Job Opportunities VP, Business Development West

Wawanesa Insurance; Calgary; On-site; CAD 220,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mutual insurance provider is looking for a Vice President of Business Development in Calgary, Alberta. This role involves strategic leadership to grow revenue and manage crucial relationships with brokers. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in Property & Casualty insurance, strong leadership skills, and a proven track record in business development. The salary range for this position is estimated at $220,000 – $270,000 annually.

Benefits

Annual bonus plan

Leave of absence top-up programs

Generous vacation time

Premium free benefits

Pension plan

Qualifications

• 15 years of combined experience in Property & Casualty insurance and business development.
• 5 years of experience leading high-performing Business Development teams.
• Strong knowledge of the P&C Insurance market and broker network.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for the delivery of new business targets aligned with goals.
• Lead, manage and develop National Broker Relationships.
• Provide leadership and coaching to the business development team.

Skills

Business Development

Revenue Growth

Client Relationships

Strategic Initiatives

Education

Undergraduate level degree

FCIP certification

Tools

CRM

Market Research

Project Management

Job description

Job Overview

The Vice President of Business Development provides the strategic leadership required to profitably grow the revenue of Wawanesa’s P&C Operations in their market by developing growth strategies and leading a Business Development team on the execution of sales programs with our broker distribution partners.

About Us

This role requires you to be physically onsite in a Wawanesa office 3 to 5 days per week (Depending on location).

The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company (Wawanesa Mutual) founded in 1896 is one of Canada's largest mutual insurers with over $3.5 billion in annual revenue and assets of $10 billion (CAD). Wawanesa Mutual with its National Headquarters in Winnipeg is the parent company of Wawanesa Life, which provides life insurance products and services throughout Canada and Western Financial Group, which distributes personal and business insurance across Canada. Wawanesa proudly serves more than 1.7 million members in Canada and we are home to more than 3600 employees distributed across the Canadian regions and communities where we operate. We give back to organizations that strengthen communities, donating more than $3.5 million annually to charitable organizations, including over $2 million annually in support of people on the front lines of climate change.

We are currently looking for dedicated, driven and enthusiastic individuals who thrive in an environment that welcomes change and are looking for an opportunity for diverse experience and advancement on a growing team.

Salary

At Wawanesa salary is only one component of a holistic, comprehensive and competitive offering that we provide to our full-time and part-time permanent employees. Employees are eligible for an annual bonus plan, leave of absence top‑up programs, generous vacation time, personal days, premium free benefits, and a pension plan. The salary offered for this role is determined with consideration to various factors including but not limited to: work location, local labour market conditions, external market salary data, internal pay equity, and the knowledge, skills, experience and anticipated proficiency in the role. The salary offered is estimated to be within the following range: $220,000 – $270,000. Candidates with salary expectations outside of the range are still encouraged to apply.

Job Responsibilities

• Accountable for the delivery of new business targets aligned with our lines of business goals.
• Establish broker production targets, creating operational activities to achieve growth plans based on individual brokerage plans and lines of business goals.
• Lead, manage and develop specific National Broker Relationships, building new opportunities and maintaining existing accounts.
• Prospect for new distribution partnerships, develop and strengthen current relationships through ongoing contact and support.
• Assess contracted brokers’ benefit or risk to lines of business and corporate strategic goals.
• Responsible for building sales strategies that maximize upsell / cross‑sell and portfolio pipeline opportunities, leading to higher sales and achieving business targets.
• Ownership of external large industry events, enhancing Wawanesa representation and engagement, including but not limited to relationships with Broker Associations, participation at Broker Conventions and the delivery of Broker Advisory Councils.
• Provide leadership and coaching to the business development team, creating a high‑performance culture.
• Maintain an exceptional competitive intelligence and knowledge of the changing marketplace, products, brokerages and competitors.
• Act as an Ombudsman and escalation point with Wawanesa’s Executive Leadership team and brokers to ensure effective communication and resolution of company/brokerage concerns.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• 15 years of combined experience in Property & Casualty insurance and business development.
• Strong knowledge of the P&C Insurance market and broker network within the western Canada regions (British Columbia, Alberta, or Manitoba).
• 5 years of experience leading and developing high‑performing Business Development teams within the Property & Casualty insurance industry.
• Proven ability to lead and influence across a complex, matrixed organization, fostering collaboration and alignment among cross‑functional teams.
• Proven relationship builder with high emotional intelligence able to work with C‑suite leaders of National Brokers and industry participants.
• Demonstrated ability to execute and deliver targeted top‑line revenue growth.
• Undergraduate level degree and/or successful completion of FCIP.
• Excellent leadership skills with the ability to influence and gain respect, credibility and confidence from others.
• Excellent planning and organizing skills involving goal setting and results measurement, with the ability to develop effective plans that define activities, resources and timelines.
• Excellent presentation skills with the ability to effectively facilitate sessions and deliver powerful presentations.
• Superior verbal and written communication skills and executive presence; ability to interact with all levels of senior management.
• This role follows a hybrid work model requiring regular commuting to the nearest regional office (Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary: 3 days per week; Winnipeg: 5 days per week), depending on the employee’s location.
• Ability and willingness to travel.

Diversity Equity Inclusion & Belonging

At Wawanesa we are committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) and believe that our strength lies in the diversity of our people, a representative workforce.

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, including racialized persons, women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of the 2SLGBTQIA community, gender‑diverse and neurodiverse individuals, and anyone who can contribute to the further diversification of thought and ideas.

We aim to ensure our recruitment process is accessible to all candidates. If you require accommodations during any stage of the recruitment process, please reach out in confidence to .

All Wawanesa job applicants are subject to Wawanesa’s .

Key Skills

Business Development, Financial Services, Revenue Growth, Accounting, Account Management, CRM, Client Relationships, Market Research, Project Management, Strategic Initiatives, Business Relationships, Business Strategy, Sales Goals, Sales Process, Product Development