AVP, Underwriting, Member & Co-operative Business

Sovereign Insurance; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading insurance company in Toronto is seeking an AVP, Underwriting to manage member organizations and strategic clients. The role requires over 10 years of underwriting experience, along with strong leadership skills and a solid understanding of commercial insurance. Ideal candidates will have a post-secondary degree in Business as well as relevant designations. This position offers a hybrid work model, professional development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

Training and development opportunities

Flexible work options

Holistic well-being programs

Paid volunteer days

Comprehensive benefits package

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in underwriting, in progressive leadership roles.
• Strong understanding of commercial and specialty insurance marketplace.
• Specialist level knowledge of underwriting distribution, products and practices.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strategic alliances with Member Organizations.
• Prospect, develop and maintain relationships with partners.
• Manage and deliver focused products and services.

Skills

Leadership

Relationship building

Strategic planning

Problem solving

Market analysis

Bilingualism (English and French)

Education

Post-secondary degree in Business or Commerce

CIP, FCIP or CRM designations

Job description

Company: Sovereign Insurance

Department:

Employment Type: Regular Full-Time

Work Model: Hybrid

Language: English is required, French is an asset.

Additional Information: This/these role(s) is/are currently vacant

The Opportunity

At Sovereign Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Co-operators General Insurance Company, we believe leadership isn’t reserved for titles — it’s a mindset. That’s why we invite you to Wear The Crown: to step into your potential, own your impact, and shape your experience with purpose. Our people are smart, curious, and collaborative — and they lead with heart. We know that when you feel supported, empowered, and seen, you bring your best to the businesses and communities we serve. That’s the result of our purpose in action and we call that, The Crown Effect. We invest in your well-being, your growth, and your voice — because your experience doesn’t just matter, it drives our collective strength. Ready to lead with confidence? Join us and Wear The Crown.

Reporting to the Vice President, National Underwriting and Risk Engineering, the AVP, Underwriting, Member and Cooperative Business, is responsible for developing, servicing and expanding our member organization and related strategic clients underwriting portfolio. As a Co-operative organization, member organizations play an important role within our operations. As a result, we strive to offer insurance solutions to these important clients as well as other cooperatives. This AVP role would be responsible for managing these key relationships with our member organizations, as well as our external broker partners, and our internal Co-operators Member Relations teams. Actively ensuring we have a comprehensive support model for our member business and creatively finding solutions that balance the needs of our clients while ensuring a sustainable, compliant and profitable portfolio.

How you will create impact

• Build and maintain strategic alliances / relationships with Member Organizations.
• Prospect, develop and maintain relationships with partners, marketing our unique value proposition and capitalizing on opportunities for insurance solution expansion. This includes attending client meetings, conducting presentations or workshops, etc.
• Complete strategic planning with Member Organizations to coordinate changes to existing programs and explore opportunities to introduce new offers.
• Manage and deliver focused products and services including direct training of staff to ensure a full understanding of company products and services, communicating and managing the achievement of company service and quality standards and directing the underwriting team to produce a loss ratio equal to or better than objectives.
• Lead the development of KPIs, effectively communicate expectations to the team and actively monitor progress.
• Own the planning and budgeting for the portfolio (premium plans, expense plans, resource plans).
• Lead profit and loss performance for the portfolio.
• Monitor the shifting market and customer landscape; making recommendations to adjust and change business plans and priorities to ensure that both short and long-term strategic objectives are met.
• Inspiring, motivating and leading your 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.

To join our team

• You have 10+ years of experience in underwriting, in progressive leadership roles.
• You have a post‑secondary degree in Business or Commerce.
• CIP, FCIP or CRM designations are an asset.
• Advanced understanding of the organization’s strategic goals and member organization relationships.
• A strong understanding of commercial and specialty insurance marketplace, including related social, political, regulatory, technological, and economic factors.
• Specialist level knowledge of underwriting distribution, products and practices. Large/Complex Commercial (Realty, agriculture, farming, retail sectors, Captive insurance arrangements).
• Demonstrated leadership in developing and managing a team in a complex and dynamic environment.
• Bilingualism (English and French) is an asset.
• This position primarily works with majority non‑francophone groups, and teams located outside of Québec, and requires proficiency in English. The essential non‑French duties are not assignable to adjacent or other team members.

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

• Regular travel is required to Member Organization or Distribution Partner places of business.
• As a leader, strict confidentiality is required with respect to sensitive matters and employees’ personal information.
• You will be subject to a 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.