Senior Manager, Quality Assurance and Financial Crime Operations – Canada

Sunlife; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 85,000 - 128,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible Benefits

Hybrid work environment

Job summary

Sun Life is seeking a Senior Manager, Quality Assurance and Financial Crime Operations to lead QA for Canada Financial Crime Operations, ensuring accurate name screening, transaction monitoring, EDD, and regulatory reporting with independent challenge and continuous improvement.

You will own and evolve the QA framework, drive improvement, track remediation, and provide actionable insights to leadership while maintaining current AML/ATF requirements and industry trends.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, audit, law or a related field.
• AML certification (CAMS) is an asset.
• Minimum five years of experience in AML operations, QA, audit, compliance monitoring or testing.
• Experience independently assessing complex AML matters and challenging investigative or regulatory reporting decisions.
• Experience designing or managing QA methodologies, sampling approaches, quality standards and remediation processes.
• Experience communicating material findings and control concerns to management and stakeholders.
• Experience in the insurance sector is an asset.
• Strong knowledge of AML/ATF, sanctions and financial crime controls.
• Strong investigative and analytical skills with independent judgment.
• Ability to identify gaps and systemic weaknesses in controls and processes.
• Proficiency in data analysis, QA tools, reporting systems, and MS Office.
• Ability to prepare clear, management-level reports and convey findings.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Self-motivation, organization and attention to detail.
• Analytical thinker with problem-solving and reporting skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively across functions.
• Strong interpersonal skills and relationship-building.
• Ability to balance control independence with practical delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead QA reviews of name screening and transaction monitoring alert decisions and related regulatory reporting.
• Apply risk-based sampling methodologies and document findings with supporting evidence.
• Provide independent challenge to investigative conclusions and regulatory reporting determinations.
• Escalate material quality concerns and control deficiencies to stakeholders.
• Maintain and improve the QA framework, procedures, templates and evaluation criteria.
• Analyze QA results to identify recurring errors, root causes and remediation opportunities.
• Track findings through closure and ensure effective remediation.
• Support calibration activities for consistent interpretation of procedures and standards.
• Maintain knowledge of AML/ATF requirements and financial crime trends.
• Provide constructive feedback and coaching based on QA findings to the team.

Skills

AML operations experience

Independent AML assessment

QA methodologies

Communicating findings

Insurance sector experience

AML/ATF knowledge

Investigation & analysis

Gap analysis

Data analysis tools

Reporting

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Analytical thinking

Team collaboration

Interpersonal skills

Judgment & risk assessment

Concise reporting

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, finance, audit, law or a related field

AML certification (CAMS)

Tools

MS Office

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

The Senior Manager, Quality Assurance and Financial Crime Operations is a senior individual contributor role within Canada Financial Crime Compliance, reporting to the Director, Financial Crime Operations, Enterprise Financial Crime Compliance (EFCC). The role leads and maintains the quality assurance framework for Canada Financial Crime Operations, provides independent, risk-based challenge across Name Screening, Transaction Monitoring, Enhanced Due Diligence activities, regulatory reporting and related operational controls, and supports ad hoc Financial Crime Compliance operational activities.

What will you do?

• Quality Assurance Reviews
• Lead consistent, risk-based quality assurance reviews of name screening and transaction monitoring alert decisions, EDD reviews, FIU investigations, regulatory reporting practices and related controls, to assess accuracy, completeness, timeliness and adherence to established requirements.
• Determine and apply risk-based sampling methodologies, evaluation criteria and documentation standards when selecting and assessing samples of alerts, EDD reviews, FIU investigations and regulatory reports. Document findings, observations and recommendations clearly, with sufficient supporting evidence.
• Provide independent challenge regarding investigative conclusions, customer-risk decisions, escalation outcomes and regulatory reporting determinations, including whether decisions are reasonable and supported by the available information.
• Escalate material quality concerns, control deficiencies and potential compliance issues to the appropriate stakeholders.
• QA Methodology, Procedures and Continuous Improvement
• Own and maintain the Canada FC Operations QA Framework, develop and maintain QA procedures, review templates, sampling methodologies and evaluation criteria to reflect changes in regulations, policies, processes, systems and operational risks.
• Analyze QA results to identify recurring errors, quality trends, root causes, control weaknesses and opportunities for improvement.
• Recommend and drive practical corrective actions and process enhancements based on QA findings.
• Track findings through closure, assess whether corrective actions adequately address identified root causes and elevate overdue or ineffective remediation
• Support calibration activities to promote consistent interpretation of procedures, quality standards, engagement expectations.
• Maintain current knowledge of AML/ATF requirements, sanctions programs, regulatory reporting obligations and relevant financial crime trends.
• QA Feedback, Reporting and Stakeholder Support
• Provide clear, constructive and actionable feedback to the Canada Financial Crime Compliance team based on QA findings.
• Provide coaching based on QA findings to clarify expectations and support consistent application of procedures and quality standards.
• Produce management-level QA reporting and analysis covering quality performance, material errors, systemic themes, remediation status and residual risk within agreed timelines.
• Present quality results, material errors, recurring themes, remediation status, emerging risks and matters requiring management attention.
• Provide authoritative advice and constructive challenge to the Canada Financial Crime Compliance team, operational leaders and other stakeholders to clarify expectations and support effective, consistent outcomes. Maintain appropriate objectivity when reviewing operational decisions and outcomes.
• Support regulatory examinations, internal audit, compliance testing and management reviews relating to Canada AML operational quality.
• Financial Crime Compliance Operations
• Coordinate operational priorities with the Senior Manager, FIU and the Senior Manager, EDDU, considering risk, service expectations, capacity and regulatory obligations.
• Assign name screening and transaction monitoring alerts based on established priorities, capacity and operational requirements.
• Create manual alerts accurately and in accordance with established procedures.
• Handle email escalations and coordinate with relevant stakeholders where additional information or action is required.
• Prepare accurate alert metrics, reports, dashboards, trackers and management updates within agreed timelines.
• Provide ad hoc operational support, including responding to process-related questions, clarifying procedures and assisting with priority activities or escalations as required.

What do you need to succeed?

• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, audit, law or a related field.
• A recognized AML certification, such as CAMS, is considered an asset.
• Minimum five years of experience in AML operations, quality assurance, audit, compliance monitoring or testing, operational support or a related role.
• Demonstrated experience independently assessing complex AML matters and challenging investigative or regulatory reporting decisions.
• Experience designing or managing QA methodologies, sampling approaches, quality standards and remediation processes.
• Experience communicating material findings and control concerns to management and operational stakeholders.
• Experience in the insurance sector is an asset.
• Strong practical knowledge of AML/ATF, sanctions and financial crime controls, including alert adjudication, AML investigations, escalations and documentation standards.
• Strong investigative, critical-thinking and independent judgment skills abilities to assess compliance, operational effectiveness, materiality and residual risk.
• Ability to identify gaps, systemic weaknesses and discrepancies in controls, processes and documentation.
• Proficiency in data analysis, quality or audit tools, reporting systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to prepare clear, management-level, quality and operational reports, communicate findings effectively and translate data into actionable insights and decisions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to provide credible challenge, clear, constructive feedback and coaching based on QA findings.
• Self-motivated, organized and detail-oriented, with strong planning skills and the ability to manage competing priorities effectively.
• Analytical thinker with strong problem-solving, reporting and feedback skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively across functions in a compliance-driven operational environment, with demonstrated objectivity and professional judgment.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with demonstrated patience, empathy and a commitment to supporting an inclusive team environment.
• Ability to balance control independence with practical operational delivery and to exercise sound judgment regarding materiality, escalation and remediation.
• Ability to communicate significant issues concisely to senior management and work collaboratively across functions in a compliance-driven operational environment.

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

Unique Requirements

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

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.

Salary Range

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

Job Category

Compliance

Posting End Date

05/11/2026