Strategic IT Department Leader
for our Business Support Services/IT Team

Who We Are
Family Insurance provides personal property and auto insurance protection for British Columbians and is a managing general agent for Economical Insurance. Founded in 1871, Economical Insurance is one of the largest insurance companies in Canada and is 100% Canadian owned. Our mission is to be the insurance partner Canadians choose to protect what they value most.

Work is a big part of our lives, so it makes sense to choose a company that offers truly rewarding work. At Family Insurance, your contributions, creativity, and energy won’t go waste.

Our employees are the reason we’ve come as far as we have, and the reason we’ll go much further still.

About the role
We are searching for a proven strategic IT leader to lead our Business Support Services (BSS) aka Information Technology (IT) team. In this role you will be responsible for the planning, organizing, creation, directing, supervising , evaluation and application of information technology that supports Family’s business units in achieving their tactical and strategic objectives via reliable and affordable IT solutions.

Reporting directly to the VP the & COO, you will have direct oversight of project management, development, quality assurance, business analysis, technical services and IT vendor management within Family Insurance. As a member of Family’s Management Team you will contribute to the strategic direction of the organization by providing expertise in all technical issues.

Who We Are Looking For
•   You are a strategic IT leader who is not afraid of getting your ‘hands dirty’ so that you can gain insight and perspective from your team and our partners.
•   You are an excellent communicator who is able to break down the big picture to your team and stakeholders. You are adept at presenting information in an effective and persuasive manner.
•   You thrive in a dynamic, fast paced and deadline driven environment and enjoy the challenge of effectively managing multiple and varied projects.
•   You are at your best while providing leadership, direction and mentorship to both direct and non-direct reports, ensuring objectives are met.

What you can expect in this role?
Strategy/Planning
•   Responsible for establishing the BSS departmental strategic and tactical plan. Participate in company planning sessions to support business objectives.
•   Prepare and manage BSS departmental and IT project budgets.
•   Prioritize technical operational responsibilities to meet approved scope, timelines and budgets
•   Oversight of all software development projects for Family’s proprietary enterprise applications

Technical
•   Identify, monitor, report and mitigate technical operational and project related risks and issues. Provide regular updates to the Management Team.
•   Oversight of all software development projects for Family’s proprietary enterprise applications.
•   Responsible for business continuity planning (joint responsibility with other business units), disaster recovery, and data security for Family’s operations.
•   Manage relationships with Family’s technical third party vendor partners. In collaboration with Procurement and Legal, monitor vendor performance and escalate issues and risks as they arise.
•   Ensure internal governance decisions and technical audit requirements are adhered to within the BSS Department.
•   Monitor IT industry related trends and issues that may affect Family and provide feedback to the management team.
•   Continually measure service level standards as agreed to with third party vendor partners and ensure internal service level standards are acceptable to internal business units.

Leadership
•   Ensure that BSS resources are available for operational and project related requirements as communicated by the business units.
•   Ensure there is adequate technical capacity at all times to satisfy business needs.
•   Develop and improve internal technical practices with the goal of supporting changes that will provide cost reduction and value creation for the business.
•   Supervise, develop, mentor and coach the BSS Team.
•   Provide contract management support relating to all technical contracts with third party vendors.

What do you bring to this role?
•   10+ years managing diverse teams across multiple development platforms and technologies as well as hands-on experience in complex production environments
•   A technical or college degree in Information Systems or Computer Science. MS/MA an asset.
•   ITIL certification is an asset
•   Strong departmental leadership skills with ability to assign and monitor work.
•   Excellent knowledge of technologies involved in business applications as well as business process best practice.
•   A talent for analyzing problems, developing and simplifying procedures and finding innovative solutions
•   Proven background in project management for software application development
•   Excellent verbal and written communication skills
•   Prior experience working within the insurance industry is a definite an asset

We also take potential into consideration. If you don’t have this exact experience, but you know you have what it takes, be sure to give us more insight through your application and cover letter.

What You Will Experience
•   An incredible team of smart, collaborative, and supportive people to work with
•   Competitive benefits, including tuition reimbursement, RRSP matching and fitness subsidies
•   We are a company that values community, wellness and work-life balance. We offer personal leave, paid volunteer days and additional paid time off throughout the year

How to Apply
If this sounds like the right role for you, please apply now. Don’t forget to submit a cover letter telling us why you are applying, along with your resume (combined in one document please). We will follow up with you if we think you may be a fit for the role.

If you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, please let us know by contacting accommodationrequest@familyins.com