Vice-President, Operations Strategy, Transformation & Business Enablement

Job Description

Sun Life Canada is on an exciting journey of innovation and transformation to deepen our commitment to our One Sun purpose “To help clients achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives”. Sun Life Canada Operations includes a team of over 5,000 dedicated team members across Canada and SL Global Solutions in Asia. We support client onboarding, processing and service delivery across Sun Life’s Canadian business units – Health, Group Retirement Services, Retail Advice & Solutions and Sun Life Global Investments. The team handles over 130 million interactions with Clients, plan sponsors and advisors annually which includes 120 million+ health, dental, life and critical illness claim transactions, 7 million+ contact centre interactions, 3 million+ policies set up and 60,000+ Disability claims administered annually. We put clients at the centre of everything we do.

The Vice President, Operations Strategy, Transformation and Business Enablement is responsible for leading Sun Life Canada's Operations transformation strategy to deliver an industry-leading client service experience while optimizing and modernizing the service platform. Reporting to the SVP, Operations, this role will drive Sun Life's service delivery modernization through strategic planning, innovation initiatives, and process and platform optimization. The VP will help shape the future of Sun Life's operations by partnering with business, client experience and technology leaders to understand evolving client and market needs, develop corresponding business architecture and service capability roadmaps, and drive their execution, ensuring our business is ready and supported on their digital transformation journey.

We are seeking a leader who is passionate about transformation and operational excellence, is collaborative, caring, and possesses a strong and inspiring leadership style. They will bring a demonstrated history of managing teams through strategic complexity, matrixed working relationships and critical decision-making. The individual should be a thought leader who can create and share a compelling vision, engage team members along the journey and lead through change to drive excellent service for our clients and strong business results.

Key Accountabilities :

Inspire and lead a team of 200+ engaged members in Operations Strategy and Optimization, Service Platforms, Strategic Initiatives, Business Architecture, and Business Enablement (specifically the Business Systems Analysis Chapter as part of Sun Life’s Digital Enterprise / Agile model)

Develop and execute a strategic vision to continuously modernize and optimize Sun Life's operations and client service delivery through digital transformation and innovation.

Lead strategic initiatives and provide thought leadership on emerging technologies and industry trends to inform Sun Life's digital roadmap and transformation efforts. Clearly articulate the value, benefit, and priority of investments, as well as their alignment to the Operations and Business strategies.

Optimize business processes, implement continuous improvement practices, and ensure operations have the right financial and risk controls to support business objectives.

Build strong partnerships with business leaders, Client Experience Office (CXO) and Digital Business & Technology Solutions (DBTS) partners to act as a trusted advisor, educate on digital solutions, and help integrate technology into business strategies and processes.

Manage resources, budgets, and capabilities across teams to support Sun Life Operations transformation initiatives.

Foster a culture of innovation, learning and development within operations to build the skills and agility needed for future success.

Remove barriers to transformation and ensure accountability and alignment across the organization.

Participate visibly in shaping Sun Life's digital enterprise vision and future operating models, demonstrating ‘ One Sun’ values and behaviours

Execute on the implementation of strategic initiatives by delivering on goals and objectives as defined by the Operations Strategic Plan.

Continuously assess opportunities and proactively identify solutions that will deliver desired outcomes with a view to the future state

Experience and Qualifications :

10+ years in senior leadership roles managing large, complex operations

Proven track record of driving large operational transformation and process optimization

Degree in relevant field such as business, engineering or technology

Strong strategic thinking, communication, and relationship building skills

Experience leading change and optimizing business performance

Financial services industry knowledge an asset

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 or worldwide