Senior Product Specialist

Canada Life Group; London; On-site; CAD 66,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career Development

Health & Wellness

Time Off

Financial Security

Rewards and Recognition

Community

Job summary

Canada Life is seeking a Senior Product Specialist to lead lifecycle management of group benefit products, aligning customer insights with market trends and compliant operations. You will work with internal teams, field partners, and external providers to drive product performance and client experiences.

The role focuses on Elective Accounts, AD&D, Life and Critical Illness, with adaptability to broader product areas across group benefits.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in product management, product development or related field.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex products with multiple stakeholders and providers.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to turn data into actionable insights.
• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills for diverse audiences.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and drive decisions in a matrix environment.
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to influence and align cross-functional teams.
• Customer and market orientation with balance of client needs and business priorities.

Responsibilities

• Manage products across their lifecycle with accountability for experience, readiness and performance.
• Translate patterns in data and experiences into clear insights and recommended actions.
• Shape product direction through input on priorities, roadmaps and go-to-market approaches.
• Lead cross-functional implementation of product changes from concept to launch and review.
• Manage external providers and governance for service performance and alignment on priorities.
• Coordinate decisions, dependencies and momentum across multiple priorities.
• Provide product guidance, including handling complex questions, escalations and RFPs.
• Develop clear product communications, references, materials and training for field and partners.
• Maintain current product documentation and contribute to tools and processes for better product management.

Skills

Product management

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Problem solving

Ambiguity navigation

Influencing skills

Presentation skills

Customer & market orientation

Organizational skills

Education

Post-secondary degree

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Job description

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The Senior Product Specialist plays a key role in managing and evolving Group Benefit products across their lifecycle. The role connects real-world product experience, customer and market insight, and disciplined execution to improve product performance, strengthen the client and member experience, and shape better product outcomes.

Working closely with internal business partners, field teams, and external providers, the Senior Product Specialist translates complex needs and emerging signals into clear recommendations and coordinated action. This is a highly collaborative role that balances product strategy, product operations, vendor management, implementation, and day-to-day portfolio stewardship.

While the successful candidate will initially be aligned to a specific product portfolio with a focus on Canada Life’s Elective Accounts and financial protection products (AD&D, Life and Critical Illness), we are ultimately seeking a versatile product specialist who can support and manage a broad range of Group Benefits offerings. Adaptability, curiosity, and the ability to quickly build expertise across diverse product areas are key to success in this role.

What you will do

• Manage products across their lifecycle: Support the ongoing management, maintenance, enhancement, and evolution of assigned group benefit products, with clear accountability for product experience, readiness, and performance.
• Turn experience into insight: Identify patterns across client, member, field, operational, and provider interactions. Move beyond reporting individual events to explain what they mean, why they matter, and where action is required.
• Shape product direction: Bring credible customer, market, competitive, and operational insights into product planning. Contribute to priorities, roadmaps, use cases, enhancements, and go-to-market approaches.
• Lead product change: Assess the impact of market, legislative, compliance, contractual, provider, and operational changes. Develop recommendations and coordinate cross-functional implementation from concept through launch and post-implementation review.
• Manage external providers: Build productive provider relationships and support effective governance, service performance, issue resolution, product enhancements, contract requirements, and alignment on shared priorities.
• Lead through influence: Bring together internal partners and external providers, clarify decisions and accountabilities, resolve issues, manage dependencies, and maintain momentum across multiple concurrent priorities.
• Provide product expertise: Act as a trusted subject matter expert for complex product questions, escalations, RFPs, client needs, and internal decision-making. Translate technical, contractual, and operational detail into clear business guidance.
• Enable the field and business: Support the development of clear product communications, reference materials, presentations, and training that help partners understand product value, positioning, changes, and appropriate use.
• Strengthen product management practices: Maintain current product documentation, identify opportunities to improve tools and processes, capture lessons learned, and contribute to a consistent and insight-led product management discipline.

What we’re looking for

• Proven experience in product management, product development, group benefits, insurance, health and, or a related business discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex products or initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and external providers.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to connect varied information, identify patterns, assess business impact, and develop practical recommendations.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and make sound judgements when established approaches or guidance do not fully address the situation.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the confidence to challenge constructively, build alignment, and move decisions forward.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills, including the ability to simplify complex product, contractual, operational, and market information for different audiences.
• Strong customer and market orientation, with the ability to balance client and member needs, business priorities, risk, feasibility, and provider considerations.
• Highly organised and able to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, issues, and dependencies in a changing environment.
• Collaborative, curious, accountable, and comfortable moving between strategic thinking and hands‑on execution.
• Proficientcy in Microsoft, Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Post‑secondary degree, diploma, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience is an asset.
• Reliability Status Security Clearance – this can only be completed with candidates who receive an offer of employment. This is a personal security status that is required as a condition of employment before an employee can gain access to Protected B information, assets or work sites as outlined by the Government of Canada website. The cost of submitting these checks will be covered by Canada Life.

Nice to haves:

• Knowledge of Canadian group benefits, health insurance, .
• Experience with product lifecycle management, market analysis, business cases, implementation, vendor governance, or contract management.
• Relevant product management, project management, business analysis, benefits, or insurance credentials.
• Experience developing executive‑ready recommendations, product communications, training, or go‑to‑market materials.
• As this position is posted in several locations, we specify that bilingualism is an asset (fluent in French and English) but is required for Quebec only as the position will regularly serve our clients with French and English‑speaking needs.

The base salary for this position is between $65,800 - $109,700 annually. This represents base salary only and does not represent other variable compensation components of our total compensation ( i.e. annual bonus, commission etc). If you are selected to move forward in our recruitment process, your recruiter will be able to discuss additional details of our total rewards program with you.

Career opportunities will be open a minimum of 5 business days from the date of posting, closing dates will vary depending on the search activity. All applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Grow with Canada Life

We’reunited by a shared purpose: to improve the financial,physicaland mental well beingof Canadians. Our company is trusted by 1 in 3 Canadians and contributes to the strength of communities across the country.

We’relooking for people who live our values everyday: we step up, we do the right thing, and we deliver – for our customers,communitiesand each other.Are you someone who always strives to do the right thing, who steps up for themselves and others, and who delivers with impact? Then we want to hear from you!

What we offer:

• Career Development: Opportunities for career advancement, access to industry‑leading learning programs and up to$2,000 annuallytowardseducation reimbursement.
• Health & Wellness:Flexible health and dental benefits,plus a $5,000 mental health benefit to support your well-being.
• Time Off:In addition to regular vacation andpersonal days,we support communityinvolvement with avolunteer day.
• Financial Security:Company-matching pension plan,share ownership program andadditionalinvestment options.
• Rewards and Recognition:Employee recognition programs, service milestone celebrations, employee discounts and more!
• Emphasis onCommunity:We provide aworkplace whereemployeesfeel connected and supported throughEmployee Resource Groups (ERGs),mentorshipprograms,socialclubsandevents.

We’recommitted to removing barriers and ensuring equal access to employment. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation during the application process may contact [e-mail] . All information provided will be handledin accordance withapplicable laws and Canada Life policies.

Canada Life would like to thank all applicants, however only those who qualify for an interview will be contacted.

Location

London, ON, CA Montreal, Quebec, CA Toronto, ON, CA Winnipeg, MB, CA