AVP, Strategic Programs, Innovation, Insights, Regulatory Operations

Sun Life

. Provide executive leadership across Strategic Initiatives & Innovation, Data & Insights, Registration & Licensing, and Governance Programs & Initiatives .

Posted 9/30/2026full-timeToronto • CanadaLead💰 CA$140,000 - CA$225,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates strong leadership in regulatory execution, governance, and strategic initiatives within the financial services sector, with a focus on compliance, risk management, and operational transformation. Proven ability to integrate complex regulatory frameworks and drive organizational change through effective stakeholder engagement and communication.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Regulatory Change ExecutionPortfolio ManagementStakeholder EngagementStrategic ThinkingLeadership in Financial Services

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Regulatory RequirementsGovernance FrameworksOperational Change ManagementProcess RedesignTechnology IntegrationData AnalyticsBenefits RealizationResource PlanningCompliance SolutionsAudit Management

Soft Skills

Executive CommunicationJudgmentStakeholder InfluenceConstructive ChallengeTeam Leadership

Tools & Technologies

AI CapabilitiesGenAI-Enabled SolutionsDashboardsPerformance Measures

Industry Keywords

Canadian Wealth DistributionInsurance Regulatory RequirementsOSFI-Regulated EnvironmentThree-Lines-of-Defence ModelFinancial Services ComplianceRisk ManagementTransformation

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Provide executive leadership across Strategic Initiatives & Innovation, Data & Insights, Registration & Licensing, and Governance Programs & Initiatives
Integrate regulatory execution, governance and control frameworks, modernization, portfolio delivery and business priorities through a common strategy, roadmap and operating model
Set priorities, allocate resources and lead the Director team
Ensure initiatives progress from concept through adoption and sustainable ownership
Set and execute an integrated multi-year strategy and roadmap aligned to organizational priorities, regulatory obligations, business outcomes and investment capacity
Establish portfolio governance for intake, prioritization, sequencing, benefits realization, executive reporting and transition to business ownership
Advise senior leaders on outcomes, trade-offs, dependencies, risks, capability gaps and decisions or escalations
Build enterprise partnerships and lead portfolio-level change through direction, stakeholder engagement, communication, training, adoption and accountability
Strengthen regulatory defensibility and first-line ownership through governance, control and supervision capabilities
Lead regulatory change execution from horizon scanning and impact assessment through requirements, implementation, adoption and sustainable compliance evidence
Oversee attestations, audit and regulatory findings, remediation commitments and management action plans
Ensure field leaders, advisors and business partners receive guidance, communications and training
Develop and execute modernization across process and operating-model redesign, technology, analytics, automation, AI and GenAI-enabled capabilities
Provide executive oversight of registration and licensing operations
Set direction for analytics, dashboards and performance measures
Sponsor discovery through scaling, using evidence-based criteria to stop, iterate or expand solutions

Requirements

What you’ll need

Strong knowledge of Canadian wealth and insurance distribution, securities and insurance regulatory requirements, dealer obligations and first-line supervisory expectations
Experience operating in a federally regulated financial institution, ideally within an OSFI-regulated environment and across a three-lines-of-defence model
Demonstrated success leading leaders and multidisciplinary teams through complex operational, regulatory and organizational change
Proven ability to translate regulatory change, audit findings, control gaps and business risks into practical operating-model, process, technology and governance solutions
Advanced portfolio-management capability, including prioritization, governance, benefits realization, resource planning and executive reporting
Exceptional judgment, strategic thinking, stakeholder influence, executive communication and ability to challenge constructively in a complex matrixed organization
Significant progressive leadership experience (10 years+) in financial services, ideally spanning wealth, insurance, governance, regulatory operations, compliance, risk, transformation or technology-enabled change

Benefits

Comp & perks

Incentive plans with discretionary payments subject to individual and company performance
Hybrid work with flexibility to work from the office and virtually based on business, Client and employee needs
Accommodation support for persons with disabilities
Alternative-format job postings available upon request