AVP, Portfolio Management Office

Definity Financial Corporation; Toronto; On-site; CAD 108,000 - 223,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a strategic leader for the AVP Portfolio Management Office & Agile CoE role. This position is pivotal in driving enterprise transformation through disciplined execution and agile practices. The successful candidate will oversee strategic planning and program execution, ensuring alignment of enterprise priorities while optimizing delivery across the organization. With a focus on integrating acquired entities and enhancing agile standards, this role offers a unique opportunity to lead high-performing teams and influence change across a dynamic environment. Join a forward-thinking organization committed to fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• 8-12 years in project/portfolio management within P&C insurance.
• Deep understanding of insurance value chains and digital trends.

Responsibilities

• Oversee strategic planning and program execution.
• Lead high-performing teams and promote Agile best practices.

Skills

Project Management

Agile Methodologies

Stakeholder Management

Leadership

Strategic Planning

Change Management

Communication

Education

University degree in Computer Science

Certifications (PMP, PRINCE2, Agile PMP)

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Clarity

SharePoint

Job description

We are seeking a strategic, collaborative and results-driven leader to join our organization as the AVP Portfolio Management Office & Agile CoE. This role will be instrumental in accelerating enterprise transformation by embedding disciplined execution, promoting agile practices and driving strategic portfolio management across the organization. The AVP will ensure alignment of enterprise priorities, optimize the delivery of value across the organization and mature the Agile and project delivery capabilities within a P&C insurance environment. This role will also be responsible for integrating acquired entities into the existing portfolio management framework, requiring experience in M&A integration processes.

The AVP Portfolio Management Office & Agile CoE plays an integral part in delivering large scale multi-year programs and evolving the Agile Center of Excellence by enhancing our agile standards, governance, processes, and effective change management practices.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Delivery & Portfolio Management

• Oversee strategic planning, governance, program execution and enterprise reporting.
• Lead and optimize delivery roadmaps for technology and business initiatives including those resulting from M&A activities.
• Direct cross-functional teams and complex portfolios, balancing trade-offs to achieve business outcomes
• Provide strategic guidance to senior leadership on project delivery and risk alignment
• Create and enforce standards and KPIs for Agile and hybrid delivery that align with business objectives
• Apply best practices in program management, project delivery governance, and operational transitions

Agile Governance & Evolving CoE

• Establish and maintain Agile governance structures, templates, and performance metrics
• Evolve the Agile coE to champion Agile best practices across business and IT teams
• Facilitate the assessment and and measurement of Agile maturity and enable continuous improvement across agile teams
• Continuously evolve the metrics and executive delivery progress reporting to align with business objectives

People Leadership

• Lead and develop high-performing teams including Program Managers, Agile Coaches, and Directors
• Define team OKRs, coach for performance and career growth, and foster a collaborative culture
• Guide recruitment, onboarding, succession planning, and professional development initiatives
• Promote a culture of accountability, inclusion, and continuous improvement

Coaching & Agile Enablement

• Provide coaching, training and mentorship to Agile teams, Product Owners, Scrum Masters, Value Stream Owners and Executives
• Develop training programs and Agile competency assessments for internal teams
• Support change management and organizational readiness for Agile adoption

Tooling

• Develop and implement tooling roadmap and best practices
• Ensure consistent use of tools, across Agile Teams and Delivery teams
• Address tool/process inconsistencies and implement improvement measures

Third-Party & Compliance Oversight

• Oversee Agile execution within third-party vendor relationships (e.g., AMS pods)
• Align vendor performance with Agile metrics, user story standards, and velocity tracking
• Support audit and compliance functions, follow through on audit findings, and manage documentation

Qualifications & Experience

• University degree in Computer Science, Technology, Business, or related discipline
• 8-12 years of project/portfolio management; transformation leadership or enterprise PMO roles within the P&C insurance sector
• 8+ years of management/leadership experience
• Deep understanding of insurance value chains (underwriting, claims, distribution) and digital transformation trends in the industry
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at all levels
• Proven experience integrating acquired companies' project portfolios is highly desirable
• Certifications (PMP, PRINCE2, Agile PMP) are considered assets
• Strong Agile experience including tools like Jira, Confluence and governance frameworks
• Knowledge of PMLC, SDLC, and resource forecasting tools (e.g., Clarity, OTL, SharePoint)
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive enterprise-wide transformations
• Strong strategic thinking, planning, presentation, storytelling and communication skills

Additional Attributes

• Strategic leader with a growth mindset and people-first approach
• Skilled in navigating complexity and leading change across matrixed environments
• Committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and high-performance culture aligned with Definity’s values

Salary range: $108,900 - $222,800

Role ID - E21