Key Account Specialist

Reporting to the Director, Voluntary Products & Marketing , the Key Account Specialist is responsible for managing all projects and activities related to our key accounts within the iA Special Markets.

The incumbent must work closely with the iA Special Markets Account Executives and Directors to ensure all internal projects are Voluntary Products & Marketing successfully managed through each phase of the project management lifecycle. This includes initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closing while keeping the clients’ needs at the center.

The Key Account Specialist will support with the proposal, implementation and management of key client accounts as required. In addition, the incumbent must review and improve upon operational processes to maximize efficiency and ensure all HQ teams deliver a consistently high level of service and support to our clients.

The key areas of responsibilities are:

Project Management & Leadership (50%)

The Key Account Specialist is responsible for taking ownership of certain internal projects as assigned by the Director, Marketing & Voluntary Products. The incumbent must have strong project management skills and proactively manage the scope, schedule, risk, and budget associated with internal projects. They are responsible for understanding the changes which may be initiated by any team at HQ and treating it as a “project”. They must ensure that each team involved (HQ or RO) understands their scope of work, the timeline, budget (if applicable) and any associated risks. The Key Account Specialist must identify and communicate the interdependencies between the different teams and monitor progress regularly through meetings.

The incumbent will manage the delivery of all project items ensuring accurate and efficient handling of tasks to meet the required deadlines. They will monitor and adjust the project plan as changes are introduced, assessing priorities to ensure that sufficient resources are available and client commitments are met on a consistent basis. They must communicate updates directly to Directors and the leadership group where applicable and manage expectations of all stakeholders.

Key Client Projects (50%)

The Key Account Specialist is responsible for managing key client projects which broadly fall into two categories: new business implementation and changes to existing key accounts. The incumbent will be required to customize a project plan for each client and will establish the required tasks, taking into account all detailed aspects of plan requirements, administrative details, technology, plan design details, special products, and customized services. They will be responsible for managing all the details of the project plan and ensuring that all key data required for proposal or implementation stage is proactively identified and collected in a timely and customer-friendly manner. 

The Key Account Specialist will play a leadership role within the complex proposal and implementation process, while looking for strategies to achieve efficiencies and value-add activities. The incumbent will build positive and collaborative relationships with the sales teams to understand broker and client needs.

The Key Account Specialist would then work with all the appropriate HQ teams (Contracts, Actuarial, Marketing, Administration, Client Services, Financial, IT, Claims and Compliance) to complete external projects to the client specifications while maintaining quality and accuracy. They must act as the intermediary between the HQ teams, Account Executive, Associate Director and Regional Directors. They work primarily with highly complex group insurance plans which 90% to 95% are non-standard and require customization. For both new business implementation and changes to existing key accounts, they are expected to provide a high level of Quality/Accuracy as poor quality of work will have a direct impact to our reputational and regulatory risk.

Position Requirements

• Degree in Business Administration or equivalent education and experience.

• 5+ years experience within the Group Benefits or Special Risk insurance industry

• Superior knowledge of group life, health, accident and sickness plans and understanding of Third Party Administrators

• Strong project management experience; CAPM or PMP designation is an asset

• Have strong leadership, coaching, communication and presentation skills

• Possess a high level of integrity and accountability

• Possess strong analytical skills with high attention to detail

• Innovative problem solver and trouble-shooter

• Proven ability to manage multiple competing projects and deadlines

• Excellent computer skills including all Microsoft Suite applications.

• Bilingualism (French/English) is an asset