AVP, Head of Marketing, Retail & Institutional

Job Description

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Sun Life Global Investments is seeking a forward-thinking, commercially driven marketing leader to define and execute our marketing strategy across retail and institutional channels. Reporting to the President of SLGI, you will shape how advisors, clients, and institutional partners engage with our brand, products, and platforms, driving growth through integrated go-to-market strategies, digital transformation, personalization, and AI-enabled marketing capabilities.

This highly visible leadership role sits at the intersection of distribution, product innovation, and advisor and institutional client experience, with enterprise-wide impact.

What You Will Do:

Enterprise Marketing Strategy & Commercialization

• Define and execute integrated marketing strategy across retail and institutional channels aligned to business priorities
• Lead go-to-market planning and commercialization for SLGI's full product shelf (mutual funds, managed solutions, ETFs, target date funds, segregated funds, annuities and GICs)
• Drive advisor acquisition, activation, retention, and product adoption through multi-channel strategies
• Partner with Sales, Product, Events, and senior leadership to translate commercial priorities into impact

Advisor & Institutional Client Experience

• Design end-to-end advisor and institutional client journeys across lifecycle stages (awareness, onboarding, engagement, growth, retention)
• Develop segmented engagement strategies tailored to channel, client type, and growth opportunity
• Deliver differentiated, client-centric experiences that strengthen relationships and improve business outcomes

Digital Engagement, Automation & Personalization

• Own digital strategy across web, mobile, email, social, events, and emerging channels
• Advance a connected marketing ecosystem leveraging marketing automation, CRM, and data platforms to deliver personalized advisor and institutional client journeys
• Champion experimentation, optimization, and continuous improvement through analytics and testing
• Identify and scale AI-enabled solutions that enhance targeting, content relevance, and performance

Brand, Content & Thought Leadership

• Elevate SLGI's market presence through differentiated thought leadership and strong brand positioning
• Collaborate with Global and Canadian Marketing to strengthen cohesive SLGI brand positioning
• Communicate compelling storytelling that simplifies complex investment concepts

Analytics, Performance Management & Insights

• Establish OKRs, KPIs, and attribution models that track marketing ROI and contribution to business growth (earnings, net sales, engagement)
• Leverage data insights to inform strategy, optimize performance, and improve outcomes
• Build transparent reporting and dashboards to support executive decision-making

Compliance & Governance

• Ensure all marketing activities align with regulatory requirements, privacy standards, and enterprise governance
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, and Risk teams to balance innovation with disciplined execution

Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead and develop a high-performing team across product marketing, digital marketing, and client engagement
• Foster accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement
• Drive operating model evolution and build future-ready capabilities in digital, data, and AI-enabled marketing

What You Bring:

• Experience & Leadership -12+ years progressive marketing experience in asset management, wealth management, or financial services - Proven success leading multi-channel, integrated marketing strategies with measurable business outcomes - Strong track record in product marketing, commercialization, and advisor-facing marketing - Experience leading cross-functional teams (sales, product, digital, data, governance) and influencing senior stakeholders in matrixed organizations - Deep knowledge of Canadian investment landscape, advisor distribution models, and institutional sales cycles (RFPs, due diligence)
• Digital, Data & Technology Expertise - Expertise in lifecycle marketing, digital engagement, personalization, and campaign orchestration - Experience with MarTech stack design and integration (e.g., Salesforce CRM, Adobe, Pardot or equivalent) - Strong analytical mindset with experience in client data architecture, taxonomy, and data governance - Ability to translate data into actionable insights and build KPI frameworks and dashboards
• Future-Ready Capabilities - Understanding of evolving advisor expectations and digital engagement trends - Experience leveraging AI and emerging technologies to enhance marketing effectiveness and operational efficiency - Experience in team development, digital fluency, and modern marketing operating models - Ability to balance innovation with governance in regulated environments
• Education - University degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field - Advanced degree or industry designation (MBA, CFA, CIM, CSC) is an asset

What Sets You Apart:

• Enterprise thinker with strong commercial acumen and growth mindset

• Data-driven decision-maker who connects strategy to measurable outcomes

• Innovative leader passionate about transforming advisor and client experiences

• Confident influencer who aligns diverse stakeholders around shared vision

• People leader who inspires high performance and continuous learning

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.