfolio-level oversight of all company projects.
  • Alignment of project prioritization with corporate strategy.
  • Monitoring of interdependencies, resource allocation, and risk concentration.
  • Ensuring strategic coherence across initiatives.
  • Consolidated reporting of program status to CEO
• Act as:
  • Project Sponsor support for senior management-led initiatives.
  • Project Lead for initiatives not anchored directly within Senior Management.
• Ensure adherence to approved methodologies:
  • Classical (Waterfall)
  • Agile
  • Hybrid approaches
• Enforce structured documentation, milestone tracking, risk tracking, and reporting standards.

Transaction Processing & Financial Operations (Functional reporting line to CFO)

• End-to-end responsibility for Transaction Processing activities, including:
  • Review, validation, and correction of bordereaux statements, including:
    • Identification and correction of inconsistencies.
    • Direct communication with business partners where adjustments are required or with Sales if external business partners are to be contacted
  • Management and active reduction of Unallocated Cash balances.
  • Monitoring and reporting of financial operational KPIs under CFO responsibility.
  • Cheque Processing:
    • Preparation and dispatching of cheques to the outsourced processing provider.
    • Oversight of reconciliation and bank clearing processes.
  • Coordination with Finance regarding:
    • Changes to bank signing authorities.
    • Banking mandates and operational banking matters.
  • Continuous improvement of transaction accuracy, timeliness, and transparency.

Office Management & Operational Infrastructure

• Oversight of general office operations including:
  • Facility management
  • Vendor relationships & License Management
  • Office supplies and equipment procurement
  • Courier and shipment coordination
  • Office budget management and cost control.
• Supervision and mentoring of Operations team members.
• Maintenance of a productive, compliant, and secure office environment.

About You:

• College diploma or Bachelor’s degree in business administration, information technology, or a related field.
• Experience in MGA or insurance-industry preferred.
• 5+ years of leadership experience, including leadership of managers.
• Experience in business management, with a strong expertise in process improvement and design.
• Background in regulatory process requirements and governance, OSFI in particular
• Experience in (agile) IT-project-management with an understanding of IT Architecture, roles: product ownership vs. business analyst vs. technical / IT-side.
• Strategic Approaches: Capability to analyze complex data and apply insights to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
• Financial Acumen: Experience with vendor negotiations and management, budgeting, forecasting, and expense control.
• Ability to work with all levels of the organization while maintaining a high level of professionalism and confidentiality.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to foster teamwork, collaboration, and a positive office culture.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks effectively and shift priorities as needed by the business.
• Ability to provide and receive constructive feedback.
• Working knowledge of Visio, SharePoint, Microsoft Dynamics.
• Strong business acumen.
• Flexibility to coordinate across multiple time zones (Canada and UK).

We Offer:

• Competitive Base Salary including annual bonus plan
• Generous Employer Paid Benefits Plan, including RSP matching & Fitness Credit
• Location is a combination of remote work from home and from our head office in the heart of Toronto’s Financial District

For more information about ARAG Canada please visit: www.arag.ca/en/

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer

ARAG Legal Solutions Inc., are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of citizenship, race, place of origin, ethnic origin, colour, ancestry, disability, age, creed, sex/pregnancy, family status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, receipt of public assistance (in housing) and record of offences (in employment).

ARAG Legal Solutions Inc., is committed to providing employment in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Any assessments and selection materials or processes used during the recruitment process will be available in an accessible format to applicants with disabilities, upon request. If contacted for an interview, please advise the Human Resources Generalist if you require disability-related accommodation.