Senior Financial Analyst

Sun Life Financial; Southwestern Ontario, King; On-site; CAD 85,000 - 128,000; Full time

Job summary

Sun Life Financial is seeking a Senior Financial Analyst to join its Expense Management team in Canada. The role focuses on detailed planning, variance analysis, and building financial models to support monthly and quarterly reporting, with a path to becoming a trusted advisor to business partners.

You will partner with leaders to optimize operating expenses, develop budgets, forecasts, and strategic plans, and drive continuous improvement through data-driven insights.

Qualifications

• Financial designation with strong preference for CPA or MBA with commensurate experience.
• 5+ years of financial planning, reporting and analysis experience; preferably in Financial Services.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Knowledge of various data management tools (i.e. Tableau, Python, etc.).
• Financial modeling experience.
• Expense management experience ideal.
• Curious nature with a passion for investigative analysis, business impact and continuous improvement.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Experience building executive-level presentation and content.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with multiple competing priorities.
• Results oriented and critical thinking – high sense of ownership.
• Capable of distilling complex concepts into simple key messages and insights.
• Curious mindset and comfortable with ambiguity and change.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
• Strong relationship management skills with a focus on client orientation; including excellent interpersonal and communication skills (both oral and written).
• Analytical thinking - designs/orchestrates use of financial and business analytics for decision making.
• Problem solving skills with curiosity for root cause analysis to identify key levers of financial and operational performance.
• Demonstrated strength and ability to design and implement processes and standards.
• Strong prioritization and organization skills -- capable of meeting deadlines in a high-performance environment.
• Strong financial analysis, reporting and presentation skills.
• Ability to work both independently with minimal supervision and within a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Hands on role that builds and improves financial models/processes to support monthly and quarterly reporting.
• Analyze expense trends to drive management action to optimize operating expenses.
• Utilize data driven models to report outcomes for financial and non-financial metrics including value added commentary and insights.
• Support the expense budgeting, forecasting, strategic plan and annual plan process.
• Demonstrated ability to develop expense roll forwards from cycle to cycle.
• Ability to recognize and implement continuous improvements.
• Ability to document financial models and processes to enable repeatable and sustainable processes.
• Build strong partnerships with business leaders and become a trusted financial advisor.
• Lead/support ad hoc financial analysis/consulting as required.
• Understand, and be able to explain to business partners, common charges and Sun Life expense management process.

Skills

Financial planning

Financial analysis

Executive communication

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Education

CPA or MBA

Tools

Tableau

Python

Excel

PowerPoint

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:

Sun Life Canada’s Expense Management function provides first line of defense support to its business partners as well as consolidation, analytics and reporting of the business’ expenses on a monthly and quarterly basis. As part of a dynamic team of Finance professionals, the Senior Financial Analyst will assist in furthering the financial planning and analysis agenda with a strong focus on detailed planning and variance analysis, creating and maintaining financial models, understanding key cost drivers and influencing people in the organization to optimize operational expenditures. This role will be part of the critical transformation of Finance from purely a reporting and planning function to a Trusted Financial Advisor to the business.

What will you do?

Reporting & Analysis

• Hands on role that builds and improves financial models/processes to support monthly and quarterly reporting
• Analyze expense trends to drive management action to optimize operating expenses
• Utilize data driven models to report outcomes for financial and non-financial metrics including value added commentary and insights

Planning

• Support the expense budgeting, forecasting, strategic plan and annual plan process
• Demonstrated ability to develop expense roll forwards from cycle to cycle

Finance Transformation

• Ability to recognize and implement continuous improvements
• Ability to document financial models and processes to enable repeatable and sustainable processes

Other

• Build strong partnerships with business leaders and become a trusted financial advisor
• Lead/support ad hoc financial analysis/consulting as required (e.g. expense studies, cost benefit analysis etc.)
• Understand, and be able to explain to business partners, common charges and Sun Life expense management process

What do you need to succeed?

• Financial designation with strong preference for CPA or MBA with commensurate experience
• 5+ years of financial planning, reporting and analysis experience; preferably in Financial Services
• Proficient in MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• Knowledge of various data management tools (i.e. Tableau, Python, etc.)
• Financial modeling experience
• Expense management experience ideal
• Curious nature with a passion for investigative analysis, business impact and continuous improvement
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal
• Experience building executive-level presentation and content
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with multiple competing priorities
• Results oriented and critical thinking – high sense of ownership
• Capable of distilling complex concepts into simple key messages and insights
• Curious mindset and comfortable with ambiguity and change
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills
• Strong relationship management skills with a focus on client orientation; including excellent interpersonal and communication skills (both oral and written)
• Analytical thinking - designs/orchestrates use of financial and business analytics for decision making
• Problem solving skills with curiosity for root cause analysis to identify key levers of financial and operational performance
• Demonstrated strength and ability to design and implement processes and standards
• Strong prioritization and organization skills -- capable of meeting deadlines in a high-performance environment
• Strong financial analysis, reporting and presentation skills
• Ability to work both independently with minimal supervision and within a team environment

Notes/Unique Requirements

Some overtime will be required during peak reporting periods.

What's in it for you?

• The opportunity to move along a variety of career paths with amazing networking potential
• Flexible Benefits from the day you join to meet the needs of you and your family
• We’re committed to creating an inclusive and respectful environment.
• Our goal is to make sure all our employees have the chance to live up to their full potential
• We’re honoured to be recognized as a 2025 Best Workplaces in Ontario by Great Place to Work® Canada
• We are thrilled to be recognized by Excellence Canada with their top-level certification, the Canada Order of Excellence for Mental Health at Work®, for prioritizing employee well-being, fostering a positive work culture, and achieving excellence in mental health *LI-MS

Salary Range:

85,000/85 000 - 128,000/128 000

Job Category:

Finance

Posting End Date:

25/10/2026

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

We thank all applicants for showing an interest in this position. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.