Director, Pensions Centre of Excellence (12-14 Contract)

OMERS; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A major financial service provider in Canada is seeking a Director for its Pensions Centre of Excellence. This role involves leading a high-performing team and driving operational excellence. Candidates should have experience in financial planning and project management, with strong leadership and communication skills. The position requires in-office presence 4 days a week, embracing a hybrid work model that fosters collaboration.

Benefits

Flexible hybrid work guidelines

Inclusive workplace culture

Employee Resource Groups

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience leading high-performance teams.
• 8+ years experience managing complex budgets in a large organization.
• Candidates with a CPA designation will be viewed favorably.

Responsibilities

• Drive operational excellence and continuous improvement across the Pensions team.
• Lead annual planning cycle for budget and project management processes.
• Prepare and coordinate senior-level updates and briefings.

Skills

Leadership

Financial planning

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, or related field

Tools

Excel

JIRA

Atlassian

Job description

Choose a workplace that empowers your impact.

Join a global workplace where employees thrive. One that embraces diversity of thought, expertise and experience. A place where you can personalize your employee journey to be — and deliver — your best.

We are a purpose-driven, dynamic and sustainable pension plan. An industry leading global investor with teams in Toronto to London, New York, Singapore, Sydney and other major cities across North America and Europe. We embody the values of our 600,000+ members, placing their best interests at the heart of everything we do.

Join us to accelerate your growth & development, prioritize wellness, build connections, and support the communities where we live and work.

Don’t just work anywhere — come build tomorrow together with us.

Know someone at OMERS or Oxford Properties? Great! If you're referred, have them submit your name through Workday first. Then, watch for a unique link in your email to apply.

Position Scope

We are seeking a strategic and operational leader to join on a 12-14 month contract as a Director, Pensions Centre of Excellence. In this role you will be responsible for driving operational excellence and continuous improvement across the Pensions team. You will lead a high-performing team that supports core corporate services such as delivering budget forecasting, training and project management to the Pensions team.

You will work closely with internal teams including Member Experience, Employer Experience, and Products & Technology to ensure alignment, efficiency, and delivery of high-value services to members and employers. Reporting directly to the SVP, Pensions Operations, Engagement & Strategic Initiatives, and partnering closely with the Chief Pensions Officer (CPO), this role provides senior-level support, insights, and coordination to drive the successful execution of our long-term strategic objectives, including the Pensions 2030 strategy.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

People Leadership:

• Provide strong leadership and direction to the Center of Excellence team fostering a high-performance culture through effective coaching, mentorship and continuous feedback

• Ensure team members are equipped with the resources, support and development opportunities needed for success

Relationship Management

• Act as a strategic liaison with other parts of the business to ensure alignment and harmony while sharing and receiving information

Execution of key deliverables

• Top level deliverables primarily for the Chief Pensions Officer or the budget process

Planning

• Lead annual planning cycle for budget and project management processes for all of Pensions

• Ongoing planning around project timelines and execution of Pensions 2030 strategy

• Drive the successful execution of cross-functional projects and initiatives aligned with the Pensions 2030 strategy

Executive Support & Reporting

• Prepare and coordinate senior-level updates and briefs for the SVP and CPO

• Support high-priority deliverables related to executive leadership, including strategic initiatives and budgeting exercises

To succeed in this role, you have:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, or related field

• 5+ years experience leading high-performance teams, preferably in corporate services or strategic operations function

• 8+ years experience managing complex budgets and financial planning in a large organization

• Familiarity and demonstrated experience with OMERS Operating Plan process strongly preferred

• Candidates with a CPA designation will be viewed favorably.

• Extensive familiarity with JIRA, Atlassian, Excel

• Experience with strategic and annual planning processes

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a track record of building trust and alignment across cross-functional teams

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with a high degree of autonomy

We believe that time together in the office is important for OMERS and Oxford, the strength of our employees, and the work we do for our pension members. In delivering on our pension promise, keeping us connected to our work and each other, our flexible hybrid work guideline requires this role to come into the office 4 days per week.

As one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans, our people-first culture is at its best when our workforce reflects the communities where we live and work — and the members we proudly serve.

From hire to retire, we are an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection process that extends all the way through your employee experience. This sense of belonging and connection is cultivated up, down and across our global organization thanks to our vast network of Employee Resource Groups with executive leader sponsorship, our Purpose@Work committee and employee recognition programs.