Director, Strategic Initiatives (Distribution Growth)

Sun Life Financial; Toronto; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Hybrid work model

Share Ownership Program

Great Place to Work recognition

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Sun Life Financial in Toronto seeks a Director of Growth to own end-to-end growth initiatives and drive revenue across life, health and wealth platforms. You will shape strategy, build compelling business cases, pilot solutions, and lead implementation across multiple functions.

You will guide a high-performing team, influence senior leaders, and translate market insights into scalable growth plans. This hybrid role offers a competitive compensation package and opportunities to impact clients

Qualifications

• Proven track record leading growth strategies in financial services or similar.
• Experience moving from strategy through execution and pilots to revenue.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and own end-to-end growth strategy and initiatives.
• Build and mentor a high-performing growth team.
• Strengthen relationships with leaders, advisors, and cross-functional partners.
• Translate client and market data into actionable growth plans.
• Drive adoption of go-to-market initiatives across life, health, and wealth solutions.

Skills

Growth strategy

Strategy execution

Business development

People leadership

Market acumen

Cross-functional influence

CRM proficiency

Tools

Salesforce

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

Are You Ready to Drive End-to-End Growth and Shape the Future of an Evolving Platform? If you've successfully led complex cross-functional initiatives, built high-performing teams, and translated market opportunities into measurable outcomes—this is your opportunity to make your mark at scale.

The Opportunity Prospr is at an inflection point. We're looking for a proven Director who thrives in owning growth initiatives from strategy through execution—someone with the strategic acumen, stakeholder influence, and operational courage to unlock new revenue streams and strengthen our competitive position.

Reporting to the AVP, Business Growth & Strategy, you'll lead a team driving priority growth initiatives while building trusted relationships across Prospr, SLFD, and key functional partners. This is a highly visible role where you'll shape strategy, influence decisions across the organization, and directly impact business outcomes.

What Success Looks Like

• Own end-to-end growth initiatives: Define strategy, build business cases, pilot solutions, and drive implementation across multiple functions—seeing ideas become market reality.
• Lead and elevate a high-performing team: Attract and develop top talent, set clear ownership, and create accountability for measurable results in a dynamic environment.
• Build and leverage trusted relationships: Establish credibility with SLFD leaders, field advisors, cross-functional partners, and senior executives—mobilizing stakeholders without direct authority to execute on complex priorities.
• Translate insight into strategy: Synthesize client, advisor, and market data into clear recommendations, growth plans, and scalable go-to-market approaches that drive meaningful outcomes.
• Drive advisor engagement and client acquisition: Identify whitespace opportunities, deepen relationships with existing clients, and build partnerships that expand Prospr's footprint across life, health, and wealth solutions.
• Champion performance management: Establish and monitor KPIs around advisor engagement, client acquisition, pipeline velocity, and revenue impact—using data and CRM tools to course-correct and optimize.

What You Bring

• Proven track record leading growth strategies: Significant experience in strategy, business development, sales leadership, or partnerships—ideally in financial services, distribution, or advisor-led channels.
• People leadership that attracts talent: You've built, coached, and developed high-performing teams through ambiguity and changing priorities. You know how to create ownership and accountability.
• Deep market and customer acumen: You understand financial services, insurance, wealth management, or field-based distribution models. You speak the language of advisors and sales leaders and can anticipate their needs.
• Execution excellence: You've moved beyond strategy documents—you've managed pilots, launched go-to-market initiatives, and driven adoption across functions. You balance strategic thinking with hands‑on accountability.
• Cross-functional influence and credibility: You mobilize complex stakeholder ecosystems, build trust quickly, and have the presence to engage confidently with senior leaders and advisor communities.
• Commercial judgment and analytical rigor: You assess opportunities with both strategic vision and hard‑nosed performance metrics. You're comfortable with ambiguity but driven by outcomes.
• Salesforce or CRM platform expertise: You use pipeline management and CRM tools fluently to inform business development strategy and performance decisions.

Why This Matters

You’ll lead in a high‑visibility role where your strategic decisions and team's execution directly drive revenue growth and strengthen relationships across the organization. This is a platform to demonstrate leadership at scale, expand your stakeholder network, and build a portfolio of wins that elevate your profile within Sun Life.

Reasons why you should join us under the sun?

• 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.
• We are proud to be included in Great Place to Work’s 2025 list of Canada’s Best Workplaces.
• 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: 110,000/110 000 - 180,000/180 000

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.

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