Program Specialist, Benefits and Engagement

Foresters Financial; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 50,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Program Specialist to enhance member benefits and engagement initiatives. This dynamic role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to develop and execute strategies that align with the company’s mission. You will play a crucial role in analyzing program effectiveness, managing stakeholder relationships, and driving innovative solutions to improve member engagement. If you are passionate about enhancing member experiences and thrive in a fast-paced environment, this opportunity is perfect for you. Join a forward-thinking organization that values diversity and inclusion while making a positive impact in the community.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in program or business development and management.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to assess programs and identify improvements.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with stakeholders to develop and manage member engagement programs.
• Support program improvement through data-driven decision making and analysis.

Skills

Program Development

Communication Skills

Analytical Skills

Project Management

Stakeholder Engagement

Change Management

Budget Management

Interpersonal Skills

Problem Solving

Numeracy

Education

Post-secondary education in business

Post-secondary education in communications

Post-secondary education in marketing

Tools

MS Excel

Job description

Career Opportunity

Role Title

Program Specialist, Benefits and Engagement

Purpose of Role

The Program Specialist, Member Benefits and Engagement, is responsible for supporting the strategic direction, development, and management of Foresters Purpose-Led Loyalty and Rewards Strategy, and overseeing cross-benefit member engagement initiatives.

Success in this role will result in the continued engagement of members, producers and employees in their health and wellness journey, and in Foresters purpose through clearly defined KPI’s and data-driven decision making around program development, optimization, and innovation.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborating closely with the Team Lead, Loyalty, Rewards, and Special Projects, this role will employ program development and analysis, communication, and change management skills, as well as program maintenance, administration and delivery of program metrics and results to key stakeholders that are thoughtfully analyzed, easily understood, and help guide the program direction.
• Support and enhance a three-country strategy (CA, US, and UK) to increase engagement with Forester's purpose through the Foresters Go member benefit and community member pilot initiatives.
• Strengthen producer engagement by supporting initiatives and developing resources and programs that illustrate the value of member benefits, driving sales growth across all three countries.
• Advance member benefits and engagement through innovative solutions aligned with Foresters mission, integrating research, competitive analysis, scalable, and sustainable assessments, while overseeing stakeholder feedback, straw model creation, and presentation development.
• Provide operational oversight and recommendations for program and process improvement.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to create comprehensive delivery plans ensuring the successful execution of programs and projects related to member benefits.
• Support communications and change management efforts for member benefits ensuring that both internal and external stakeholders thoroughly understand program guidelines, criteria, and objectives.
• Facilitate collaborative initiatives by organizing meetings to collect feedback and communicate updates with key stakeholders on program improvements, trends, and future pilots.
• Work in collaboration with cross functional teams, maintaining full visibility to program needs and requirements to ensure member benefit roadmaps are aligned, project plans are in place and milestones are set to ensure timely completion of deliverables.
• Support the delivery of annual program reviews by reporting on key metrics, identifying trends, and providing recommendations for program improvement and further analysis.
• Support the management of third-party vendors to deliver on the portfolio and program priorities and provide cost-effective, service-oriented benefits to members; support day-to-day operational management of vendor relationships.
• Support the development, review and analysis of financial and engagement models, budget forecast requirements and preparations, and scheduling of expenditures.
• Support collaboration efforts with Senior Leadership, Member Leaders and distribution partners as needed.
• Develop resource materials including program guidelines, FAQ’s, training material, standard messaging, and presentations for the program and/or department.
• Review and address complex member escalations to resolve issues related to Foresters Go, ensuring timely and effective solutions.

Key Qualifications

• 3-5 years of program and/or business development experience as well as program or product management including research.
• Post-secondary education in business, communications, marketing or related field.
• Proven expertise in communications, program operations / product management, and process documentation.
• Experience with developing reports and annual plans that contribute to long-term program strategy based on program analysis and data-driven decision making.
• Strong analytical skills, ability to proactively assess programs, identify weaknesses and support the development of improvements.
• Proficient and confident with numeracy, including metrics, budgets, MS Excel, etc.
• Extremely organized, with a keen eye for detail and a passion for complex development work with multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Comfortable interacting with all levels of the organization, external and internal clients and third-party providers, promoting and developing harmonious working relationships.
• Manage multiple projects concurrently, ability to address high volumes and tight deadlines.
• Ability to adapt to a quickly changing, fast-paced conceptual environment.
• Strong communication skills, verbal, written and presentation that enables one to build trust and relationships quickly.
• Positive, ‘can do’ attitude, with the ability to anticipate problems and be proactive in finding solutions.
• Experience in app development and engagement within the not-for-profit sector is an asset.

#LI-Hybrid

Equal Opportunity Employment and Inclusion – at Foresters Financial, we are committed to sustaining an equal opportunity environment for all job applicants. We embrace Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) as a core strategic objective for building strong, innovative teams in which all our employees can show up wholly and authentically as themselves.

Foresters Financial strives to provide an accessible candidate experience for prospective employees with different abilities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodations during the recruitment process, please email [e-mail] in advance of your appointment.

Thank you for choosing Foresters. Only those candidates who will be selected for further consideration will be contacted by our Talent Acquisition Team.