Director, Advisor and Sales Practices Risk Monitoring

Equitable Life of Canada View all jobs

  • Waterloo, ON
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 19 days ago
The Opportunity: At Equitable, we believe great things happen when we work together. We’re a Canadian mutual company driven by purpose - putting people first and helping Canadians protect today and prepare for tomorrow. If you’re passionate about making a difference and growing your career in an inclusive and collaborative environment, we’d love to hear from you. Our culture is built on care, passion and curiosity. We put people above all else, strive to be our best and welcome new ideas to deliver positive outcomes.This role leads first-line advisor and sales practices risk management within Individual Insurance, with division-level accountability for designing and operating a robust monitoring framework embedded in the business. The Director assesses advisor practices, sales behaviours, and emerging distribution risks—particularly supporting growth in large-case business and new-to-Equitable advisors—while maintaining strong, collaborative relationships with key distribution partners and their compliance teams. Using a strategic, risk-based mindset, the role balances disciplined growth with regulatory expectations, Equitable’s risk appetite, and client outcomes, while serving as a trusted, data-driven advisor to senior leadership. The position is initially an individual contributor role, with the potential to evolve into a people-leader as scope and complexity grow.Join one of the region’s top employers and be part of something that truly makes a difference.Work Arrangements: This is a hybrid role. You will work in our office in Waterloo, ON a minimum of two (2) assigned, consecutive days every other week, plus a fifth (5th) assigned day per month. You are welcome to work from the office more than the minimum requirement and there may be some roles that are required to work in our office more than the minimum requirement.What you’ll do:
  • Act as the first-line steward of advisor practice risk for Individual Insurance, with accountability for protecting Equitable from financial, regulatory, and reputational risk
  • Establish and own clear monitoring standards, risk segmentation, and escalation protocols to support rapid growth in new and unfamiliar advisor business, particularly within Par Wealth
  • Design, implement, and continuously evolve the advisor practices monitoring framework, including onboarding assessments, ongoing surveillance, and defined escalation thresholds
  • Provide independent first-line challenge to distribution practices while maintaining constructive, trusted business partnerships
  • Identify, monitor, and assess advisor sales behaviours, trends, and emerging risks using data-driven and analytical techniques
  • Build and maintain strong working relationships with distribution partners (including MGAs, WFG, Asian market MGAs, and National Accounts), as well as their back-office and compliance teams, to enable proactive identification, escalation, and resolution of advisor practice and sales conduct risks
  • Reinforce Equitable’s risk standards and expectations across advisor distribution relationships
  • Develop and maintain executive dashboards and reporting that clearly articulate risk exposure, trends, insights, and outcomes
  • Own and govern the Large Case Waiver and Exception framework, including eligibility criteria, approval authorities, controls, and escalation protocols
  • Present clear, actionable findings and recommendations to senior leadership and governance forums
  • Partner closely with Distribution, Compliance, Risk, Legal, Underwriting, and Operations to address issues and implement corrective actions
  • Serve as a subject matter expert on advisor practices risk, providing guidance on complex, sensitive, or high-risk situations
  • Drive continuous improvement in monitoring processes, controls, governance, and risk management practices
  • Promote a strong culture of risk awareness, accountability, and compliant growth across Individual Insurance
  • Identify, monitor, and report on advisor-related operational and financial risks, including those arising from large case commission waivers, ensuring controls are well-designed, operating effectively, and periodically reviewed
What you’ll bring:
  • 10+ years of progressive experience in Individual Insurance, with deep exposure to Distribution oversight, Compliance, Risk, and/or Market Conduct functions
  • Deep understanding of the individual insurance market, including current trends, emerging risks, and opportunities to strengthen the overall risk profile of the business
  • Client-first mindset with the ability to anticipate challenges, negotiate effectively, and drive balanced, practical outcomes
  • In-depth knowledge of advisor distribution models, sales practices, and needs-based insurance selling principles
  • Demonstrated ability to identify emerging risks, analyze complex data, and translate insights into clear, executive-level recommendations
  • Proven expertise in designing and operating monitoring frameworks, including controls, dashboards, reporting, and governance processes
  • Strong understanding of regulatory expectations, CLHIA guidance, and market conduct risk within the Canadian life insurance landscape
  • Demonstrated capability to design, establish, and scale new or evolving functions, with the judgment and leadership maturity to build processes, governance, and potentially lead a growing team
  • Ability to operate independently with sound judgment in ambiguous, high-impact, and fast-moving environments
  • Exceptional influencing, presentation, and executive communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex topics
  • Credibility and confidence engaging senior leaders across Distribution, Risk, Compliance, Legal, and Operations
  • Strategic mindset with the ability to balance growth enablement while maintaining strong, prudent risk management
What’s in it for you:
  • Career Growth: Regular learning sessions and development opportunities
  • Total Rewards: Incentive pay, annual salary reviews, employer-paid benefits and pension matching
  • Time Away: Competitive vacation plus one paid volunteer day each year
  • Flexibility: Healthy work-life balance with employee wellness always top of mind, complemented by a “dress for your day” approach
At Equitable, we’re committed to fair pay and an inclusive, accessible hiring experience. If you need accommodations or alternative formats at any stage, just reach out to us at . We’re happy to help.Your base pay will be based on your skills, qualifications, experience and education. In addition to your salary, this role is eligible for a discretionary annual incentive award tied to business performance, plus a wide range of competitive benefits.If you’re selected to move forward, our Talent Acquisition team will walk you through all the details of our total rewards program, so you know exactly what’s included.Reports To: Individual Insurance Pricing and Finance VP
Department: Individual Insurance
Term: Permanent Full-Time

Equitable Life of Canada