Director, Specialty Lines

intactfc; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 162,000 - 198,000; Full time

Job summary

Intact is seeking a dynamic Director to lead our Specialty Solutions team, guiding a national group of managers and specialists in underwriting our Commercial Group Programs portfolio. You will drive profitable growth in the Canadian market, building trusted broker relationships and delivering technical excellence.

You will shape strategy, set performance targets, and align with corporate underwriting philosophy.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of relevant management experience, ideally in commercial or specialty insurance.
• Strong knowledge of specialty lines and Commercial Group Programs insurance.
• Demonstrated experience in the commercial insurance marketplace.

Responsibilities

• Lead the profitability, growth, and strategic direction of the Commercial Group Programs portfolio.
• Lead, coach, and develop a national team of managers and specialists, including performance management and talent development.
• Establish clear team objectives, accountabilities, and performance measures to support portfolio management and growth.
• Identify opportunities to improve business processes, underwriting quality, and operational effectiveness.
• Develop policy direction and underwriting guidelines that support disciplined risk selection, pricing, and retention.
• Act as the team's senior underwriting authority on risk selection, pricing, and retention matters.
• Build and strengthen relationships with brokers and key market partners to identify opportunities.
• Partner with Intact Commercial Lines counterparts for alignment and new business opportunities.
• Manage relationships between corporate and divisional Specialty Solutions teams for collaboration.
• Lead delivery of key operational initiatives, tech enhancements, product development, and centres of excellence.
• Conduct underwriting audits to improve practices and risk selection; determine staffing requirements.
• Collaborate with regional management and claims leadership on technical and administrative matters.
• Provide regular updates and recommendations to the Vice President on portfolio performance.

Skills

Management experience

Knowledge of specialty lines

Experience in commercial insurance

Job description

Our employees are at the heart of everything we do. Together, we help people, businesses, and society prosper in good times and be resilient in bad times.

Our employee promise represents Intact's commitment to you in exchange for living our Values, striving to do your best work, being open to change and investing in your career. In return, we promise to provide support, opportunities and performance-led financial rewards at a workplace where you can shape the future, win as a team and grow with us.

Pay at Intact is about much more than just salary.

Benefits

• Flexible work arrangements and a hybrid work model
• Possibility to purchase up to 5 extra days off per year
• Multiple benefits offered to support physical and mental wellbeing, including telemedicine, Wellness account and much more
• Share plan & other savings: up to 12% of salary or even more (ask how you could earn guaranteed income for life)

Salary range (but not limited to): 161,600 - 197,500

Annual bonus target, based on the base salary, with a potential payout of up to double the target (subject to personal and company performance): 20%

As part of our commitment to Win As A Team , we share our success with employees through our annual bonus plan and Employee Share Purchase Plan (ESPP) - with Intact matching 50% of your net shares.

Our pension offerings provide flexibility and long-term security for our employees beyond their careers. We are one of the few companies offering the opportunity to receive guaranteed income for life via our defined benefit pension plan.

Salary for the candidate will be determined taking into consideration a number of factors including: experience, skills, qualifications, anticipated contribution to role, internal equity, etc. The salary range presented above is based on a 35-hour workweek and would represent a majority of different candidate profiles. However, we encourage candidates who may fall outside of this range to apply as well.

About the role

We are seeking a dynamic and strategic Director to join our Specialty Solutions team. In this role, you will lead a national team of managers and specialists responsible for underwriting our Commercial Group Programs portfolio.

Drawing on your strong experience in specialty lines and commercial insurance, you will drive profitable growth by developing and executing strategic plans tailored to the Canadian marketplace and aligned with our program appetite. You will also build trusted relationships with brokers and key market partners to ensure that Specialty Solutions delivers exceptional service, deep technical expertise, and strong business results.

What you’ll do here:

• Lead the profitability, growth, and strategic direction of the Commercial Group Programs portfolio
• Lead, coach, and develop a national team of managers and specialists, including performance management, succession planning, and talent development.
• Establish clear team objectives, accountabilities, and performance measures to support portfolio management, productivity, technical quality, and profitable growth
• Identify opportunities to improve business processes, operational effectiveness, and underwriting quality
• Develop and recommend policy direction and underwriting guidelines that support disciplined risk selection, pricing, and retention
• Act as the team's senior underwriting authority on risk selection, pricing, and retention matters within the corporate underwriting philosophy
• Build and strengthen relationships with brokers and other key market partners to identify and pursue growth opportunities
• Partner with Intact Commercial Lines counterparts to ensure proper alignment of business, identify improvement opportunities and new business opportunities
• Manage relationships between corporate and divisional Specialty Solutions teams to support consistency, collaboration, and effective execution
• Lead the delivery of key operational initiatives and strategic projects, including technology enhancements, product development, centres of excellence, corporate liaison, and operational implementation
• Conduct underwriting audits to assess the soundness of underwriting practices and risk selection, and to identify opportunities for improvement
• Determine staffing requirements in accordance with regional management and corporate guidelines
• Collaborate with regional management, underwriting managers, corporate underwriting, and claims leadership on technical, operational, and administrative matters
• Provide regular updates, reporting, and recommendations to the Vice President on portfolio performance, operational priorities, risks, and opportunities
• Travel as required to support team leadership, broker relationships, and business priorities

What you bring to the table:

• Minimum 5 years of relevant management experience, ideally in commercial or specialty insurance
• Strong knowledge of specialty lines and Commercial Group Programs insurance
• Demonstrated experience in the commercial insurance marketplace
• A p