Senior Data Scientist

Sun Life Financial; Southwestern Ontario; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

A major financial services provider in Southwestern Ontario is seeking a Senior Data Scientist with expertise in generative AI. This role involves engaging with business stakeholders to develop analytics solutions that drive business value and recommend insights based on data analysis. Candidates should possess strong programming skills, experience with AWS, and a minimum of 3 years in data science development. This position offers a hybrid work arrangement with a competitive salary range of CAD 90,000 – 140,000.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in developing and implementing data science techniques.
• 3+ years of experience in developing generative AI systems and optimizing AI performance.
• Experience with data transformation and working with structured/unstructured data.

Responsibilities

• Engage with business stakeholders to translate business goals into analytical problems.
• Develop AI/ML data science products focusing on generative AI systems.
• Make data-driven business recommendations and present findings.

Skills

SQL proficiency

Statistical programming (Python)

Communication and storytelling skills

Data transformation and manipulation

Education

BSc/M.S. in a relevant field

Tools

AWS SageMaker

Hadoop

HDFS

Spark

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. Discover how you can make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities around the world.

Job Description

Role Summary

Within Sun Life's Corporate IT team, we're seeking a Senior Data Scientist with strong GenAI expertise to join our mission of transforming how we apply data, analytics, and artificial intelligence to support Sun Life's client‑centric approach. As a key member of the Data team, you'll accelerate the growth and application of analytics and generative AI in driving business value across our organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Engage with business stakeholders to translate business goals into analytical problems and AI solutions
• Develop AI/ML data science products, with a focus on generative AI systems and large language models (LLMs)
• Apply advanced data science techniques, including descriptive, predictive, and machine learning methods
• Design and implement generative AI solutions that create human‑like content and solve complex problems autonomously
• Optimize AI performance and address ethical considerations in AI development – Provide guidance on feature engineering, model training, and evaluation
• Make data‑driven business recommendations and present findings to various stakeholders – Contribute to and help grow the data science and AI community at Sun Life

Required Qualifications

• BSc/M.S. in a statistical, mathematical, or technical field (e.g., computer science) or equivalent experience
• 3+ years experience in developing and implementing data science techniques
• 3+ years experience in developing generative AI systems, working with LLMs, and optimizing AI performance – Proficiency in SQL and statistical programming languages (e.g., Python)
• Experience with AWS services, including SageMaker – Expertise in machine learning, including supervised and unsupervised models
• Experience with data transformation, manipulation, and working with structured/unstructured data
• Knowledge of technologies like Hadoop, HDFS, Hive, HBase, and Spark – Strong communication and storytelling skills for insights presentation
• Ability to manage multiple projects and guide junior team members

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in life insurance, wealth management, or other financial services
• Familiarity with Agile delivery models
• Experience deploying production‑grade models in cloud infrastructure
• Knowledge of ethical AI practices and staying current with evolving GenAI technologies

At Sun Life, we value fierce curiosity, an inquisitive mind, and a passion for solving complex problems. The ideal candidate will continuously update their knowledge of data science and AI state‑of‑the‑art techniques.

Note: As a condition of the role, the successful candidate must obtain a Government of Canada Reliability Status security clearance through Sun Life.

Join us in leveraging cutting‑edge data science and generative AI to drive innovation and deliver value to our clients!

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! Several work options are available and can be discussed throughout the selection process depending on the role requirements and individual needs.

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: 90,000 – 140,000

Job Category: IT - Technology Services

Posting End Date: 22/01/2026