Associate Vice President, Commercial Solutions - Western Canada

Sovereign Insurance; Calgary; Hybrid; CAD 164,000 - 273,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training & development

Flexible work options

Volunteer days

Total rewards package

Job summary

Sovereign Insurance is seeking an Associate Vice President, Commercial Solutions for the Western Region to lead high-performance underwriting teams and provide strategic leadership of commercial risk solutions. You will align business strategy with budgets and broker relationships to drive profitable growth.

The role emphasizes collaboration, analytical decision-making, and a clear focus on regulatory compliance and stakeholder communication.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in underwriting/marketing with progressive responsibility.
• 7+ years leading high-performing underwriting or commercial solutions teams.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; CIP preferred.

Responsibilities

• Inspire and coach leadership teams to execute strategic objectives.
• Develop business plans and budgets; monitor results.
• Lead Western Commercial Solutions teams to deliver broker-focused products and services.
• Manage broker relationships to achieve volume and profitability.
• Ensure regulatory risk compliance and strong stakeholder communication.
• Provide strategic leadership for the region with financial accountability.

Skills

Leadership in insurance

Commercial underwriting

Strategic planning

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

CIP designation preferred

Job description

Company

Sovereign Insurance

Department

SOV - Commercial UW

Employment Type

Regular Full-Time

Work Model

Hybrid (2 days in office)

Language

This role operates in English.

The Opportunity

At Sovereign Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Co-operators General Insurance Company, we believe leadership is shaped by purpose, collaboration, and meaningful contribution. When you grow, we grow — your success crowns ours.

We value diverse perspectives, bold ideas, and people who lift others up. Here, your initiative matters, and your efforts help build the resilience of the Canadian businesses and communities we serve.

That shared commitment strengthens our culture and moves us forward — together. That’s the Crown Effect.

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual to join our senior leadership team in the role of Associate Vice President, Commercial Solutions representing our Western Region. The successful candidate will lead high-performance teams and provide proactive strategic leadership of Sovereign’s commercial insurance risk solutions and services. Having a strong understanding of the intricate relationships between business strategies, tactics, budgets, and deliverables will give this individual the confidence to recommend changes, enabling the organization to meet the financial objectives. Having an acute perception of the dimensions of the business, you think strategically and take appropriate action. With thoughtful analysis, clear logic and a close attention to detail, you are cognizant of the challenges to secure the company with a competitive position in the market and its broker partners.

How you will create impact

• Inspiring and motivating your leadership team to define and execute strategic objectives through effective coaching and mentoring, identifying and developing leadership talent, and fostering an innovative, collaborative, diverse, and agile culture.
• Developing business plans and related budgets, while managing, monitoring and analyzing results. Identify trends and take appropriate action to ensure plans are achieved.
• Leading the Western Commercial Solutions teams to deliver broker-focused products and services, including regional underwriting leadership, direct training of regional staff, achievement of company service and quality standards, and commercial underwriting results that support profitable growth and financial objectives.
• Managing broker relationships as required to achieve volume objectives while maintaining a profitable book of business. Building positive relationships within the insurance industry to promote Sovereign General with Brokers, and industry groups.
• Understanding regulatory risk in order to influence and maintain compliant business processes and controls in the day-to-day operations as well as setting the tone, leading by example and fostering ongoing communication with all key stakeholders.
• Providing strategic business leadership for the region, including financial accountability, regional business performance, broker distribution responsibilities, and the development of strong industry partnerships.

To join our team

• A minimum of 10 years of progressive industry experience in underwriting and marketing.
• A minimum of 7 years, and a proven track record, as a successful leader in the general insurance business, with a strong commercial lines background and experience leading high-performing underwriting or commercial solutions teams within the broker distribution system.
• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, is preferred.
• CIP designation preferred.

How you will succeed

• You initiate new strategies to capitalize on opportunities and lead the implementation of organizational change.
• You integrate complex information to identify solutions or solve problems and apply a strategic mindset to adjust business plans.
• You foster innovation and continuous improvement with a focus on client experience.
• You create a high-performance culture through alignment of your team’s work with organizational goals and successfully convey messages with a sense of positive advocacy.
• You develop others to ensure the evolving needs of the organization will be met and build effective relationships to achieve key business objectives.

What you need to know

• Detail oriented work that requires a high degree of mental concentration for extended periods of time.
• Some travel may be required.
• You will be subject to a Criminal Record and Consumer History background check as a condition of employment, in the event you are the successful candidate.

What’s in it for you

• Training and development opportunities to grow your career.
• Flexible work options and paid time off to support your personal and family needs.
• A holistic approach to your well-being, with physical and mental health programs and a supportive workplace culture.
• Paid volunteer days to give back to your community.
• In addition to our competitive salary and incentive programs, eligible employees also benefit from a comprehensive total rewards package including group retirement savings plans, pension and benefits (e.g., health and wellness, dental, disability and life coverage), mental health support and an employee assistance program.

Expected salary

$163,905 - $273,175

The salary amount for the successful candidate is determined by Co-operators in its discretion and will vary depending on several criteria including but not limited to: local market conditions, geography and relevant job-related factors such as knowledge, skills, qualification, experience and education.

Employees may also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn additional compensation tied to individual and/or business performance, or other business metrics.