Job Code: 26AE04
Administrative Employees
CAREER OPPORTUNITY: LEAD RISK AND INSURANCE ADVISOR
About The Upper Grand District School Board (ugdsb)
The UGDSB employs a team of approximately 6,500 dedicated staff who serve more than 35,000 students attending a variety of programs across 66 elementary and 12 secondary schools as well as continuing education and adult learning centres in the counties of Dufferin, Wellington, and the City of Guelph. We are committed to supporting student achievement and well-being through our team of dedicated staff and strong learning communities, always striving to meet the diverse needs of our students
The UGDSB is situated on the ancestral, treaty and title lands of two Anishinaabek Ojibwe Nations: the Michi Saagig of the Credit and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. This land also includes a specified tract of land granted to the Six Nations of the Grand River. These Nations hold legal and specific rights in their respective territories. This area has been and continues to be home for Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous peoples.
We are proud to offer our employees a comprehensive range of total rewards designed to recognize their contributions to our shared success, including competitive compensation, a defined benefit pension plan, professional development opportunities, and vibrant wellness programs.
Join a community that values innovation, fosters growth, and empowers you to make an impact. and
Find Your Path.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The UGDSB is seeking a dynamic individual to join our Procurement team for a
permanent full-time opportunity in the capacity of
Lead Risk and Insurance Advisor.
Location: Guelph Board Office (500 Victoria Road North, Guelph, ON)
FTE and Hours: 1.0 FTE; 40 hours per week
Salary Range: $112,754 - $135,228 per year (wage rate effective September 1, 2025)
College/Association Fees: Reimbursement of full cost of professional fees as required by the Board.
Start Date: To commence as soon as possible
Board Information: 12-month position; permanent; full-time; Administrative Employees; Non-Union
Vacancy Status: This posting is for a new position
Reporting to the Manager of Procurement, the
Lead Risk and Insurance Advisor leads the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the Board's risk management and insurance programs. The position provides enterprise-wide expertise, strategic advice, and risk analysis to support operational and strategic decision-making.
The
Lead Risk and Insurance Advisor serves as the Board's primary subject matter expert in risk management, insurance, and commercial risk. The position exercises independent professional judgment in evaluating complex risk exposures, insurance requirements, liability provisions, and risk deviations associated with Board procurement initiatives, contracts, and other organizational activities.
Working closely with the Manager of Procurement, the position provides technical guidance to schools, departments, senior administration, insurers, legal counsel, suppliers, brokers, and other internal and external stakeholders. The position supports effective management of financial, legal, operational, and reputational risks and promotes a proactive, risk-aware approach across the Board.
Responsibilities
Commercial Contract Risk Arbitration & Deviation Authority
- Holds independent, binding authority to evaluate, negotiate, and arbitrate complex indemnification clauses, limitation of liability thresholds, and insurance exceptions within major Board contracts and vendor agreements.
- Serves as the final operational sign-off to accept, modify, or reject commercial risk exposures that deviate from standard board rules, operating independently of routine purchasing workflows.
- Acts as the primary technical risk authority between the procurement team, external suppliers, brokers, and legal counsel to resolve high-stakes liability deadlocks during the sourcing process.
Sourcing Risk Governance & Framework Architecture
- Designs, authors, and governs the Board's master Vendor Risk Management framework, setting the regulatory insurance benchmarks that all external suppliers and service providers must satisfy.
- Formulates systemic risk-mitigation policies and standard methodologies to protect the Board's physical infrastructure, information technology (cyber), and operational capital.
- Monitors risk treatment plans and provides recommendations to support effective risk mitigation across the Board.
- Conducts high-level commercial asset valuations and continuous market capacity reviews (e.g., changes in the insurance sector) to proactively adjust internal procurement sourcing criteria.
Confidential Exposure Mapping & Legal Risk Coordination
- Serves as the procurement department's confidential liaison with Executive Administration, Legal Counsel, and the Ontario School Boards' Insurance Exchange (OSBIE) regarding active contract disputes, supplier defaults, and catastrophic asset losses.
- Examines and interprets highly sensitive corporate financial metrics, restricted vendor data, and non-public claim histories to identify institutional vulnerabilities.
- Conducts detailed risk assessments and analysis and recommends mitigation strategies to address identified exposures and emerging risks.
- Authors confidential risk dashboards, board metrics, and legal defense briefings intended exclusively for Senior Administration and Board Steering Committees.
Systemic Program Oversight & Technical Counsel
- Provides executive technical counsel to school principals, regional department heads, and senior leaders regarding the legal and practical application of the Education Act, Insurance Act, and Occupiers' Liability Act within public sourcing.
- Establishes the governance guidelines and institutional guardrails for board-wide asset protection programs, including school council parameters and student-related safety metrics.
- Leverages data analytics platforms (e.g., Power BI) to map long-term procurement liability trends, engineering targeted risk workshops to strengthen staff compliance.
Insurance Portfolio & Claims Management
- Manages the Board's insurance portfolio, including liability, property, boiler and machinery, fleet, cyber, trustee AD&D, and school council coverages, and maintains the OSBIE insurance portal and related insurance records.
- Coordinates insurance claims, incident reporting, investigations, documentation, and follow-up with internal stakeholders, insurers, brokers, and legal counsel.
- Leads the annual insurance renewal process, coordinating data collection, coverage requirements, submissions, and related activities with insurers and brokers.
Experience And Qualifications
- A post-secondary degree in Finance, Law, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Risk Management, or an equivalent field.
- Minimum of five (5) to seven (7) years of progressive, professional experience managing corporate enterprise risk frameworks, commercial contract liability structures, and complex insurance portfolios. Public sector, broader public sector, or school board experience is highly valued.
- A Canadian Risk Management (CRM), Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP), and/or specialized contract management/legal designation related to the role is highly preferred. Candidates demonstrating active, advanced progress toward these specific designations will be considered.
- In-depth knowledge of related government legislation (e.g., Education Act, Insurance Act, Occupiers Liability Act).
- Experience interpreting insurance policies and claims, combined with a comprehensive knowledge of risk management principles, insurance practices, and regulatory requirements.
- Ability to deal effectively with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, while influencing organizational decision-making through expert analysis and recommendations.
- Proven ability to work with a high degree of autonomy, exercise independent professional judgment during contentious contract negotiations and confidently drive high-consequence corporate risk decisions.
- Excellent organizational, problem solving, and analytical skills with an intermediate to advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook), Google-based products, Acrobat and SharePoint.
- Ability to demonstrate resiliency and a positive attitude through a solution-oriented approach to challenges
- Proficiency with Power BI or advanced statistical analytics tools for data-driven exposure mapping is preferred.
- Prior facilitation experience to design and deliver workshops and training sessions is an asset.
APPLICATION DETAILS
Ready to make a difference? Candidates are invited to submit their application through ,
no later than 4:00 p.m. on October 7, 2026. To submit your application, click the “Apply” button at the top of the page or visit: .
Please note: An original Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) must be provided prior to the commencement of employment (if the successful candidate is external). The VSC must be dated within 6 months of the start date of employment. For further information, refer to the UGDSB's for requirements.
While we thank all applicants for their interest in working for the UGDSB, we wish to advise that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
As part of our recruitment practices, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not be used in the screening, assessment, or selection process for this job posting.
INCLUSIVE RECRUITMENT & HIRING
The UGDSB Is Committed To Building a Diverse Staff That Is Reflective Of The Community And Students We Serve. We Actively Encourage Applications From Members Of Groups Who Have Historically And/or Currently Experience Marginalization And/or Barriers To Equity, Including, But Not Limited To
- First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples
- Persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions
- Members of groups that commonly experience discrimination based on race, ancestry, ethnicity, colour, religion and/or spiritual beliefs, or place of origin
- Persons with disabilities
At UGDSB, we recognize that individuals may hold overlapping identities, which shape their experiences in unique ways. We are committed to our responsibility to create and maintain inclusive, equitable environments where everyone can fully participate, thrive, and reach their potential. To learn more, please visit .
Accommodation & Accessibility
If you require accommodation at any phase of the recruitment process, please contact .
APPLICANT SELF-IDENTIFICATION QUESTIONS
The UGDSB is committed to fair and equitable hiring practices. As part of this commitment, we are collecting voluntary self-identification data to achieve an inclusive, diverse and representative workforce. The data aims to intentionally identify and remove barriers for equity-deserving communities at each stage of the hiring process.
Access to this information is restricted to People, Leadership and Culture (Human Resources). Personal information on this form is collected under the authority of the Anti-Racism Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 15 in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56. The UGDSB is committed to respecting the privacy of our staff, students and applicants. To learn more, please visit .
People, Leadership, and Culture (Human Resources) will use aggregate data from all forms (not individual data) for internal reporting. For more information on Human Rights at UGDSB, please visit .
Completing the form is voluntary. If you prefer not to answer any or all questions, you can select “Prefer not to answer”. Choosing “Prefer not to answer” as a response will not impact your application or consideration for employment. If you have questions or concerns about this form, please contact .
23-Sep-26
