Organizational Design Manager

Wawanesa Insurance•Edmonton, AB

6d•CA$120,000 - CA$145,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Organizational Design Program Manager plays a key role in helping the organization solve complex business challenges through thoughtful, disciplined organizational design and effectiveness practices. The role partners closely with business leaders and People Team colleagues to design organizational structures, operating models, and set accountabilities that enable Wawanesa to be future‑ready, collaborative, and strategically aligned. Wawanesa offers a hybrid work environment that offers flexibility to our employees in balancing in-office (2 days per week OR 15 hours per week in a Wawanesa office) and remote work. The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company (“Wawanesa Mutual”), founded in 1896, is one of Canada’s largest mutual insurers, with over $3.5 billion in annual revenue and assets of $10 billion (CAD). Wawanesa Mutual, with its National Headquarters in Winnipeg, is the parent company of Wawanesa Life, which provides life insurance products and services throughout Canada, and Western Financial Group, which distributes personal and business insurance across Canada. Wawanesa proudly serves more than 1.7 million members in Canada, and we are home to more than 3,300 employees distributed across the Canadian regions and communities where we operate. We give back to organizations that strengthen communities, donating more than $3.5 million annually to charitable organizations, including over $2 million annually in support of people on the front lines of climate change. We are also proud to be recognized as one of Manitoba’s Top Employers.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Organizational Psychology, or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred or equivalent experience.
8+ years of experience in organizational design, organizational effectiveness, management consulting, enterprise transformation, or related roles.
Demonstrated experience leading complex, enterprise‑scale organizational design initiatives in mid‑to‑large organizations.
Exposure to enterprise transformation initiatives (e.g., digital modernization, operating model change, acquisitions/divestures, cost or simplification programs).
Proven ability to operate as a senior, consultant‑style individual contributor, influencing leaders and driving outcomes without formal authority.
Strong business and financial acumen, analytical and systems‑thinking skills, and excellent verbal and written communication abilities.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in insurance, financial services, or other regulated environments is an asset.

Responsibilities

Lead and support end‑to‑end organizational design initiatives, from problem definition and diagnosis through design, leadership approval, implementation, and post‑implementation review.
Partner with business leaders and HRBP colleagues to translate strategy into effective organizational structures, roles, decision rights, operating models, and governance mechanisms.
Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders, reframing restructuring and operating model requests into evidence‑based organizational design solutions aligned to enterprise priorities.
Manage the organizational design roadmap and portfolio, including intake, prioritization, sequencing, dependencies, risks, and delivery timelines.
Own organizational design project plans; track workstreams and interdependencies; proactively manage risks; and provide clear status reporting to senior leaders.
Develop and evaluate organizational design options using agreed design principles, workforce analytics, financial insights, and external benchmarks and best practices.
Create and maintain workforce analytics tools and frameworks to support ongoing organizational design analysis and recommendations.
Assess the people, cost, and operational impacts of design decisions and support related business cases, recommendations, and trade‑off discussions.
Establish and track organizational design outcome metrics and scorecards) to evaluate effectiveness and support continuous improvement.
Contribute to enterprise‑wide career frameworks, role architecture, and competency models, in partnership with Talent Management and Total Rewards.
Facilitate leadership design sessions and working forums to evaluate design options against agreed criteria and align stakeholders on decisions and implementation approaches.
Prepare clear, concise executive‑ready materials for decision‑making, including design summaries, presentations, dashboards, and progress updates.
Partner with HR Business Partners and Change & Communications colleagues to support effective implementation, adoption, and sustainment of organizational changes.
Develop and deliver practical learning, tools, and coaching sessions that build OD capability in leaders and HR partners, enabling them to proactively identify structural opportunities and apply enterprise aligned organization design methodologies.