Senior External Counsel & Spend Governance Lead

Wawanesa Insurance; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus program

Leave top-up program

Generous vacation time

Premium-free benefits

Pension plan

Hybrid work environment

Job summary

The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company is seeking a leader to establish and manage the enterprise framework for external counsel governance, performance management, and legal spend oversight. You will leverage litigation expertise, vendor governance, and data-driven insights to improve the quality and value of legal services across the enterprise.

You will lead panel counsel relationships, manage spend, and ensure alignment with claims strategies and business goals, while partnering with Claims,

Qualifications

• 7+ years of litigation experience, preferably within insurance defence, bodily injury, casualty, or complex claims litigation.
• Demonstrated expertise in external counsel management, vendor governance, legal operations, or related legal service delivery models.
• Strong relationship management, communication and stakeholder influence skills, with the ability to build credibility across all levels of the organization.
• Experience establishing performance measures, evaluating service delivery, and leveraging data and insights to drive business decisions and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of a structured external counsel performance management program, including governance frameworks, processes, and reporting.
• Develop and maintain a claims-wide panel counsel strategy, including firm selection, specialization, and geographic alignment.
• Support vendor selection and onboarding processes, including participation in RFPs and evaluation of external law firms.
• Establish and maintain governance frameworks, including engagement guidelines, service standards, and escalation procedures.
• Support the development of formal vendor agreements and contracting approaches, including rate negotiation strategies.
• Ensure alignment between vendor services and claims strategies and business priorities.
• Design and implement a structured performance management framework, including defined KPIs and service expectations.
• Lead ongoing reviews of law firm performance using quantitative and qualitative data.
• Conduct file-level reviews and audits to assess quality and alignment with internal claims strategies.
• Analyze litigation performance and identify opportunities to improve outcomes, consistency, and service quality.
• Partner with Claims and Finance to establish and support legal spend management practices, including cost tracking, reporting, and budgeting insights.
• Establish and oversee billing guidelines and invoice review processes, ensuring compliance and cost discipline.
• Identify and support cost optimization opportunities, including rate benchmarking and alternative fee arrangements.
• Develop and maintain performance dashboards and reporting to support informed decision-making regarding firm selection, file assignment, and continued engagement.
• Translate litigation, spend, and performance data into actionable insights that inform vendor strategy and program improvements.
• Serve as a key point of contact for external law firms, supporting effective and collaborative vendor relationships.

Skills

Litigation experience

External counsel management

Vendor governance

Legal operations

Relationship management

Communication

Stakeholder influence

Education

Law degree

Job description

The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company is seeking a leader to establish and manage the enterprise framework for external counsel governance, performance management, and legal spend oversight. You will leverage litigation expertise, vendor governance, and data-driven insights to improve the quality and value of legal services across the enterprise.

You will lead panel counsel relationships, manage spend, and ensure alignment with claims strategies and business goals, while partnering with Claims,