Catastrophe Risk Specialist
Date: Aug 22, 2025
Location: North York - Toronto, ON (Hybr, CA Kitchener, ON (Hybrid), CA Thunder Bay, ON (Hybrid), CA Montreal, QC (Hybrid), CA Moncton, NB (Hybrid), CA Ottawa, ON (Hybrid), CA Winnipeg, MB (Hybrid), CA Dartmouth, NS (Hybrid), CA
Company: Wawanesa Insurance
Job ID: 9405
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: $85,000 - $115,000. 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; Wawanesa, MB; Toronto, ON; Kitchener, ON; Thunder Bay, 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 Manager, Catastrophe Risk, this role is responsible for analytics and modeling capabilities within our Catastrophe Risk Management team. This includes data extraction and manipulation for the purpose of modeling, reporting, and exposure accumulation. The role will collaborate with various pricing and underwriting teams to assist in the implementation of catastrophe models and monitoring of exposure accumulations.
Job Responsibilities
- Develop and calibrate catastrophe perils using industry-standard software (e.g., RMS, VERISK, etc.).
- Analyze historical data, scientific research, and insurance claims to enhance model accuracy.
- Collaborate with actuaries, underwriters, and analysts to understand risk exposures, and manage exposure accumulations.
- Interpret model outputs and assumptions from multiple models to help form a view of risk.
- Coordinate with risk management partners the independent review of model performance, documentation, and validation.
- Conduct sensitivity analysis and scenario testing to evaluate the impact of different variables on risk assessments.
- Proactively share knowledge in catastrophe-related areas, create learning experiences and foster teamwork and cross-functional collaboration
- Communicate findings and recommendations to stakeholders through reports, presentations, and technical documentation.
- Stay updated with industry advancements, regulatory requirements, and best practices in catastrophe modeling.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, statistics, actuarial science, atmospheric science, geospatial science or related field.
- 3+ years' experience in a catastrophe modelling role using one or both of RMS and AIR Verisk.
- Proficiency in catastrophe modeling software, programming languages such as R, SQL, or similar for data manipulation and modeling.
- Strong analytical skills with a deep understanding of risk assessment and modeling techniques.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
- Experience in insurance, reinsurance, catastrophe model development, catastrophe risk pricing or risk management is an asset.
- Experience in GIS and Machine Learning is an asset.
- Certification or coursework in catastrophe modeling, risk management (e.g., CPCU, ARe) or actuarial exams is 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!
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.
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