Strategic Portfolio Lead Insurance

National Bank of Canada; Montreal (administrative region); On-site; CAD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness program

Flexible group insurance

Generous pension plan

Employee Share Ownership Plan

Employee and family assistance program

Preferential banking services

Involvement in community initiatives

Telemedicine service

Virtual sleep clinic

Job summary

National Bank of Canada is seeking a senior leader to orchestrate the Insurance strategic portfolio, driving priorities, risks, and governance across multiple initiatives. You will prepare executive-level reports, guide decision-making, and coach initiative owners to align with business priorities and best practices.

The role emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, data-backed insights, and stakeholder management to advance transformation efforts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree in a related field with 8+ years in portfolio governance or PM/PO roles.
• Strong ability to synthesize complex information for executive audiences.
• Experience influencing across cross-functional teams and managing governance processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional orchestration of the Insurance strategic portfolio, prioritizing initiatives and dependencies.
• Prepare executive-level status reports for senior leadership, highlighting priorities and risks.
• Anticipate cross-functional issues, recommend actions, and support decision-making.
• Facilitate governance meetings and align teams with leadership expectations.
• Coach initiative owners on priorities, action plans, and governance requirements.
• Act as liaison with Corporate Portfolio, PMO, and stakeholders to ensure alignment.
• Facilitate alignment among teams, initiatives, and business priorities.

Skills

Coaching

Data Synthesis

Decision Tools

Insurance

MD&A

Project Management

Portfolio Management

Resiliency

Product Owner

Stakeholder Management

Strategic Communications

Strategic Planning

Team Alignment

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

Tools

SharePoint

JIRA

Confluence

PowerPoint

Excel

Power BI

Job description

Your role

• Lead the cross-functional orchestration of the Insurance strategic portfolio, including priorities, status updates, risks, dependencies, and key issues.
• Prepare and present clear executive-level status reports for senior leadership, highlighting priorities, required decisions, risks, and business challenges.
• Anticipate cross-functional issues, recommend actions to prioritize, and support decision-making in an environment where multiple initiatives are progressing simultaneously.
• Facilitate governance meetings, support prioritization and arbitration discussions, and consolidate the information required by leadership.
• Coach and support initiative owners in structuring priorities, action plans, dependencies, and governance requirements while promoting the adoption of best practices, common frameworks, and reference templates.
• Act as a liaison with the Corporate Portfolio team, Project Management, and key stakeholders to ensure alignment and consistency of follow-ups.
• Facilitate alignment among teams, initiatives, and business priorities.

Your team

The Insurance sector is made up of specialists who collaborate in a proactive and people-centered way to help protect our clients at all times.
Your team oversees the strategic portfolio, business processes, and business capacity management for the Insurance sector. This mandate supports the organization’s business strategy, including product management, client experience, net growth, and transformation objectives, particularly in digital distribution. It is also grounded in data-driven decision-making, a deep understanding of client needs, and close collaboration with the financing and credit card value chains.
We offer a wide range of ongoing learning opportunities to support your development, including practical training, courses, and collaboration with colleagues who bring diverse expertise and backgrounds. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace where every employee is valued. National Bank stands out through its many initiatives promoting inclusion, making it a Canadian leader in diversity

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 8 years of relevant experience in project portfolio management, governance, strategic initiative oversight, or project management.
• Strong understanding of the insurance industry and its key business drivers.
• Proven ability to synthesize complex information, prepare executive-level reporting, and communicate insights effectively to senior stakeholders.
• Strong influencing, coaching, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to guide teams through complex initiatives, cross-functional dependencies, and governance processes.
• Proficiency with collaboration, tracking, and presentation tools, including SharePoint, JIRA, Confluence, PowerPoint, Excel, and Power BI, as well as the ability to continuously improve portfolio management practices and tools.
• Previous experience as a Product Owner or in a product-led transformation environment is considered a strong asset.

Languages: French

Required skills: Coaching, Data Synthesis, Decision-making Tools, Insurance, Management Discussion and Analysis, Project Management, Project Portfolio Management, Resiliency, Scrum Professional Product Owner, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Communications, Strategic Planning, Team Alignment, Teamwork

Your benefits

In addition to competitive compensation, upon hiring you’ll be eligible for a wide range of flexible benefits to help promote your wellbeing and that of your family such as:

• Health and wellness program, including many options
• Flexible group insurance
• Generous pension plan
• Employee Share Ownership Plan
• Employee and family assistance program
• Preferential banking services
• Involvement in community initiatives
• Telemedicine service
• Virtual sleep clinic

We have an offer that keeps up with trends as well as your needs and those of your family.

Our dynamic work environments and cutting-edge collaboration tools foster a positive employee experience. We value employees’ ideas. Whether through our surveys or programs, regular feedback and ongoing communication are encouraged.

Making a bold move in a people-first environment

We’re a bank on a human scale that stands out for its courage, entrepreneurial culture, and passion for people. Our mission is to have a positive impact on people’s lives. Our core values of partnership, agility, and empowerment inspire us, and inclusion is central to our commitments. We aim, wherever possible, to provide a barrier-free and accessible environment to all employees.

We strive to provide accessibility measures throughout the recruitment process within the limits of our available resources. If you require accommodations, feel free to let us know during our initial conversations. We welcome all candidates! What can you bring to our team?

Join us!