Senior Compensation & Incentives Specialist

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Date: May 5, 2026

Location: Hybrid - Canada, CA Calgary, AB (Hybrid), CA Kitchener, ON (Hybrid), CA Ottawa, ON (Hybrid), CA Edmonton, AB (Hybrid), CA North York - Toronto, ON (Hybr, CA Winnipeg, MB (Hybrid), CA Vancouver, BC (Hybrid), CA

Company: Wawanesa Insurance

 

Job ID: 10003 


Employment Type: New Role

Working Business Language: English. This role is considered a head-office role and will be required to communicate with internal and external stakeholders across Canada where the primary business language for this role is English.  As such, the successful candidate must be fully proficient in 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: $95,000 - $120,000.  Candidates with salary expectations outside of the range are still encouraged to apply. 

 

About Us
At Wawanesa, 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; Vancouver, BC; Calgary, AB; Edmonton, AB; Toronto (North York), ON; Kitchener, ON; Ottawa, ON.
 

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 3,300 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. We are also proud to be recognized as one of Manitoba’s Top Employers. 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

Working under minimal supervision, the Senior Compensation & Incentives Specialist contributes to Wawanesa’s success by ensuring that the organizations broker compensation programs are developed, designed and implemented to attract, motivate, retain and engage brokers that contribute to the achievement of goals.


The Senior Compensation & Incentives Specialist is responsible for designing and delivering insights that optimize broker performance and incentive programs. This role partners with Actuarial, Finance, and Distribution teams to track KPIs, analyze incentive ROI, and provide actionable recommendations to support strategic decision-making.

 

Job Responsibilities

  • Ensure competitive marketing position is achieved through the ongoing review of organizational philosophy, combined with market research and competitive analysis to benchmark compensation programs.
  • Analyze positioning in the market and make recommendations for the evolution of the organization’s broker compensation programs that are reflective of both the organizational philosophy and market expectations. 
  • Design and maintain compensation structures to be reflective of economic conditions and industry best practices.
  • Contribute to the design and maintenance of broker incentive programs, inclusive of communication, that motivate brokers on the achievement of growing profitable books of business. 
  • Monitor the effectiveness of existing compensation programs and recommend modifications based on industry trends, ROI, and organizational alignment. 
  • Develop and maintain dashboards to monitor broker performance and compensation metrics.
  • Partner with Actuarial and Finance teams to align incentives with profitability targets.
  • Prepare reports and presentations for senior leadership on broker compensation trends.
  • Support data governance, quality and controls to ensure accuracy of performance reporting.
  • Provide coaching, advice, guidance and leadership to Business Development teams to support broker compensation conversations.
  • Ensure broker compensation related legislated requirements and processes are adhered to. 
  • Contributed to the development of overall Sales and Distribution Strategy
  • Perform other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in compensation analysis, incentive compensation, or sales compensation, including accountability for variable pay programs and incentive plan administration.
  • Strong proficiency in data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) and Excel.
  • Experience working with incentive compensation systems to support plan design, calculations, reporting, and payouts (e.g., Varicent or similar platforms).
  • Knowledge of P&C and Life insurance metrics and distribution economics is an asset.
  • Ability to interpret complex data and communicate insights clearly.
  • Strong collaboration skills and ability to work cross-functionally
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to proactively identify and assess complex and varied issues, opportunities, risks and impacts that support the business.
  • Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to proactively work with all levels of management and employees and foster positive working relations with internal and external stakeholders. 
  • Strong desire to learn and improve continuously, keeping abreast of developments in field and applying learnings to work situations.
  • Strong change management skills, with the ability to embrace change enthusiastically and adapt behavior to meet the demands of a changing environment.
  • Strong organizational skills, including the ability to multi-task and prioritize/re-prioritize.
  • A team player that fosters a collaborative spirit and is a mentor to others. 
  • Strong decision-making skills with the ability to work independently.
  • Achievement of the Certified Compensation Professional designation would be considered an asset. 

#LI-WAWA


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.