AVP, Corporate Strategy & Enablement

The Corporate Strategy & Enablement Team’s focus is to support Sun Life in achieving and maintaining a position of sustainable strategic advantage and growth in the long term. It has a broad focus on enterprise topics that span all Business Groups and geographic markets where Sun Life operates.  

The AVP, Corporate Strategy & Enablement will report to the VP, Corporate Strategy & Enablement. The AVP will be responsible for ongoing delivery of internal strategy design and execution, and the annual strategic planning cycle, working effectively with teams across Sun Life to deliver strategy projects and proactively monitor and analyze trends. The successful candidate will work in a fast-paced, team-first environment with a focus on driving strategy and enablement project delivery, engaging senior leaders across Sun Life to solve key strategic questions/issues and structuring quantitative and qualitative analysis to solve critical strategic questions. The AVP will manage a small high performing team, acting as a coach and mentor through project work and team development opportunities.  

Please note this role requires regular presence at our Toronto One York office.

What will you do:

Strategy development and planning: 

• Translate ambiguous issues into clear problem statements and hypotheses 

• Conduct quantitative (e.g., financial modeling, market sizing) and qualitative (e.g., benchmarking, expert synthesis) analysis 

• Develop and execute analysis plans using internal and external data sources 

Strategy and enablement project delivery: 

• Define scope, design approach, and lead execution of strategy projects 

• Manage all project workstreams and coordinate across team members to ensure timely delivery 

• Present findings and facilitate discussions with senior management, including implementation planning 

Trends and competitive intelligence: 

• Monitor industry trends, competitor actions, and market developments 

• Curate insights and identify implications for Sun Life’s strategy 

• Proactively share relevant patterns and themes with internal stakeholders  

Communication and stakeholder engagement: 

• Effectively communicate insights, ideas, and strategies clearly & concisely to an executive level audience  

• Develop and maintain cross-functional relationships across the organization to identify emerging needs and opportunities 

• Facilitate working sessions with senior executives, including Sun Life’s Executive Team 

People leadership and team development:  

• Manage a team of high-performing Directors & Senior Consultants  

• Mentor team members through apprenticeship and coaching  

• Foster a collaborative and learning-oriented team culture 

• Contribute to the development and success of the team and our practices 

What do you need to succeed: 

• 10+ years of relevant business experience, ideally within insurance or financial services 

• Strong understanding of at least one Sun Life business area (e.g. asset management, insurance, wealth management) and geographic markets (Canada, US, Asia) 

• Excellent communication, analytical and problem-solving skills  

• Strong interpersonal skills; able to effectively collaborate with multiple stakeholders across multiple teams 

• Able to work independently on assignments with appropriate judgment 

• Ability to coach team members on projects, providing guidance on analysis and  deliverables 

• Proven ability to lead and develop a small team of high-performing professionals, including guiding project execution, driving accountability, and conducting performance and career development conversations