Director, Learning & Development, Operations

Canada Life; Montreal; On-site; CAD 121,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Education reimbursement

Health & Wellness benefits

Volunteer day

Pension and share ownership programs

Employee discounts

Job summary

Canada Life is seeking a Director of L&D Operations to build and lead the operating foundation for our Learning & Development function. You will drive an enterprise operating system connecting demand, priorities, people, technology, data and investments, overseeing intake, portfolio governance, and platforms.

You will translate strategy into practical plans, lead a multidisciplinary team, and collaborate with senior leaders to deliver measurable value while ensuring effective controls,

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in operations, enterprise learning or related fields.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams in a large organization.
• Proven track record establishing or transforming intake, prioritization and portfolio management at scale.
• Strong financial, commercial acumen managing budgets, forecasts, vendors and investments.
• Experience setting direction for enterprise platforms, data, and automation.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with senior leaders.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the L&D operations strategy, multi-year roadmap and annual operating plan.
• Own the intake pathway for L&D requests with clear standards and SLAs.
• Lead portfolio and capacity reviews, prioritizing based on value, urgency, risk and skills.
• Translate strategy into decisions, workflows, quality controls and service expectations across L&D pillars.
• Lead, coach and develop the L&D Operations team with clear outcomes.
• Roadmap enterprise learning platforms and related technology and automation.
• Ensure reliable operational services including learner support, catalog admin and programs.
• Establish dashboards and reporting for demand, capacity, KPI, investment and impact.
• Lead L&D financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and vendor governance.

Skills

Team leadership

Portfolio management

Workforce planning

Financial acumen

Data-driven insights

Strategic judgement

Cross-functional change

Communication

Education

University degree in business or related field

Job description

Role Description

Our Learning & Development team is evolving to better support Canada Life’s strategic priorities, leadership capability, employee performance and business transformation. We are creating a new Director, L&D Operations role to build and lead the operational foundation that will help our L&D function work with greater focus, consistency and scale.

Permanent Full Time

In this role, you will lead the enterprise operating system that connects L&D demand, priorities, people, technology, data and investment decisions. You will oversee intake and portfolio governance, workforce planning, learning platforms, operational services, measurement, financial management and vendor governance. Your leadership will make it easier for partners to engage L&D, help L&D focus on the work that matters most and give L&D leaders clear insight into capacity, performance, risk and impact.

What you will do:

You will translate L&D strategy into practical operating plans, clear decisions and reliable services. This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone who can build new systems and ways of working while keeping day‑to‑day operations running well. You will lead a multidisciplinary operations team, partner with L&D and business leadership on priorities and trade‑offs, and create the transparency and discipline needed to deliver measurable value across Canada Life.

Key accountabilities:

• Build and lead the L&D operations strategy, multi-year roadmap and annual operating plan.
• Own the single intake pathway for L&D requests, including clear request standards, triage, routing, service levels and status visibility.
• Lead portfolio and capacity reviews, using business value, urgency, risk, cost and available skills to recommend priorities, sequencing, resourcing and trade‑offs.
• Translate L&D strategy into clear decision rights, workflows, quality controls, service expectations and escalation practices across all L&D pillars: Strategy, Design, Delivery and Operations.
• Lead, coach and develop the L&D Operations team, setting clear outcomes and aligning team capacity
• Set the strategy and roadmap for enterprise learning platforms and related technology, including administration, integrations, testing, releases, support, controls and future automation.
• Ensure reliable operational services, including learner support, learning assignments, catalogue administration, tuition program administration and production support for enterprise and specialized programs.
• Establish dashboards and reporting that give leaders clear insight into demand, capacity, cycle time, service quality, investment, learner outcomes and business impact.
• Lead L&D financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, chargebacks, invoice governance and vendor performance to improve value and reduce duplication.
• Partner with senior HR and business leaders, Finance, Procurement, HR Technology, Corporate Technology, Privacy, Security, Risk and Compliance to make sound enterprise decisions and maintain effective controls.
• Champion continuous improvement, responsible automation and approved AI‑enabled practices that simplify work, improve service and create a better employee and partner experience.

What you will bring:

• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in operations, enterprise learning, HR operations, portfolio or program management, shared services, learning technology or a related field.
• Significant experience leading multidisciplinary professional teams in a large, complex organization.
• A proven track record of establishing or transforming intake, prioritization, portfolio management, workforce planning, service delivery or operating‑model practices at scale.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with experience managing budgets, forecasts, vendors, contracts and investment decisions.
• Experience setting direction for enterprise platforms, technology roadmaps, integrations, data, automation or digital transformation.
• Strong analytical skills and experience turning operational, financial and learning data into clear insights, recommendations and action.
• Sound strategic judgement and the confidence to recommend trade‑offs when priorities compete or demand exceeds capacity.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross‑functional change from planning through implementation, adoption and sustained results.
• Excellent communication, consultation and influencing skills, with the ability to build trust and explain complex decisions clearly to senior leaders and partners.
• A university degree in business, human resources, learning and development, organizational development, operations or a related discipline; an equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.
• As this position is posted in several locations, we specify that bilingualism (fluent in French, English, both oral and written) is required for Quebec only as the position will regularly serve our clients with French and English‑speaking needs.

Given the size and scope of our organization, we have the flexibility for this position to be in the following head office locations: Montreal, Toronto, London, Winnipeg.

The base salary for this position is between $121,200 - $171,200 annually. This represents base salary only and does not represent other variable compensation components of our total compensation ( i.e. annual bonus, commission etc). If you are selected to move forward in our recruitment process, your recruiter will be able to discuss additional details of our total rewards program with you.

Career opportunities will be open a minimum of 5 business days from the date of posting, closing dates will vary depending on the search activity. All applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Grow with Canada Life

We’re united by a shared purpose: to improve the financial, physical and mental well‑being of Canadians. Our company is trusted by 1 in 3 Canadians and contributes to the strength of communities across the country. We’re looking for people who live our values everyday: we step up, we do the right thing, and we deliver – for our customers, communities and each other. Are you someone who always strives to do the right thing, who steps up for themselves and others, and who delivers with impact? Then we want to hear from you!

What we offer

• Career Development: Opportunities for career advancement, access to industry‑leading learning programs and up to$2,000 annually towards education reimbursement.
• Health & Wellness:Flexible health and dental benefits, plus a $5,000 mental health benefit to support your well‑being.
• Time Off:In addition to regular vacation and personal days, we support community involvement with a volunteer day.
• Financial Security:Company-matching pension plan,share ownership program and additionalinvestment options.
• Rewards and Recognition: Employee recognition programs, service milestone celebrations, employee discounts and more!
• Emphasis on Community:We provide a workplace where employees feel connected and supported through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), mentorship programs, social clubs and events.

Learn more about Canada Life.

We’re committed to removing barriers and ensuring equal access to employment. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation during the application process may contact [e-mail]. All information provided will be handled in accordance with applicable laws and Canada Life policies.

Canada Life would like to thank all applicants, however only those who qualify for an interview will be contacted.