Director, Enabling Functions - Planning & Performance

Wawanesa Insurance

$140K — $190K *
Business Services
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Law, Business, Commerce, Finance, Public Administration, or related field; MBA is a plus.
  • 8-10 years of leadership experience in business operations or corporate services.
  • Proven success in complex, matrixed organizations leading cross-functional initiatives.
  • Expertise in corporate functions, service delivery, governance, and risk management.
  • Strong skills in business acumen, judgement, relationship management, and negotiation.
  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a capacity for synthesis.
  • High detail orientation with the ability to manage sensitive information and competing priorities.

Responsibilities

  • Act as the main liaison between business leaders and enterprise partners.
  • Foster collaborative relationships across Wawanesa for timely service and issue resolution.
  • Represent business needs in enterprise planning for service priorities.
  • Monitor service performance and coordinate the resolution of complex issues.
  • Develop service governance, operating practices, and reporting mechanisms.
  • Assist in strategic planning, budgeting, and resources allocation.
  • Align business needs with enterprise initiatives and resources for project execution.

Benefits

  • Hybrid work environment offering flexibility in remote and in-office work.
  • Annual bonus plan for full-time and part-time employees.
  • Generous vacation time and personal days provided.
  • Premium free benefits for employees.
  • Comprehensive pension plan for retirement savings.
Full Job Description
Job ID: 10308

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: Toronto (North York), ON

Working Business Language: 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: $140,000- $190,000. Candidates with salary expectations outside of the range are still encouraged to apply.

Job Overview

The Director, Enabling Functions coordinates and optimizes corporate and shared services that support Wawanesa's business operations. Acting as a key liaison between business leaders and enterprise service partners, the role aligns priorities, resolves complex service issues, and drives consistent, effective operational support.

As a trusted advisor to the Senior Leadership Team, the Director translates strategic priorities into coordinated action, integrates operational and service performance insights, and supports informed decision-making, governance, organizational effectiveness, and continuous improvement. The role balances strategic planning and relationship management with hands-on execution.

Job Responsibilities
  • Serve as the primary point of coordination between business leaders and enterprise partners across Compliance, Corporate Strategy and the Enterprise Project Management Office, Human Resources and Internal Communications, Technology, Legal, Risk and Regulatory, and Special Projects.
  • Build strong working relationships across Wawanesa to enable collaboration, service excellence, and timely issue resolution.
  • Represent business requirements in enterprise planning and ensure operational needs are reflected in service priorities and decisions.
  • Monitor service performance, coordinate escalation and resolution of complex issues, and identify opportunities to improve quality, responsiveness, efficiency, and effectiveness.
  • Develop and maintain service governance, operating practices, service expectations, and reporting mechanisms.
  • Support strategic and operational planning, budgeting, forecasting, resource allocation, and execution.
  • Align business priorities, enterprise initiatives, resources, timelines, and dependencies across functions.
  • Monitor objectives and provide senior leadership with timely updates on progress, performance, risks, issues, and required decisions.
  • Lead or coordinate cross-functional initiatives and special projects affecting Wawanesa's operations.
  • Provide objective analysis, operational insight, options, and recommendations to support executive decisions.
  • Coordinate leadership meetings, planning sessions, governance forums, operational reviews, and follow-up activities.
  • Prepare executive presentations, reports, briefing notes, correspondence, business cases, and Board or committee materials.
  • Track decisions, commitments, and action items, reinforce accountability, and support timely execution.
  • Integrate operational and support-function reporting to provide a clear view of organizational and service performance.
  • Develop dashboards, measures, and performance indicators for service delivery, operational effectiveness, and strategic initiatives.


Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Law, Business, Commerce, Finance, public Administration, or related field; an MBA or other advanced business education is an asset.
  • Eight to ten years of progressive leadership experience in business operations, corporate services, strategic planning, consulting, administration, program management, or a related discipline.
  • Demonstrated success in a complex, matrixed organization and in leading cross-functional initiatives through influence.
  • Strong understanding of corporate functions, service delivery, governance, risk management, budgeting, and operational planning.
  • Excellent business acumen, judgement, relationship management, facilitation, negotiation, communication, and executive writing skills.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving ability, with a proven capacity to synthesize complex information and turn it into clear action.
  • Ability to manage competing priorities, sensitive information, and time-critical deliverables with discretion, integrity, and attention to detail.
  • Experience supporting senior executives and governance processes is an asset; flexibility to travel or work outside regular hours is required.

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