Head of Legal and Compliance - Canada

Some of your specific responsibilities could include: 

• Serving as a member of the Canada Leadership Team (“CLT”) and Canada Steering Committee (“CSC”), proactively providing regional governance and strategic advice; 

• Managing Canadian legal and compliance matters, including identifying, assessing and managing legal, reputational and regulatory risks relating to Canada’s business areas, as well as serving as primary Regulatory interface; 

• Providing legal support and advice to Finance North America ‘NA’ / Canada and the Canada Operations Team; 

• Coordinating and collaborating with Legal & Compliance NA, Global L & C, and other Allianz Commercial L&C areas as required; 

• Participating in oversight meetings and activities such as the Canada Branch Steering committee, Branch leadership meetings, and supporting management and board reporting as required; 

• Providing day-to-day guidance and strategic legal advice to all levels of Canada branch staff and senior management as required, as well as related support areas such as Finance, Risk, Actuarial, IT, Internal Audit, Reinsurance and Procurement on various matters; 

• Leveraging Canadian law expertise in related areas such as Claims, extra contractual litigation and human resources as needed; 

• Managing matters outsourced to external legal counsel In collaboration with NA Legal; 

• Participating actively in Canadian branch contract activities, including reviewing, drafting and assisting with negotiations of various agreements as needed, ensuring compliance with any applicable laws (including OSFI Guidelines); 

• Overseeing branch’s corporate maintenance, business licenses and corporate governance records; 

• Overseeing and assessing the performance of any outsourced functions (Risk, Actuarial, Accounting, Compliance Audit);  

• Providing advice on Canadian product development, (re)insurance policy wordings, interpretations and revisions across all lines of business, including endorsements and other policy-related wordings, with a focus on specific country law; 

• Reviewing and drafting distribution contracts (Broker Contracts, Program Contracts, MGA Contracts) in line with US and Canadian standards and practices, and providing support to LOBs and Broker Management team on the negotiation of such contracts as needed; 

• Advising and assisting on marketing and communications related to trademarks, advertising, marketing, brand and products; 

• Keeping abreast of Canadian industry/regulatory trends, legislative/regulatory developments and changes, and providing LOBs and other business units with advice on anticipated changes in legal/regulatory requirements affecting their business and operations; 

• Supporting the branch on regulatory audits, market conduct, licensing and regulatory filings; 

• Serving as Ombudsperson for AGRUS and Allianz Life and Chief Agent of the Allianz Life Canadian runoff operation; 

• Representing the branch at industry association committees and working groups as required, including the Insurance Bureau of Canada, the Global Commercial Insurers Association and others; 

• Operating in a risk management capacity and serving as the lead on regulator data calls and surveys on risk areas such as climate change and cyber risk; 

• Organizing compliance processes in Allianz Commercial Canada in collaboration with Compliance NA and Global Compliance; 

• Performing compliance activities and investigations in line with general guidelines set by the Global Head of Legal & Compliance and/or Global Compliance Officer; 

• Participating in Compliance meetings and providing support on compliance reviews conducted by Compliance NA or Global Compliance; 

What You’ll Bring to the Role 

• A minimum of 10  years of practical experience within Canada in (re)insurance law across multiple lines of business and areas (underwriting, claims, reinsurance, broker relations) and contract law; 

• Demonstratable expert experience of insurance law across multiple jurisdictions; 

• Practical experience with Canada Corporate Law, insurance supervisory law, implementation of compliance programs and with Canada (re)insurance law; 

• High degree of autonomy and ability to work in an international matrix organization; 

• Strong business acumen and client service approach; 

• Ability to build and maintain relationships across various lines of business and with external cooperation partners; 

• Excellent verbal and written communications skills; 

• Ability to take initiative and resolve problems; 

• Ability to utilize AI tools to support day-to-day tasks, improve efficiency and contribute to data-driven decision making; and 

• Canadian Law Degree and member in good standing of the Ontario Bar Association. 

The annualized base pay range for this role is $200,000 - $250,000. The annual base salary range represents a nationwide market range. The actual salary for this position may be above and will be determined by a number of factors, including the scope, complexity and location of the role, the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate. The base pay is just one component of the AzC total compensation package.  As part of our comprehensive compensation and highly rated benefits programs, employees are also eligible for annual performance-based cash incentive awards.