The opportunity The Financial Lines Claims Lead is a senior leadership role responsible for the strategic oversight, technical excellence, thought leadership on emerging trends and operational performance of the Financial Lines claims portfolio.
This role will be accountable for handling complex and high-severity claims across D&O, E&O, EPL, Fiduciary, Crime, Cyber and other future Financial Lines products., while partnering closely with underwriting, legal, and executive stakeholders to drive business outcomes, manage risk, and enhance client experience.
What you'll do Strategic Leadership & Portfolio Ownership
- Provide strategic direction and oversight for the Financial Lines claims portfolio, including severity management and reserving adequacy.
- Own portfolio performance of Financial Lines claims, identifying trends, emerging risks, and opportunities to improve loss outcomes.
- Influence underwriting appetite before losses materially impact portfolio profitability, policy wording enhancements, and product development through claims insights and data.
Complex Claims Oversight
- Guides others on the handling of the most complex, high-value, and politically sensitive claims.
- Provide final authority to Casualty Claims Adjusters or escalation-level direction on coverage positions, litigation strategy, and settlements.
- Act as escalation point for difficult broker/client situations and reputational risk matters.
- Review the quality of claims performance by supporting audits on a bi-annual basis, examining Financial Lines claims that breach delegated authority and provide financial authority to settle claims as needed.
Technical Excellence & Governance
- Set and maintain best-in-class claims handling standards across Financial Lines.
- Ensure consistency in policy interpretation, reserving practices, and coverage analysis.
- Lead technical training, thought leadership, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Oversee audit readiness, internal controls, and regulatory compliance activities.
- Work with Learning and Development to put in place training materials to support claims and underwriting development
Stakeholder & Market Engagement
- Serve as a senior claims contact for key brokers, clients, reinsurers, and legal partners.
- Support CTU (Commercial Technical Underwriting) in product development within Cyber and Financial Lines including participating in drafting and reviewing wording, and providing claims-led insights to ensure policies align with intent and claims experience.
- Strengthen relationships with Financial Lines underwriting leadership to ensure alignment on risk selection and policy wording.
- Represent claims in client stewardship meetings and market-facing discussions.
- Provide insights on claims trends, legal developments, and emerging exposures to internal and external stakeholders.
Litigation & Vendor Strategy
- Direct litigation strategy on significant or precedent-setting matters.
- Oversee panel counsel performance, legal spend management, and vendor optimization.
- Approve high-value settlements and manage reinsurance reporting to our reinsurance team.
Operational & Financial Management
- Drive financial discipline across indemnity and expense management.
- Monitor KPIs (e.g., cycle times, leakage, reserve accuracy) and implement performance improvements.
- Support budgeting and forecasting for the Financial Lines claims function.
Mentorship
- Coach, and develop a team of Casualty claims professionals, including managers and senior examiners to eventually assume handling of D&O, E&O, EPL, Fiduciary, Crime and other future Financial Lines products.
- Drive talent development, and capability building within Financial Lines by helping to build out training materials for the Learning and Development team.
What you'll bring - Post- Secondary Education, CIP and FCIP strongly preferred.
- Minimum 10-15 years' experience specializing in the adjudication of complex Commercial and Financial Institution Directors & Officers claims including but not limited to: securities class actions, shareholder derivative class actions, regulatory investigations, anti-trust litigations, bankruptcy trustee litigations, fiduciary liability/ERISA pension trust litigation, private equity/venture capital Litigation, financial
- Extensive knowledge of Financial Lines insurance products, claims handling best practices and the investigation and litigation processes
- Strong expertise in policy interpretation and coverage analysis
- Demonstrated success in coaching, mentoring, and developing team members
- Experience preparing and communicating written coverage positions, with the ability to clearly articulate coverage decisions and rationale.
- Excellent analytical, decision-making, and communication skills, with a focus on delivering quality customer and business outcomes.
What you'll get - Please note that individual salary is determined by factors such as job-related knowledge, skills and experience, as well as internal equity.
- Compelling rewards package including base compensation, eligibility for annual bonus, retirement savings, share plan, health benefits, personal wellness, and volunteer opportunities.
- Hybrid flexible work model.
- Outstanding career development opportunities.
- We'll support your professional development education.
- Competitive vacation package with the option to purchase 5 extra days off per year.
- Employee-driven programs focused on gender, LGBTQ+, origins, diversity, and inclusion.
- Corporate wellness programs to support our employees' physical and mental health.
This job advertisement is for an existing vacancy which has been posted both internally & externally.
Aviva Canada may use AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools to assist us throughout the recruitment process to screen, assess or select applicants for a position.
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