AVP, Canadian Operations

The AVP, Canadian Operations strategically plans, organizes, leads, controls and coordinates the provision of services for the Canadian Operations Center and provides oversight of 3rd Party vendors through a team of managers and their respective teams.  This role will be responsible for researching & presenting opportunities to deploy technology or process enhancements that support Operational Efficiency and Operational Excellence for our partners’ programs and for the Canadian organization and reporting digital enhancement & process automation opportunities, including potential cost savings.

What will be my duties and responsibilities in this job?

Team Leadership & Culture

• Provide support and direction to the managers to help set and achieve business and service goals.
• Leads process/relationship management and technical operations teams to meet client needs and drive the LOBs strategic initiatives
• Ensure appropriate organizational structure and sufficient resources across business units, to deliver business goals
• Responsible for appropriate remuneration of the departments
• Facilitate team’s continuous learning, career development and succession planning; clearly communicate expectations, provide appropriate feedback, coaching and developmental opportunities
• Ensure continued development of team in business process management services and tasks including good practices for process analysis, engineering, and optimization
• Build a superior team by a) assessing, developing, and engaging outstanding talent; b) evaluating existing claims management and ensuring they are operating effectively, addressing technical and leadership gaps in performance.
• Identify and orchestrate talent mobility to develop and retain talent with cross-capability and LOB knowledge.

Process Strategy and Leadership

• Translates business operations objectives into actionable plans and drives initiatives that deliver value added benefits to the business
• Manages and shares communications with other Operations leaders and business stakeholders regarding the operational strategy, performance, and progress related to operations processes and execution of or changes to processes.
• Monitor process performance to proactively identify issues or opportunities to digitize, improve CX and create efficiencies, with proposed solutions.
• Act as a change agent within the business building trusted relationships to influence and align leaders to achieve innovative solutions and results across a matrixed organization.
• Develop the business case and approach for greater standardization across products to reduce operational complexity and manual tasks
• Understand and address the impact of operational decisions on the customer and client experiences
• Coordinate across Operations to track and report on the value provided by Operations to each LOB / Channel supported, and maintain the LOB portfolio view of initiatives across Operations
• Address, coordinate, and track client operational issues to resolution
• Determine operational service needs and ensure that operations processes are in alignment with the delivery of SLAs
• Lead BPOs to gather requirements, organize, and maintain process documentation, define, and optimize process models, conduct user acceptance testing.
• Evaluate process changes, impacts, and make recommendations for implementation

Operations Practices and Execution

• Focus on the entire process, introducing innovation into the process that can impact results, enhance profitability, and assist the organization to meet its business objectives and goals. 
• Perform scoping and impact analysis for incoming project requests
• Validate business case, objectives and benefits and ROI horizon to ensure anticipated benefits are realistic and achievable
• Develop, document, and maintain internal operational and outward-facing business processes and methodologies
• Educate and enforce process standards across the operational team
• Organize and maintain business process documentation / controls repository for Operations processes including strategic, operational, and back-office processes and methodology
• Develop and maintain the enterprise business capability model and process landscapes in collaboration with the operation capability leaders
• Develop and implement standards for documenting, reusing, sharing, and maintaining process documents
• Collaborate with peers and LOB Ops leader(s) and capability leaders to understand and balance business requirements and standardization goals to design processes
• Influences decisions around the definition and simplification of processes to reduce operational friction that impacts LOBs, customers, and clients
• Collaborate with LOB Ops leader(s) to evaluate process changes, impacts, and make recommendations for implementation
• Develop new process models based on process management standards
• Modify and optimize process models based on defined goals/requirements
• Identify and drive operational innovation, automation, and transformation initiatives
• Develop creative ways to solve operational and business problems and drive benefits by changing existing processes, strategies, and ways of working

What are the requirements needed for this position?

• Bachelor’s degree in business or equivalent/related field, or equivalent experience
• Minimum of at least 7 years of directly managing people
• Minimum of at least 7 years of operational management and/or business quality management experience in the areas of audit, regulatory and compliance
• Knowledge of coverage analysis, risk transfer, investigation, evaluation, negotiation and settlement of complex claims
• Knowledge of fundamental information technologies and the ability to use people, processes and technology to improve efficiency and effectiveness
• Proven ability to effectively lead, partner and communicate with various levels of the organization to define and execute cross-functional business objectives
• Requires strong leadership, mentoring, organizational and communication skills.
• A drive to enable both the management of ongoing business while also evaluating the continuous improvement of our operating model and operations processes related to claims and policy operations.
• Exceptional relationship-building experience with the ability to listen, build rapport, and credibility with peers and as a partner vertically within the business unit, as well as with leadership and capability teams
• Knowledge of fundamental information technologies and the ability to use people, processes, and technology to improve efficiency and effectiveness
• Proven ability to effectively lead, partner and communicate with various levels of the organization to define and execute cross-functional business objectives
• Energy, focus, assertiveness, and diplomacy.  Knows when to push an agenda and when to let a situation develop, rest, or advance
• Highly developed communication skills in writing, speaking, and presenting.  Ability and comfort with working at executive levels
• Ability to influence and break down silos within an organization as well across organizations using personal rather than positional power
• Must demonstrate acumen in business and capabilities that support the business
• An outside-in focus - Outstanding end customer/consumer relationship skills
• Strong humility, listening, creativity, and negotiation skills
• Accepts ownership and accountability for results

What other skills/experience would be helpful to have? 

• 10 + years supervisory and staff development experience in a corporate environment required
• 10 + years of experience in claims management, with oversight of multiple claims office with an Insurance carrier or 3rd party claims administrator.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise initiative, independent judgment and be a self- starter.
• Strong ability to work collaboratively to define shared goals, to design and implement effective tools and processes for meeting those goals, and for gaining alignment with all individuals involved in the associated initiatives
• Strong organizational and multi-tasking skills to be able to manage multiple complex strategic and operational business initiatives
• Ability to work in a fast-paced team environment

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Pay Range:

$142,700.00 - $235,400.00

Any posted pay range considers a wide range of compensation factors, including candidate background, experience and work location, while also allowing for salary growth within the position.

If there is no posting end date listed then this is a pipeline requisition, and we will continue to collect applications on an ongoing basis.

Helping People Thrive in a Connected World
Connect with us. Bring us your best work and your brightest ideas. And we’ll bring you a place where you can thrive. Learn more at jobs.assurant.com.

For U.S. benefit information, visit myassurantbenefits.com. For benefit information outside the U.S., please speak with your recruiter.

What’s the culture like at Assurant?
Our unique culture is a big reason why talented people choose Assurant. Named a Best/Great Place to Work in 15 countries and awarded the Fortune America’s Most Innovative Companies recognition, we bring together top talent around the world. Although we have a wide variety of skills and experiences, we share common characteristics that are uniquely Assurant. A passion for service. An ability to innovate in practical ways. And a willingness to take chances. We call our culture The Assurant Way.

Company Overview
Assurant is a leading global business services company that supports, protects, and connects major consumer purchases. A Fortune 500 company with a presence in 21 countries, Assurant supports the advancement of the connected world by partnering with the world’s leading brands to develop innovative solutions and deliver an enhanced customer experience through mobile device solutions, extended service contracts, vehicle protection services, renters insurance, lender-placed insurance products, and other specialty products.

Equal Opportunity Statement
Assurant is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not use or consider race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law in employment decisions.

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