Director, Disability Strategy, Specialty Services & Excellence

iA Financial Group; Montreal (administrative region); Hybrid; CAD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work environment

Competitive benefits

Employee wellness programs

Professional development

Job summary

iA Financial Group is seeking an executive leader to drive disability claims strategy, operating model evolution and high‑impact performance. The role partners with Operations, Product, Sales and Technology to deliver exceptional service, statutory compliance and sustainable return‑to‑work outcomes.

You will lead disability innovation, governance, and client engagement while building a future‑ready workforce and strong leadership capability across Canada and internationally.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience within disability claims management or related insurance operations.
• Strong expertise across claims operations, strategy, transformation and governance.
• Proven ability to lead through large-scale change with measurable improvements.
• Exceptional leadership and communication skills with stakeholder management experience.
• Bilingual proficiency in French and English required for collaboration across Canada and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Oversee disability claims operations, performance, governance and KPI attainment.
• Drive strategy and operating model evolution for disability services.
• Lead innovation, automation and AI-enabled initiatives in disability management.
• Serve as disability SME for clients, advisors and industry partners.
• Oversee vendor management, data governance and regulatory compliance.
• Develop leadership pipelines and upskill within the disability workforce.

Skills

Leadership

Disability claims

Strategy & governance

Transformation & change

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Build the future with us

Reporting to the Senior Director, Disability Claims, this role is responsible for evolving and strengthening iA's disability operating model to meet the changing needs of plan members, clients, and the business in an increasingly digital environment.

The incumbent provides national leadership for disability specialty services and Centers of Excellence, working closely with operational, modernization, innovation, analytics, sales, and service teams to improve service delivery, build organizational capability, and support the division's strategic priorities.

The role ensures specialty services work seamlessly with the teams they support, providing the expertise, tools, and solutions needed to deliver excellent high-quality service, timely decisions, recovery outcomes, and continuous improvement.

Working in partnership with Disability Operations leaders and internal partners, the incumbent engages with clients, advisors, employees, suppliers, and industry stakeholders to identify opportunities and advance practical solutions. The role supports iA's long-term ambitions by strengthening our leadership in disability management through positive wellness, recovery, and sustainable return-to-work outcomes and an exceptional plan member and client experience.

What you'll accomplish with us

1. Service Excellence & Performance (Operational Backbone)

• Oversee claim strategies, process improvements, quality assurance, appeals, litigation support, governance, regulation updates, performance outcomes, and KPI attainment.

• Optimize the frameworks, standards, governance of these services to align with our evolving business needs, driving improvement while protecting client and organizational financial outcomes.

• Ensure our specialized disability service team is accessible, aligned to business needs, delivers measurable operational value and remains aligned with key functional partners.

2. Disability Strategy & Operating Model Evolution

• In close partnership with leaders, drive the strategy and transformation objectives.

• Translate strategic priorities into practical, scalable operating changes (processes, roles, how-to tools, governance).

• Lead cross‑functional alignment with Product, Sales, Service, Finance, and Technology.

• Monitor, measure and drive execution and adoption of transformation, automation and AI/digital initiatives.

3. Innovation, AI & Continuous Improvement (Disability‑Specific)

• Work closely with our modernization teams to lead disability innovation, process improvement, automation, AI enablement, and digital transformation initiatives, with clear decision frameworks, KPIs, explainability and risk controls.

• Drive process standardization, efficiency, and sustainable operational improvements.

4. Client & Market Leadership

• Serve as a disability subject matter leader for clients, advisors, and industry stakeholders.

• Leverage operational insights and market intelligence to strengthen client value and competitive differentiation.

• Support key client interactions, industry engagement, and business growth objectives.

5. Vendor, Data & Governance Leadership

• Oversee vendor management strategies to improve outcomes and manage costs.

• Ensure compliance with regulatory, audit and internal control expectations.

6. Talent, Capability & Leadership Development

• Help build a future‑ready disability workforce with strong technical, leadership and decision‑making capabilities.

• Develop candidates of expertise and leadership pipelines and lead upskilling initiatives aligned with our evolving business needs.

What could accelerate your success in this role

We're looking for someone who:

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience within disability claims management, claims, or other related insurance operations.

• Strong expertise across claims operations, strategy, transformation and governance.

• Demonstrated success leading and guiding teams successfully through innovation and large‑scale change into production, with measured improvement outcomes and gains.

• Exceptional leadership, coaching, communication and stakeholder management skills, with a track record of building high‑performing teams and developing leaders.

• Deep understanding of disability trends, disabling conditions such as mental health, return‑to‑work practices and regulatory environments.

• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders, clients and industry partners. Advanced proficiency in both French and English, as the incumbent will be required to collaborate daily, both verbally and in writing, with unilingual English‑speaking partners, teams and stakeholders across Canada and internationally.

Why you'll love working with us

• A work environment where learning and development merge with a collective pursuit of excellence;

• AI is in everyone's hands, empowering you to increase your personal effectiveness while supporting the organization's growth;

• A healthy, safe, fair and inclusive environment where potential can be freely expressed and developed;

• The opportunity to work in a hybrid environment, supported by flexibility and access to inspiring and innovative workspaces.

Competitive Benefits

• Flexible group insurance plans

• Competitive retirement savings plan

• Employee share purchase plan

• Vacation program, wellness days and personal development days

• Telemedicine services

• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)

• Ergonomic furniture program

• Performance bonus

• Discounts on iA products

• And much more!

The typical hiring range for this position is between 130,000$ and 180,000$ CAD per year; the base salary offered may vary depending on knowledge, skills, years of experience and internal equity related to the role. At iA, we are committed to offering a fair, equitable and market‑based compensation structure. Our market data is updated annually to reflect the most current market conditions.