Director, Security Architecture

Sun Life of Canada - Corporate; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 135,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and bonus program

Flexible group insurance starting day

20 vacation days per year

Share Ownership Program with employer匹

Warm, supportive, inclusive culture

Job summary

Sun Life is seeking a senior Security Architect to shape security into enterprise architecture and AI systems. You will lead strategic security programs across multiple clouds, drive modernisation, and adopt a zero‑trust approach while working with delivery teams.

A strong background in cloud, endpoint, data protection, and SIEM is essential. The role requires 7–10+ years in information security with experience migrating core technologies and managing third‑party providers.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years in information security architecture, engineering and design.
• Experience with multi‑cloud security across two major providers.
• Familiarity with AI security threat models and governance frameworks.
• Pragmatic mix of technology and process in security problems.
• Relevant university degree or equivalent co‑op experience; professional IT security designation preferred.

Responsibilities

• Review enterprise architecture patterns and guardrails with global domain architects.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and provide proofs of concept and business cases.
• Represent security strategy at executive forums and review boards.
• Provide architecture and design guidance for security initiatives across domains.
• Lead zero‑trust‑first security capability evolution with delivery teams.
• Define AI adoption security architecture covering data, models, and platforms.
• Define secure‑by‑design patterns for AI-enabled products.

Skills

Security architecture

Cloud security

Endpoint security

SIEM

Data protection

Privileged access management

AI security

Leadership and communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT security or related field

CISM CISSP CISA certification preferred

Tools

CNAPP/CSPM

EDR/XDR

SAST/SCA/DAST

WAF

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

Role Summary

You will represent the Security Architecture team across our enterprise architecture and technology community, shaping how security is designed into everything we build including the AI systems now reaching production. This is a senior, influence-led role. You will prioritise the strategic concepts and capability sets that matter most, align security to the architecture process and the NIST framework, and advance technology modernisation and defense-in-depth across multiple clouds and on Prem. You will set direction for a substantial security technology stack including: cloud security posture and workload protection, endpoint detection and response, SIEM, secrets and privileged access management, data protection, application security and perimeter defense and make strategic decisions on the future of the technology stack.

What will you do?

Partner with global domain architects to review enterprise architecture patterns and guardrails, ensuring security is designed in rather than retrofitted. Evaluate and recommend emerging technologies, providing technical and thought leadership through proofs of concept and business cases that demonstrate value. Represent security technology and capability strategy at senior executive forums and enterprise technology review boards. Provide architecture and design expertise on enterprise projects and security initiatives, including cross-domain functions, and certify domains in line with architecture governance. Lead the strategic evolution of security capabilities with a zero-trust-first approach, working alongside delivery teams. Define the security architecture for AI adoption covering AI and agentic systems, the data that feeds them, and the platforms that host them. This includes model and agent governance, AI security posture management, data-classification controls for training and inference, guardrails against prompt injection and model misuse, and secure-by-design patterns for AI-enabled products. Set a modernised approach to security tooling, services and capability sets, focused on technical feasibility across emerging technologies, controls and functions. Drive multi-cloud consistency, ensuring controls, telemetry and posture management extend uniformly across all cloud providers rather than clustering around the best-covered one.

What will you need to succeed?

Experience

Minimum 7-10 years in information security architecture, engineering and design. Proven ability to navigate complex organisations across the security, network, infrastructure and global architecture stack. Proven experience migrating and upgrading core security technologies as part of an evolving security and infrastructure stack, including API security, web filtering, cloud security, email security and endpoint security. Experience managing third-party security service providers in delivering security services.

Technical depth

Strong knowledge of core security domains: endpoint, cloud, infrastructure, perimeter and data protection. Multi-cloud security architecture across at least two major providers, with an appreciation of how native controls and third-party platforms differ in coverage. Working knowledge of the modern security toolset CNAPP/CSPM, EDR/XDR, SIEM, secrets management, privileged access management, SSE/CASB, WAF and perimeter protection, database activity monitoring, and SAST/SCA/DAST in the pipeline.

AI security

Familiarity with AI and LLM threat models (such as the OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications), AI governance frameworks (such as the NIST AI Risk Management Framework), AI security posture management, model and agent identity, and the data-security implications of AI adoption.

Pragmatic understanding

Pragmatic understanding of security problems as a mix of technology and process, with the ability to pursue solutions at multiple levels throughout the organisation.

Leadership and communication

Expert presentation and communication skills, written and verbal. People leadership experience preferred, including the ability to engage, mentor, coach and develop. Extensive knowledge of information security principles, best practices and industry standards. Self-starter, strategic thinker, negotiator and consensus builder.

Education

University degree/college diploma in related discipline(s) or equivalent co-op work experience, Professional designation in IT security (such as CISM, CISSP, CISA) preferred.

What’s in it for you?

• A competitive salary and bonus program, based on market scale
• A flexible group insurance program starting on your first day of work to meet your needs and those of your family.
• Time off that allows you to focus on the moments that matter most.
• 20 vacation days per year.
• Our Share Ownership Program gives you the opportunity to invest in Sun Life while benefiting from employer matching contributions.
• A warm, supportive, and inclusive culture.

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: 135,000/135 000 - 195,000/195 000

Job Category

IT - Application Development

Posting End Date: 17/11/2026

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