VP, Personal Lines, National Underwriting

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Date: Apr 2, 2026

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

Company: Wawanesa Insurance

 

Job ID: 9951 


Employment Type: Existing Role

Working Business Language: English. This role requires regular interaction with customers in Canada where the primary business language utilized 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. 
 

About Us
At Wawanesa, we offer a hybrid work environment that offers flexibility to our employees in balancing in-office (3 days per week in a Wawanesa office) and remote work. You may work from any of the following locations: Winnipeg, MB; Calgary, AB; Edmonton, AB; Toronto (North York), ON; Kitchener, 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

 

The VP, Personal Lines, National Underwriting is accountable for the strategic leadership of Wawanesa’s Personal Lines underwriting operations across Canada. This role will serve as the central authority for personal lines underwriting as Wawanesa transitions to a fully centralized model.

 

In the short term, the Vice President will focus on assessing the current state of underwriting practices across regions and leading the development of a future-state strategy and operational plan. Over time, as underwriting is centralized, this role will assume national accountability for personal lines underwriting, consolidating responsibilities previously held in the regional operations. The focus is on establishing consistent underwriting strategies, standards, and risk management practices that support profitable growth, operational efficiency, and strong broker and member experience.


This leader champions Wawanesa’s purpose. We are here to look after one another and live the values of Service, Openness, Fairness, Collaboration, and Community by building inclusive programs, empowering high-performing teams, and delivering long-term value for members and brokers.

 

Job Responsibiities

  • Provide strategic leadership and oversight of national personal lines underwriting strategy and operations, including processes, tools and supporting technology
  • Evaluate and implement underwriting tools, data analytics, and AI for improved decision-making. 
  • Lead and coach a high performing team to ensure underwriting strategies are executed with quality, fairness, and efficiency.
  • Develop and manage a comprehensive national underwriting strategy aligned with the strategic plan, translating it into clear guidelines, authority levels, and referral processes that ensure consistency and underwriting excellence.
  • Establish underwriting standards, authority limits, training, workflows, and service level agreements that support operational efficiency and enable sound risk selection.
  • Develop and maintain quality assurance protocols to audit underwriting files and decisions. 
  • Monitor and report on underwriting key performance indicators.
  • Partner with Distribution to identify growth opportunities within our risk appetite, ensuring alignment between underwriting strategy and market potential.
  • Ensure underwriting portfolio management balances growth and profitability, aligned with enterprise appetite and strategic segmentation.
  • Drive point-of-sale fraud and prevention strategies and ensure integration with underwriting processes.
  • Utilize underwriting guidelines, actuarial insights, and market trends to support decision-making related to underwriting practices.

Qualifications

 

  • Bachelor’s degree in actuarial science, business, insurance, or a related field; MBA or advanced credentials considered an asset.
  • Minimum of 10 years of experience in personal insurance with a strong foundation in underwriting leadership.
  • Proven experience leading large teams and cross-functional units in a matrixed or national environment, preferably within a Canadian mutual insurer or mid-to-large P&C organization.
  • Deep understanding of Canadian regulatory and compliance frameworks and how they apply to underwriting practices, risk selection, and operational execution. 
  • Exceptional analytical, strategic thinking, and decision-making skills.
  • Strong communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills, including experience influencing at the executive and Board level.
  • Demonstrated leadership aligned with Wawanesa’s values and purpose, with the ability to drive results while building community and trust.
  • Professional insurance designation such as FCIP or CIP is considered an asset.
  • Bilingualism in English and French is considered an asset.
  • Willingness to travel within Canada as required.

#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.