Director Service Quality And Strategic Initiatives

Our client, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) is a dynamic, innovative, independent, and self-funded regulator of financial services and pensions; FSRA was established to replace the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) and the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario (DICO).

The organization promotes strong financial services and pension sectors while protecting the public interest. FSRA has responsibility for regulating property and casualty insurance (including auto insurance rates), life and health insurance, credit unions and caisses populaires, loan and trust companies, mortgage brokers, health service providers (related to auto insurance), financial planners/advisors, and pension plans. We are building an agile, forward-thinking, and collaborative culture, and FSRA is committed to encouraging innovation and competition, and promoting market integrity and stability. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the regulator of the future.

Your Opportunity to Make a Difference

Our client is looking for a strategic leader for a newly created service quality function in the auto insurance products team. You are known not only for your operational acumen, but for your ability and reputation to streamline operating processes and procedures across the enterprise with an eye to improving service quality and capacity while ensuring operational efficiency, effectiveness, and risk mitigation. In this key role, you will have a ground-floor opportunity to integrate service quality into programs and services across the regulatory function and bring critical insights to our continuous improvement culture.

As the new Director, Service Quality and Special Initiatives and as a member of the FSRA leadership team, you will report to the EVP of Auto Insurance Products (AIP) and will be accountable for establishing quality and standards frameworks, systems tools, and services for auto insurance products, policies, and operations and for providing direction in the development, implementation, and leadership of sector and stakeholder engagement strategies to further FSRA’s mandate.

Key accountabilities include:

• Managing the Auto Insurance team and its staff to support an environment and culture of service excellence which respects diversity, encourages all employees to work together to achieve results and contribute to a healthy, rewarding, and productive working environment where personal and team accountability are key to meeting the mandate of FSRA. Accountable for building a strong team including hiring, orienting, training, and coaching of staff, determination of performance standards, conduct of performance reviews and management of performance and employee relations matters.
• Overseeing strategic initiatives from development through successful execution, such as stakeholder communications, operational planning, process management, and the creation of insightful, actionable management and risk reporting in support of AIP strategic and operational priorities.
• Leading the development, implementation and communication of the Auto Insurance team’s systems, tools, business processes, and services. This includes working in collaboration with leadership colleagues on Auto Insurance priorities and standards for FSRA.
• Representing the AIP team by leading and/or participating on working groups and committees both within and outside FSRA to ensure effective monitoring of developments, integration of efforts, identification of issues and opportunities to influence the AIP team and FSRA strategies and overall mandate.
• Executing comprehensive relationship management strategies for stakeholder outreach and engagement through collaboration with colleagues at all levels of FSRA who have a vested interest in the success of strategic outcomes.
• Directs the planning and implementation of the strategy and priorities for AIP, within the overall vision, strategy and priorities of the function supporting FSRA’s regulatory role.
• Providing strategic advice and expertise to the CEO, FSRA executives and Board of Directors on AIP plans, priorities and outcomes including strategies, services, and issues/challenges.
• Coordinating, developing, and communicating operational plans for the AIP team, in consultations with management which align with, and support the function’s operational plan and overall strategic plan.
• Executing actions including guidance initiation, development, refresh, internal training across team sector webinars, and other engagement, ensuring alignment and execution excellence across FSRA.
• Strategically sets the agenda for all standing technical advisory committee, special purpose advisory committee and stakeholder advisory committee meetings to tangibly demonstrate to the sector our commitment to transparency, collaboration, and principles-based regulation.
• Promoting and driving innovation and continuous improvement throughout the department and across FSRA related to department programs, services, and initiatives.
• Championing and leading critical change and a new collaborative, forward thinking culture within the AIP team, and works with others to achieve this across the enterprise.
• As a member of the FSRA leadership team, you will contribute to the FSRA strategy and development of tactics; and provide leadership in executing programs, services, or initiatives to deliver on the strategy.

Ideal Qualifications:

• Quality Standards: Experience developing quality standards programs in an operational context.
• Organization and Operations Effectiveness: Leadership skills to implement an effective and efficient organizational structure, systems, methodologies, and standards and ability to manage and champion change for an effective organizational culture and vision.
• Education: University or Post-Graduate Degree in finance, economics, business, or a related field.
• Strategic Leadership in Operations Management: 8-10 years’ experience in the financial services sector with expertise in strategic operations management in a larger relevant function/department; experience with boards and an understanding of board governance is an asset.
• Industry Experience: In-depth knowledge of the insurance sector and industry trends.
• Communication Skills: Strong interpersonal, relationship management, and negotiation skills coupled with strong written and verbal skills, including the ability to effectively communicate with both internal and external audiences.
• Relationship Management: Exceptional interpersonal skills coupled with a track record of building and maintaining effective long-term and productive working relationships with key internal stakeholders.
• Project/Program Leadership: Strong leadership and team management skills with an ability to monitor/track performance of projects and programs for enterprise success.

How to Apply

To explore this opportunity, please apply via email by July 14, 2023, or sooner to [email protected] quoting project FSRA-DSQ.

Should you wish to speak to our Executive Recruiter or to receive a detailed position description, please contact or 416-214-9299 x4, [email protected] or Jon Stungevicius at 416-214-9299 x1, [email protected].

All applications will be held in strict confidence. We thank all applicants, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Personal information is collected under the authority of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and will be used for employment assessment purposes only.