Assistant Vice President, Head of Project Management Office (AVP, Head of PMO)
About The Position
Zurich Canada is seeking an Assistant Vice President, Head of Project Management Office (AVP, Head of PMO). This role is for a pragmatic project leader who can constructively challenge, influence senior stakeholders, and drive better outcomes for the business, customers, and colleagues. Reporting to the VP, Transformation Office, the AVP, Head of PMO will lead Zurich Canada’s Project Management Office, transforming strategic priorities into a disciplined project lifecycle with measurable delivery. The role involves providing portfolio oversight, governance, and execution discipline across business and technology initiatives. This is a new vacancy and offers an opportunity to build knowledge and experience in a supportive environment. Zurich Canada utilizes AI-enabled tools for recruitment, but all hiring decisions are made by qualified professionals.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree and 7+ years of experience in project management, strategic / operational consulting, or business transformation OR High school diploma and 9+ years of experience in project management, strategic / operational consulting or business transformation OR Zurich certified insurance apprentice (with Associate Degree) and 7+ years of experience in project management, strategic / operational consulting or business transformation.
- A strong track record leading complex projects, programs, PMO functions, or transformation initiatives.
- Strong project / program management experience, including governance, delivery discipline, risk management, benefits realization, and portfolio reporting.
- Proven ability to drive strategic and operational change, ideally in financial services or insurance.
- Confident senior stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, challenge, and align diverse groups.
- Clear executive communication skills, with the ability to distil complexity into practical decisions and actions.
- Strong analytical judgement, pragmatic problem-solving, and comfort working across a matrixed environment.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in claims, underwriting, or risk engineering.
- PMP or equivalent certification.
- LEAN, Six Sigma or continuous improvement experience.
- Experience with PPM tools, operating model change, organizational design, or large-scale transformation.
Responsibilities
- Lead Zurich Canada’s PMO, setting standards, methods, and best practices for project and program delivery.
- Maintain governance frameworks that drive consistency, quality, and disciplined execution across the portfolio.
- Oversee intake, prioritization, resourcing, documentation, and reporting in line with strategic priorities, budget, and audit standards.
- Provide independent challenge on business cases, plans, risks, issues, dependencies, and go/no-go decisions.
- Monitor portfolio performance, benefits realization, and progress against strategic goals using clear KPIs and dashboards.
- Manage interdependencies, resolve escalations, and reduce duplication across initiatives.
- Partner with business, transformation and IT leaders to translate strategic initiatives into prioritized projects with clear scope, workplans, budget, and implementation plans.
- Facilitate forums with leaders and stakeholders across the business and technology that drive decisions, approvals and prioritization of the Zurich Canada project portfolio.
Benefits
- Comprehensive health/benefits plan with varying levels of coverage.
- Competitive total compensation package.
- A minimum of four weeks of vacation per year.
- Four personal days per year.
- Access to a comprehensive range of training and development opportunities.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
