Senior Project Manager

Wawanesa Insurance; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A major insurance company in Toronto seeks a Senior Project Manager to deliver large-scale projects aligned with organizational priorities. Responsibilities include planning, managing cross-functional teams, and engaging stakeholders. The ideal candidate has over 7 years of experience in project management and holds relevant certifications. The position emphasizes strong leadership, budgeting skills, and familiarity with Agile methodologies. This role offers a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience managing large, complex, and strategic projects in a matrixed environment.
• Experience in financial and budget management with strong attention to detail.
• Proficiency with various project management methodologies and tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of large-scale, strategic projects.
• Develop and manage integrated project plans, schedules, budgets, and resource allocations.
• Prepare and present project updates, dashboards, and governance reports.

Skills

Project planning

Risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Facilitation skills

Education

Post-secondary education or equivalent experience

Project management certification (PMP, PgMP)

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

MS Planner

Job description

Job Overview

Working under limited supervision, this role plays a critical part in delivering large, complex, and strategic initiatives that support Wawanesa’s strategic priorities. The Senior Project Manager ensures projects are executed with discipline, transparency, and alignment to strategic goals. This role manages cross-functional teams, third-party vendors, and internal stakeholders to deliver measurable outcomes and value.

Job Responsibilities

1. Lead the end-to-end delivery of large-scale, strategic projects, ensuring alignment with the Life organization, enterprise priorities, and the EPMO’s strategic framework.
2. Develop and manage integrated project plans, schedules, budgets, and resource allocations using approved methodologies and tools.
3. Manage project decisions, risks, issues, dependencies, and change requests.
4. Collaborate with the Director of Life Transformation and stakeholders to ensure project alignment with capability roadmaps, resource planning, and value architecture.
5. Support benefits realization by defining success metrics, tracking KPIs, and contributing to value creation reports.
6. Prepare and present project updates, dashboards, and governance reports.
7. Manage vendor relationships and contracts to ensure quality and accountability.
8. Champion change management practices in collaboration with Enterprise Portfolio Change stakeholders to facilitate adoption and sustainment.
9. Drive consistent application of the PM COE methodology and tools for effective project delivery.
10. Contribute to continuous improvement of delivery standards and tools.
11. Mentor junior Project Managers and enhance project delivery maturity within the Life organization.
12. Maintain accurate and transparent project documentation and reporting to stakeholders and governance forums.
13. Ensure consistent application of project management methodologies (e.g., PMI, Agile, SAFe) and tools (e.g., JIRA, Confluence, SharePoint, MS Planner).
14. Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience managing large, complex, and strategic projects in a matrixed environment.
• Post-secondary education or equivalent experience.
• Project management certification such as PMP, PgMP, or similar is required.
• Chartered Insurance Professional or Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional certification is an asset.
• Experience in financial and budget management with strong attention to detail.
• Proficiency with various project management methodologies and tools.
• Understanding of Information Technology principles (Architecture, Application Development, Quality Assurance, Service Delivery).
• Strong skills in project planning, risk management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Experience in the Insurance industry (Individual Life, Group, Wealth, Property & Casualty) is an asset.
• Certified Change Management accreditation (CCMP or PROSCI) is an asset.

Wawanesa is proud to be recognized as an exceptional place to work in Canada!

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

At Wawanesa, we are committed to DEIB and believe our strength lies in our diverse 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 others contributing to diversity of thought and ideas.

We aim to make our recruitment process accessible to all candidates. If you require accommodations, please contact us in confidence.

All applicants are subject to Wawanesa's employment policies.