Current Opportunities

Vice President, Client Solutions & Product Innovation – CDSPI

THE ORGANIZATION

Established in 1959, CDSPI is a not-for-profit company, whose members are the Canadian Dental Association, and participating provincial and territorial dental associations. CDSPI provides advisory insurance and investment services to meet the changing needs of dentists at every stage, from dental school to retirement and beyond.

CDSPI’s mission is to provide a broad and meaningful range of customized financial solutions to the dental community, covering every facet of their lives. Their vision is to be the #1 choice in the Canadian dental community for advice and our tailored insurance and investment solutions.

 

THE OPPORTUNITY

Job Title:	Vice President, Client Solutions & Product Innovation
Reports to:	President
Location:	Toronto, ON

 

THE MANDATE

In this new role, the VP, Client Solutions & Product Innovation will play a key role in driving relevant solutions to advance the financial well-being of dentists in Canada.

The successful executive will possess strong insurance product knowledge and functional expertise in developing and managing insurance solutions geared towards the dental profession. They will champion product management, development and innovation geared at augmenting the company’s product suite and look to overhaul existing products that need a ‘refresh’ to maintain competitive positioning. This will enable CDSPI to provide products that showcase our unique understanding of dentists in Canada. The role will leverage research, data and insights from our key stakeholders, our Marketing and Advisory Services teams to make informed decisions on solutions that will help CDSPI and its client’s succeed.

This role was established out of a need to ensure CDSPI has executive leadership and accountability for driving innovative, unique and highly effective financial service solutions to meet the needs of dentists in Canada.

The role’s core function will be predominantly insurance focused with a secondary focus on investments and other related financial services.

 

The role has three primary accountabilities:

1. Product management of the existing product suite to ensure competitiveness and effectiveness

CDSPI’s four core insurance offerings are life insurance, disability insurance, malpractice insurance and business interruption/commercial dental office insurance. In addition, CDSPI offers an array of other risk management solutions, including referral programs to our home & auto insurance partner.

CDSPI’s investment offerings include a family of segregated funds, referral partnerships with a discount brokerage firm, and a high net worth discretionary investment boutique.

2. Business Partner Relationship Management

CDSPI has relationships with over a dozen insurance providers and investment managers. This role will have executive responsibility for ensuring these partnerships are:

• maximizing the opportunities and value set out in the business objectives;
• reporting data and results to identify, track and evaluate success necessary to make effective business decisions;
• ensuring an excellent client experience

3. Product Innovation

Responsibility for updating existing solutions and creating new solutions (primarily focused on insurance) that are market driven, and that will reinforce and strengthen CDSPI’s value proposition as understanding dentists’ needs best.

 

Key Responsibilities

1. Work collaboratively and cooperatively with other members of the Executive Team and CDSPI colleagues
2. Contribute to the strategic planning process as well as the development and monitoring of the annual Business Plan and Budget for the Client Solutions and Product Management department.
3. Act as the in-house resident expert on our product solution set, providing insight, understanding and reporting as required to the CDSPI Board and Executive team
4. Provide executive level relationship management with all business partners
5. Represent CDSPI on all partner interactions including technical product specifications, contracts, agreement negotiations, client and claims advocacy.
6. Proactively manage the existing product suite to ensure competitiveness, relevance to meet clients evolving needs, changing market conditions to include features, benefits, pricing and the overall value proposition
7. Proactively work with the Executive Team, Marketing and Advisory Services to anticipate and identify client solutions that address client needs, while satisfying CDSPI’s business objectives
8. Work collaboratively with internal compliance, finance and external legal and actuarial partners on matters related to the product suite
9. Engage with Marketing and Advisory Services to build the business, grow sales and achieve other corporate business objectives that drive corporate KPI’s, revenues and Net Promoter Score
10. From time to time, provide client facing presentations at trade shows, conventions to support marketing and sales objectives

 

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The successful candidate will have the following:

The Executive possesses the maturity befitting of a senior leadership role and is highly collaborative and client-centric.  It is important to have a ‘drive results mentality’. However, a focus on delivering on quantifiable business results must also be balanced with an empathetic and respectful approach to dealing with colleagues and staff. Leading by example to reinforce our desired corporate culture of results with respect and collaboration is important.

• Ten years experience in financial services product management and product innovation roles, with a particular focus on insurance.
• A proven track record of identifying and developing successful client solutions that led to demonstrable financial results or that addressed important strategic objectives for the business.
• Strong inter-personal, relationship management and negotiation skills with senior executives at B2B business partners.
• Effective communicator, with the ability to explain highly technical product attributes in a simplified manner; yet also able to engage with deep product experts on highly technical issues.
• Strong presentation and written communication skills
• Life and commercial insurance designations
• CFA would be an asset

---

How to Apply:

Please send your resume in Word or PDF format to: tosearch@optimumtalent.com. Copy and Paste the following job title and code and place it in the subject line of your email so we can identify the job and confirm receipt of your application:
AMWJ-410625 Vice President, Client Solutions & Product Innovation – CDSPI - ON - Toronto and GTA (OTIAPPLY)

Please note that only those candidates meeting the selection criteria, established by our client, will be contacted further. Although we may not contact you directly for this particular role, all applications will be reviewed as we would like to consider you for future opportunities that may be appropriate. We encourage you to continue to visit our website at optimumtalent.com as our opportunities are updated on a regular basis.