Director, Crisis Management

The Canada Life Assurance Company • Toronto, ON

2d • CA$135,100 - CA$175,200 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are looking for a Director of Crisis Management. The Director of Crisis Management leads the enterprise all hazards Crisis Management team in the Canadian business segment. This key senior role directs a team of highly experienced crisis management professionals from across the organization in the emergency response, incident management and crisis management processes. This senior leader provides direction in resolving highly complex and time-sensitive issues across the enterprise, and partners with corporate senior leadership in critical decision making. Our ideal candidate is a Crisis Management industry professional. High collaboration, expert communication and impact/influencing skills are essential to this role. Confident under pressure, you have experience in successfully managing competing priorities simultaneously with the ability to effectively communicate and influence Senior Executives. You build relationships and know how to leverage them through periods of high complexity, ambiguity, and pressure. You utilize strong decision-making skills to move quickly, while managing risk in alignment with corporate policies and standards. You have a strategic mind and operate as a senior leader that drives improvement, ownership and accountability at all levels of the organization.

Requirements

• 5+ years' experience in developing crisis management and risk management planning, including business impact, emergency management and risk management.
• 5+ years' experience with leading and planning annual exercises.
• Strong organization, planning, and program/project management skills.
• Strength in building partnerships; working collaboratively with a variety of skills and levels and strong problem solving and analytical skills.
• Proven strength in driving business outcomes and results.
• Strong verbal and written communications.
• Extremely comfortable under pressure and in high stress situations
• Ability to work well with the business and technical teams.
• Adaptable to changing requirements and direction in a fast-moving environment.
• Drives results and changes processes to improve performance; creates a culture of accountability
• Ability to pivot and quickly change direction in response to changing priorities
• Effective team builder, proficient in coaching and mentoring
• Strong communication, collaboration and relationship building skills
• Relevant experience in banking and financial industry
• Experience leading or supporting the response to real-world incidents and emergencies.

Nice To Haves

• Business Continuity Management certification preferred (CBCP, CBCI, CEM, knowledge of Incident Command or Incident Management Systems).

Responsibilities

• Accountable for the development, implementation, execution, and maintenance of the Incident Management (IM) and Emergency Response (ER) Plans for Canada.
• Responsible for consistently evolving and maturing the incident management/emergency response process/plans requiring collaboration with key stakeholders to identify response objectives and opportunities for improvement.
• Responsible for establishing and managing governance and reporting requirements for first line of defense associated with program activities, as well as being accountable to develop and conduct annual training and exercises across a broad and senior audience.
• Accountable to ensure the team monitors the effectiveness of procedures during an incident as well as overseeing, tracking and providing updates on the status of action plans relating to Incident Management & Emergency Response issues and continuously revises and improves the processes and procedures as necessary.
• Oversees, influences and ensures that all IM & ER plans within the Canadian business segment are compliant with all relevant policy requirements.
• Leads the response facilitation for the Canada Crisis Management Team (CMT) and acts as the point of escalation for other response teams and functions within the Canadian business segment.
• Serves as the linkage between the first line of defense and second line defense for issues relating to crisis management, as well as liaising with representatives from Great-West Lifeco.
• Ensure the overall risk from Incidents to the business is minimized, reducing/avoiding impacts which affect the core business & customers of the company.
• Keeps up-to-date and knowledgeable regarding industry trends and emerging technologies in anticipation of new or revised business processes.

Benefits

• Career Development: Opportunities for career advancement, access to industry-leading learning programs and up to $2,000 annually towards education reimbursement.
• Health & Wellness: Flexible health and dental benefits, plus a $5,000 mental health benefit to support your well-being.
• Time Off: In addition to regular vacation and personal days, we support community involvement with a volunteer day.
• Financial Security: Company-matching pension plan, share ownership program and additional investment options.
• Rewards and Recognition: Employee recognition programs, service milestone celebrations, employee discounts and more!
• Emphasis on Community: We provide a workplace where employees feel connected and supported through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), mentorship programs, social clubs and events.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed