Program Director

Sunlife; Southwestern Ontario; Hybrid; CAD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Sun Life is seeking a Program Director to drive a major Group Retirement Services transformation. You will lead cross-functional teams, align priorities across business and technology, and ensure delivery of strategic outcomes with strong governance and executive reporting.

The role requires experience guiding complex programs in a multi-location environment, plus the ability to balance business value with technology readiness and change management initiatives.

Qualifications

• Group retirement knowledge or experience.
• Proven experience leading large transformation programs with multiple workstreams and senior stakeholders.
• Expertise in integrated planning, budgeting, risk/issue management and governance.
• Ability to translate complex information into clear recommendations and actions.
• Experience coordinating business and technology leaders in matrixed organizations.

Responsibilities

• Lead integrated execution of a large-scale transformation program spanning multiple projects and teams.
• Develop and manage the integrated program plan (scope, milestones, dependencies, resources, financials, risks).
• Lead governance and Steering Committee activities with senior leaders.
• Partner with business, technology, operations, finance, risk and change management leads to align priorities.
• Proactively manage cross-program risks, issues, dependencies and resources; escalate as needed.
• Own consolidated executive reporting and monitor business value realization.
• Integrate delivery, change management and operating-model impacts to support outcomes.

Skills

Group retirement knowledge

Transformation leadership

Program management

Executive reporting

Job description

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.

Group Retirement Services Operations is undertaking a large, complex enterprise transformation involving multiple interdependent business and technology workstreams. As Program Director, you will provide program integration and execution leadership, partnering with the Executive Sponsor, Steering Committee, workstream leads, and senior stakeholders to turn strategy into measurable business outcomes.

You will establish the governance, integrated planning and execution discipline needed to align teams, manage dependencies, facilitate timely decisions and maintain momentum.

This opportunity is well suited to an experienced transformation leader who can create clarity and accountability in a complex, matrixed environment while keeping teams focused on business value.

What will you do?

• Lead integrated execution of a large-scale transformation program spanning multiple projects, workstreams, teams and delivery partners.
• Develop and manage the integrated program plan across scope, milestones, dependencies, resources, financials, risks, decisions and business readiness.
• Lead program governance and Steering Committee activities, providing senior leaders with clear visibility into progress, key decisions, risks, dependencies and trade-offs.
• Partner with business, technology, operations, finance, risk, change management and workstream leaders to align priorities, accountabilities, sequencing and delivery.
• Proactively manage cross-program risks, issues, dependencies and resource constraints, driving resolution and escalating matters requiring senior leadership decisions.
• Own consolidated executive reporting and maintain an integrated view of program outcomes and benefits, partnering with workstream leads and Finance to monitor expected business value.
• Integrate technology delivery, business readiness, change management, operating-model impacts, implementation, adoption and benefit realization to support successful program outcomes.

What do you need to succeed?

• Group retirement business experience or knowledge.
• Significant experience leading large, complex transformation programs involving multiple workstreams, delivery teams, dependencies and senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrated program and project management expertise across integrated planning, financial and resource management, risk and issue management, dependency management, change control and executive reporting.
• Ability to lead governance and facilitate senior-level decision-making by translating complex information into clear recommendations, trade-offs and actions.
• Experience coordinating business and technology leaders in complex, matrixed organizations and influencing outcomes without direct authority.
• Ability to anticipate cross-program impacts, solve complex delivery challenges and create clarity and momentum where priorities or ownership are ambiguous.
• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information clearly to executive, business and technology stakeholders, combined with effective facilitation, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills.
• Experience delivering programs from planning and mobilization through implementation and benefit realization using Agile, waterfall, iterative or hybrid approaches.
• As this position is posted in several locations, we specify that bilingualism (French, English, both oral and written) is required for Quebec only for the frequent interactions with English and French-speaking colleagues or internal partners across Canada

Assets

• Project or program management certification such as PMP, PgMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent.
• Agile or scaled Agile experience and related certification.
• Experience within Sun Life’s Digital Enterprise.

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

130,000/130 000 - 180,000/180 000

Job Category

Project Management - Process

Posting End Date

05/11/2026