AVP, Strategic Programs, Innovation, Insights and Regulatory Operations

Sun Life Financial; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 140,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Flexible work environment

Job summary

Sun Life Financial is seeking an AVP, Strategic Programs, Innovation, Insights & Regulatory Operations to lead across Strategic Initiatives, Data & Insights, and Governance Programs. You will set priorities, allocate resources and guide a Director team to move initiatives from concept to sustainable ownership, balancing regulatory defensibility with client and advisor outcomes.

You will shape modernized governance, control frameworks and the use of digital, analytics, AI and GenAI-enabled

Qualifications

• Significant progressive leadership experience (10 years+) in financial services.
• Knowledge of Canadian wealth and insurance distribution and regulatory requirements.
• Experience in governance, regulation, risk, and transformation programs.
• Ability to translate regulatory changes into practical operating models and processes.
• Strong stakeholder influence and executive communication in a complex organization.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership across Strategic Initiatives & Innovation, Data & Insights, and Governance Programs.
• Balance regulatory defensibility with advisor/client experience and efficiency.
• Lead cross-functional teams through complex operational and organizational change.
• Translate regulatory change, audit findings and risks into governance and technology solutions.
• Oversee portfolio governance, prioritization, benefits realization and executive reporting.

Skills

Leadership experience

Regulatory knowledge

Portfolio governance

Executive communication

Strategic thinking

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

The AVP, Strategic Programs, Innovation, Insights & Regulatory Operations provides executive leadership across Strategic Initiatives & Innovation, Data & Insights, Registration & Licensing, and Governance Programs & Initiatives. The role integrates regulatory execution, governance and control frameworks, modernization, portfolio delivery and business priorities through a common strategy, roadmap and operating model. The AVP sets priorities, allocates resources, leads the Director team, and ensures initiatives move from concept through adoption and sustainable ownership. The role balances regulatory defensibility, operational risk, advisor and client experience, efficiency, capacity and responsible use of digital, automation, analytics, AI and emerging technologies.

What will you do?

• Strong knowledge of Canadian wealth and insurance distribution, securities and insurance regulatory requirements, dealer obligations and first-line supervisory expectations.
• Experience operating in a federally regulated financial institution, ideally within an OSFI-regulated environment and across a three-lines-of-defence model.
• Demonstrated success leading leaders and multidisciplinary teams through complex operational, regulatory and organizational change.
• Proven ability to translate regulatory change, audit findings, control gaps and business risks into practical operating-model, process, technology and governance solutions.
• Advanced portfolio-management capability, including prioritization, governance, benefits realization, resource planning and executive reporting.
• Exceptional judgment, strategic thinking, stakeholder influence, executive communication and ability to challenge constructively in a complex matrixed organization.

What do you need to succeed?

• Significant progressive leadership experience (10 years+) in financial services, ideally spanning wealth, insurance, governance, regulatory operations, compliance, risk, transformation or technology-enabled change.
• Strategy, Portfolio, Executive Partnership and Change Leadership Set and execute an integrated multi-year strategy and roadmap aligned to BG&C and RA&S priorities, regulatory obligations, business outcomes and investment capacity.
• Establish disciplined portfolio governance for intake, prioritization, sequencing, benefits realization, executive reporting and transition to business ownership.
• Advise senior leaders on outcomes, trade-offs, dependencies, risks, capability gaps and required decisions or escalations.
• Build enterprise partnerships and lead portfolio-level change through clear direction, stakeholder engagement, communication, training, adoption and accountability.

Governance, Regulatory Execution and First-Line Oversight

• Strengthen regulatory defensibility and first-line ownership by embedding practical governance, control and supervision capabilities across the portfolio.
• Establish, embed and maintain governance and control frameworks that support regulatory compliance, effective first-line oversight, advisor/client outcomes and sustainable business ownership.
• Lead applicable regulatory change execution from horizon scanning and impact assessment through business requirements, implementation, adoption and evidence of sustainable compliance.
• Oversee attestations, audit/regulatory findings, remediation commitments and management action plans to ensure timely, complete and sustainable closure.
• Ensure field leaders, advisors and business partners receive clear guidance, communications and training to support adoption of applicable governance, regulatory and operational expectations.

Transformation, Innovation, Insights and Regulatory Operations

• Develop and execute the modernization roadmap across process and operating-model redesign, technology, analytics, automation, AI and GenAI-enabled capabilities.
• Provide executive oversight of registration and licensing operations, ensuring clear accountability, documented decisions, effective controls and alignment with regulatory and business requirements.
• Set direction for analytics, dashboards and performance measures that connect regulatory risk, advisor and client experience and business outcomes.
• Sponsor discovery through scaling, using evidence-based criteria to stop, iterate or expand solutions while ensuring adoption, controls and sustainable ownership.

The Base Pay range is for the primary location for which the job is posted. It may vary depending on the work location of the successful candidate or other factors. In addition to Base Pay, eligible Sun Life employees participate in various incentive plans, payment under which is discretionary and subject to individual and company performance. Certain sales focused roles have sales incentive plans based on individual or group sales results.

Diversity and inclusion have always been at the core of our values at Sun Life. A diverse workforce with wide perspectives and creative ideas benefits our Clients, the communities where we operate and all of us as colleagues.

We welcome applications from qualified individuals from all backgrounds. Persons with disabilities who need accommodation in the application process, or those needing job postings in an alternative format, may e-mail a request to [e-mail].

We are proud to be a hybrid organization that offers our employees the choice and flexibility to work from both the office and virtually based on the needs of the business, our Clients and you.

We may use artificial intelligence to support candidate sourcing, screening, interview scheduling.

We thank all applicants for showing an interest in this position. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Salary Range: 140,000/140 000 - 225,000/225 000

Job Category: Business Analysis - Process Posting End Date: 13/10/2026

Shine together At Sun Life, you can be your most brilliant self. Our supportive, flexible, and inclusive work environment is one where you – and your career – can thrive. Whatever your aspirations, collaborative leaders and colleagues are ready to help you learn, grow, and succeed. Make life brighter We’re a global company with a passion for people. Our purpose is to help Clients achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives. As a team of 30,000 across 26 countries, our impact is far-reaching, and locally relevant There’s power in numbers. As part of Sun Life’s growing team, you have an impact on people in your community and around the world. Shape the future With an optimistic eye on a brighter future, we drive to innovate. Be part of leading change, push boundaries and try new ways of working. Use data to drive bold actions. Be agile and pivot as we test and learn. At Sun Life, we’re driving transformation, sustainability and innovation for our Clients, employees, partners, and communities. Join us. Together, we can make the future brighter. Join a top employer for a brighter future. Visit Sun Life Careers