Director, Specialty Lines

Our employees are at the heart of everything we do. Together, we help people, businesses, and society prosper in good times and be resilient in bad times.

We are seeking a dynamic and strategic Director to join our Specialty Solutions team. In this role, you will lead a national team of managers and specialists responsible for underwriting our Commercial Group Programs portfolio. 

Drawing on your strong experience in specialty lines and commercial insurance, you will drive profitable growth by developing and executing strategic plans tailored to the Canadian marketplace and aligned with our program appetite. You will also build trusted relationships with brokers and key market partners to ensure that Specialty Solutions delivers exceptional service, deep technical expertise, and strong business results. 

What you’ll do here: 

• Lead the profitability, growth, and strategic direction of the Commercial Group Programs portfolio 

• Lead, coach, and develop a national team of managers and specialists, including performance management, succession planning, and talent development. 

• Establish clear team objectives, accountabilities, and performance measures to support portfolio management, productivity, technical quality, and profitable growth. 

• Identify opportunities to improve business processes, operational effectiveness, and underwriting quality. 

• Develop and recommend policy direction and underwriting guidelines that support disciplined risk selection, pricing, and retention. 

• Act as the team’s senior underwriting authority on risk selection, pricing, and retention matters within the corporate underwriting philosophy. 

• Build and strengthen relationships with brokers and other key market partners to identify and pursue growth opportunities. 

• Partner with Intact Commercial Lines counterparts to ensure proper alignment of business, identify improvement opportunities and new business opportunities. 

• Manage relationships between corporate and divisional Specialty Solutions teams to support consistency, collaboration, and effective execution. 

• Lead the delivery of key operational initiatives and strategic projects, including technology enhancements, product development, centres of excellence, corporate liaison, and operational implementation. 

• Conduct underwriting audits to assess the soundness of underwriting practices and risk selection, and to identify opportunities for improvement. 

• Determine staffing requirements in accordance with regional management and corporate guidelines. 

• Collaborate with regional management, underwriting managers, corporate underwriting, and claims leadership on technical, operational, and administrative matters. 

• Provide regular updates, reporting, and recommendations to the Vice President on portfolio performance, operational priorities, risks, and opportunities. 

• Travel as required to support team leadership, broker relationships, and business priorities. 

What you bring to the table: 

• Minimum 5 years of relevant management experience, ideally in commercial or specialty insurance. 

• Strong knowledge of specialty lines and Commercial Group Programs insurance. 

• Demonstrated experience in the commercial insurance marketplace. 

• A proven track record of achieving profitable growth and managing underwriting performance. 

• Strategic thinking combined with strong attention to detail and sound business judgment. 

• The ability to lead, influence, and motivate teams while driving change in a complex environment. 

• Proven track record setting clear objectives and monitoring the progress of multiple projects against deadlines. 

• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders. 

• Experience setting clear objectives, managing competing priorities, and delivering multiple projects on schedule. 

• The ability to assess complex problems, make sound decisions, and take calculated risks in time-sensitive situations. 

• Knowledge of competitive practices, market trends, and developments affecting commercial insurance results, with the ability to translate insights into business recommendations. 

• Demonstrated ability to mentor, develop, and train employees at multiple levels. 

• A creative, solutions-oriented approach to business challenges. 

• Strong follow-through, accountability, and execution skills. 

• Willingness and ability to travel as required. 

• No Canadian work experience required however must be eligible to work in Canada. 
• For candidates located in Quebec, bilingualism is required considering the necessity to interact on a regular basis with English speaking colleagues across the country.

#LI-Hybrid

We are an equal opportunity employer

At Intact, our Value of respect is founded on seeing diversity as a strength. We strive to create an accessible workplace where employees feel valued, included and encouraged to share their unique perspectives.

We encourage applications from individuals who are members of equity-deserving groups, including but not limited to women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, Black people, and members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community.

As part of Intact’s commitment to reconciliation, we acknowledge that we work, meet and travel across the land currently called Canada, originally inhabited by First Nations, Metis and Inuit people. This history extends through many centuries and continues to evolve today.

We have policies to ensure equal access and participation for people with disabilities, including providing workplace adjustments (accommodations). A copy of applicable policies is available on request.

If we can provide a specific adjustment to make the recruitment process more accessible for you, please let us know when we reach out about a job opportunity. We’ll work with you to meet your needs.

Learn more about our recruitment process and your candidate journey here.

Please note that Intact does not provide sponsorship or other support for immigration-related matters including but not limited to employer-specific closed work permits. Candidates must be eligible to work in Canada from the anticipated start date and throughout their employment and are solely responsible for maintaining their work eligibility.

If you are an employee of Intact or belairdirect, please apply for this role on Internal Career Site.