AVP, Program Management and Transformation

sunlife; Toronto; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 205,000; Full time

Job summary

Sun Life is seeking an AVP, Program Management & Transformation, reporting to the VP, HR Business Partner, Digital, Client Experience and Operations Transformation. This senior leadership role translates the people and workplace transformation agenda into coordinated, measurable execution across business, technology and operations teams.

The AVP sets governance, plans and cross-functional accountability to move work from strategy to delivery, oversees OKR governance and workforce strategy, and

Job description

You are as unique as your background, experience and point of view. Here, you'll be encouraged, empowered and challenged to be your best self. You'll work with dynamic colleagues - experts in their fields - who are eager to share their knowledge with you. Your leaders will inspire and help you reach your potential and soar to new heights. Every day, you'll have new and exciting opportunities to make life brighter for our Clients - who are at the heart of everything we do.

At Sun Life, we're driven by our Purpose: helping our Clients achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives. Our values shape how we work: caring, authentic, bold, inspiring, and impactful.

When you join Sun Life, you'll work with passionate colleagues and empowering leaders who support your growth and celebrate your contributions, so you can make a meaningful difference in our Clients' lives.

Discover how you can make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities around the world.

Job Description:

Reporting to the Vice-President, HR Business Partner, Digital, Client Experience and Operations Transformation, the AVP, Program Management & Transformation is a senior leadership role responsible for translating the people and workplace transformation agenda into coordinated, measurable execution across a complex portfolio of business, technology and operations teams.

The role is the central orchestration point for priority people and workplace transformations. It establishes the plans, governance, management routines and cross-functional accountability required to move work from strategy to sustained delivery, while connecting workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, employee experience, data, talent and change.

This is a high-impact role for a pragmatic executive leader who combines transformation expertise, disciplined program management, organizational judgment and strong influence without authority.

Please note this role requires regular presence at our Toronto One York office

What will you do:

Transformation Program Leadership & Enterprise Delivery

• Lead integrated execution across the portfolio's highest-priority workplace transformation programs, translating strategy into actionable plans with clear outcomes, ownership, milestones and value measures.
• Act as the drumbeat behind delivery, maintaining momentum week over week and proactively identifying risks, dependencies, resource constraints and decisions before they become barriers.
• Coordinate senior leaders, HRBPs, Centres of Expertise, Finance, Talent Acquisition, Data and Analytics, Technology and business workstream owners to align priorities and resolve blockers without direct authority.
• Establish fit-for-purpose governance, decision forums, risk registers, integrated roadmaps and escalation paths that accelerate execution while preserving appropriate people and risk considerations.
• Monitor progress against strategic commitments and provide executive-level recommendations on priorities, trade-offs and interventions required.

OKR Governance, Performance & Measurement

• Design and lead a connected OKR governance approach spanning Canadian business units, functions and HR, with clear standards, cadences, ownership and escalation mechanisms.
• Connect OKRs to the enterprise metrics agenda and performance culture, building the capability and tools leaders need to set high-quality objectives and use data to improve performance.
• Define value measures across workstreams, integrating workforce, organizational health, employee experience and business indicators into a trusted view of delivery.
• Develop executive dashboards, portfolio reviews and management routines that create transparency, surface root causes and drive timely corrective action.

Workforce Strategy & People Process Alignment

• Lead cross-business workforce planning grounded in labour supply and demand, capability gaps and build-versus-buy choices, with short-, medium- and long-term talent requirements.
• Partner with HRBPs, Talent Acquisition and Finance to assess hiring pipeline health, fill-rate risks and talent investment effectiveness, and sponsor targeted improvement initiatives.
• Align role, level, compensation and talent evaluation approaches to external technology and AI markets while maintaining enterprise consistency.
• Integrate workforce transition and capability-building plans into transformation roadmaps, connecting the work to enterprise Talent mechanisms.

Employee Experience, Change & Ways of Working

• Embed employee experience and data and analytics into program design, using evidence to understand workforce needs, anticipate friction and improve adoption and outcomes.
• Lead the change approach for complex transformations, including stakeholder segmentation, communications, readiness, transition support and sustained adoption.
• Assess the cumulative impact of change on leaders, teams and HR, and sequence work to protect delivery capacity, employee trust and business