Governance and Quality Assurance Lead, Distribution

Zurich; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading insurance provider is seeking a Governance & Quality Assurance Lead in Toronto, Ontario. This hybrid role involves championing governance excellence, ensuring compliance, and supporting risk management practices across underwriting operations. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree and over 7 years of experience in risk management or compliance. This position values diversity and community involvement, reflecting an inclusive workplace culture.

Benefits

Diversity and Inclusion initiatives

Collaborative culture

Community involvement programs

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in risk management, underwriting, governance, or compliance.
• Strong knowledge of insurance regulatory requirements and risk frameworks.
• Proven track record of implementing governance frameworks and audit processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead implementation of changes to broker management and contracts.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and Zurich policies.
• Support risk governance and reporting processes.

Skills

Risk management

Governance frameworks

Quality assurance

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, risk management, insurance, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Opportunity

Are you passionate about ensuring governance excellence, underwriting discipline, and quality assurance across a leading insurance business? At Zurich Canada, we’re seeking a Governance & Quality Assurance Lead to champion compliance, strengthen frameworks, and drive a culture of accountability across our underwriting operations. This role will be situated within the Customer & Market Management/Distribution team.

In this role, you will integrate Zurich’s Enterprise Risk Management Framework with strong governance and compliance practices to ensure underwriting excellence. You’ll support process oversight, risk management, and quality assurance while working across multiple stakeholders to embed best practices and mitigate risks.

This is a hybrid work opportunity.

What you will do

• Lead implementation of changes to broker management, including commissions, broker agreements, contracts and processes in response to laws, regulations, guidelines, and best practices.
• Ensure compliance with Zurich policies and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Support risk governance and reporting processes, including assurance coordination, internal controls, and risk committees.
• Develop and maintain governance frameworks, regulatory requirements, internal controls and audit actions to promote consistency and discipline geared towards the distribution channel needs.
• Champion fit-for-purpose documentation and authority standards that strengthen distribution governance.
• Implement and oversee robust quality control processes across the distribution channel.
• Support Broker Management and Distribution Governance reviews and monitor open action plans across audit, risk, compliance, and QA functions.
• Collaborate with various functions to identify and mitigate compliance risks.
• Conduct risk assessments and investigations to flag significant risk matters.
• Monitor adequacy of internal controls, ensuring risks are identified, quantified, and mitigated.
• Provide input to risk governance and reporting to ensure Zurich’s frameworks are consistently applied.
• Provide onboarding, training, and guidance to business units on governance and compliance.
• Reinforce regulatory discipline and excellence through tailored learning modules.
• Evaluate and refine current business unit specific processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
• Maintain feedback loops that adapt governance frameworks to evolving business needs.
• Serve as the liaison with Internal Controls and support remediation of control issues.
• Coordinate across functions including vendor management, procurement, finance, and assurance functions.
• Support business continuity and regulatory reporting processes.

Qualifications - What you bring to the table

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in business, risk management, insurance, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in risk management, underwriting, governance, or compliance.
• Strong knowledge of insurance regulatory requirements, internal controls, and risk frameworks.
• Proven track record of implementing governance frameworks, quality assurance, and audit processes.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Preferred

• Professional designations such as CIP, FCIP, CPCU, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with enterprise risk management, and regulatory reporting.
• Prior experience in the areas of Distribution, Compensation and Market Conduct.
• Strong business planning, process improvement, and change management capabilities.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office and risk analysis tools.

Our Culture

At Zurich, we are proud of our culture. We are passionate about Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging (DEIB). We want you to bring your whole self to work, and we want our employees to be reflective of the communities in which we live and work. Our DIEB initiatives are creating an environment where everyone feels welcome.

We have a collaborative culture where diversity of thought is valued. We value your input and strive to give our employees the tools they need to make an impact.

We care about our communities. Our communities are where our customers, people, and shareholders live and work. While we can be proud of the contribution to society Zurich makes through our core business of insurance, we must also give back to our communities through our talent, time and resources.

We have won numerous awards for our workplace culture. We are proud to be one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers and to have received Insurance Business Canada’s 5-Star Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award.

Make a difference. Be challenged. Be inspired. Be supported. Love what you do. Work for us.

About Us

Zurich Canada is part of the Zurich Insurance Group, a multi-line insurer with approximately 55,000 employees worldwide serving customers in global and local markets. Zurich Canada has been a leading insurance provider serving mid-sized and large companies, including multinational corporations, in the Canadian commercial market for 100 years. With over 550 employees in offices across the country, Zurich offers the global strength of a top insurance provider combined with in-depth knowledge of industries and local markets. Zurich Canada aspires to be risk management professionals’ first choice as their premier partner to help meet the risk challenges of today and tomorrow. Read more at www.zurichcanada.com.