Assistant Vice President – Emerging Risk Management & Strategic Risk Initiatives

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:

About the role

At the intersection of strategy, risk management and execution, the AVP, Emerging Risk Management & Strategic Risk Initiatives leads enterprise-wide capabilities and strategic initiatives that strengthen Sun Life's ability to anticipate, assess and respond to evolving risks. The role provides second-line leadership for emerging risk management, AI risk governance, risk culture and selected strategic risk initiatives. Working across Business Groups, Corporate Functions and Risk teams, the AVP translates strategic direction, external developments and internal risk signals into forward-looking insights, practical governance and risk management actions that support risk-informed decision-making across the organization. The role is flexible and future-focused, leading the development and implementation of operating models, methodologies, governance structures and management reporting that turn emerging or conceptual issues into practical and sustainable risk management capabilities. 

What you'll need to succeed

• More than 10 years of progressive experience in risk management or a related discipline, preferably within a major federally regulated financial institution.
• Significant experience leading enterprise-wide initiatives and influencing senior stakeholders across multiple businesses, functions and jurisdictions.
• Demonstrated people or functional leadership experience, including leadership through matrix reporting relationships.

• Expert knowledge of risk management within a large, complex financial institution.
• Strong understanding of first-line and second-line risk management accountabilities and the respective roles.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute enterprise strategies, operating models and multi-year transformation roadmaps.
• Proven ability to lead through influence across a federated or matrix organization and gain alignment among senior stakeholders with competing priorities.
• Has led or has exposure to the development of AI risk governance models in an organization
• Strong business and industry acumen, with the ability to assess complex and sensitive risk matters and provide pragmatic recommendations.
• Demonstrated experience developing executive and committee reporting that translates complex risk information into clear implications and decisions.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory expectations and leading practices relating to risk.
• Experience translating enterprise policy and methodology into first-line execution guidance.
• Strong knowledge of Sun Life’s products, businesses and operational risk environment.
• Exceptional written, verbal and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate with and influence senior executives.
• Strong change leadership, communication, negotiation, and decision-making capabilities.
• Demonstrated sound judgment and ability to operate autonomously in complex and ambiguous situations.
• University degree in business, risk management, finance, technology or a related discipline; a relevant graduate degree or professional designation is preferred.

What you'll be doing

Risk Management Framework and Associated Governance 

• Identify where emerging risks, AI or other evolving risk management capabilities may require changes to the Risk Management Framework, risk taxonomy, policies, standards or related governance.
• Work with the AVP, Enterprise Risk Management and relevant policy owners to recommend and support appropriate changes while maintaining clear accountability with the applicable framework or policy owner.

AI Risk Governance and Oversight 

• Lead the development and ongoing evolution of the second-line approach to AI risk governance and oversight, including the target operating model, governance forums, roles and accountabilities, escalation pathways and management reporting.
• Bring together relevant risk and policy owners to support coordinated identification, assessment and oversight of risks arising from AI across the Enterprise.
• Provide second-line risk advice, oversight and challenge on material AI initiatives, including risks arising as AI systems become more capable, autonomous or influential in business decision-making.
• Monitor developments in AI technology, regulation and industry practice and assess implications for Sun Life’s risk governance and capabilities.
• Support the integration of AI risk considerations into existing risk frameworks, policies, governance and business processes in partnership with accountable owners.

Enterprise Reporting and Decision Support 

• Provide senior management and the Board with clear, decision-relevant reporting on emerging risks, AI risk governance, risk culture and other strategic risk priorities within the role’s mandate.
• Develop and maintain meaningful indicators, scorecards and analysis to identify trends, changes in exposure and areas requiring management attention.
• Prepare high-quality materials for senior leadership, committees and working groups.

Emerging Risk Management and Strategic Risk Initiatives and Enterprise Preparedness

• Lead the ongoing development, execution and enhancement of Sun Life’s Emerging Risk Management program, including horizon scanning, risk identification, assessment, prioritization, monitoring and reporting.
• Develop forward-looking insights on changes in the external environment, emerging technologies and evolving risk themes that could materially affect Sun Life’s strategy, risk profile or resilience.
• Lead the enterprise Risk Culture program, including its framework, assessment methodology, monitoring, reporting and continuous improvement roadmap.
• Partner with Business Groups, Human Resources and other Corporate Functions to embed risk culture considerations into relevant business and people practices.
• Lead and/or work with the AVP, Enterprise Risk management on risk interconnectedness analysis to understand how material risks, business activities and critical dependencies interact and where interconnections could amplify risk or impact.
• Convene leaders and subject-matter experts to identify material intersection points, dependencies, concentration points and potential blind spots.
• Use scenario analysis, discovery workshops and tabletop exercises, where appropriate, to test preparedness and identify gaps in decision rights, playbooks, capabilities, dependencies or resilience.

Data & Records, Innovation and Risk Enablement

• Support the Risk function in meeting applicable records management and OSFI E-21 data risk management requirements by strengthening how risk data and records are governed, managed and used, in partnership with EORM leadership and relevant data and information owners.
• Partner with Corporate Risk Operations and other EORM teams to advance data, technology and innovation initiatives that support strategic risk priorities.

Leadership, Partnerships and Team 

• Build strong relationships across Business Groups, Corporate Functions and Risk teams and bring together diverse perspectives to advance complex or evolving risk priorities.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team, establishing clear priorities and accountabilities across direct, matrixed and project-based resources.  Currently supervises one manager who reports to this role, including setting objectives, providing ongoing coaching and feedback, and managing performance and development.
• Build team capability in strategic thinking, risk assessment, analytics, stakeholder engagement and execution.
• Provide senior-level risk advice and leadership on other strategic, emerging or ad hoc risk management priorities as required.

Forward-Looking Regulatory and External Environment Insight 

• Monitor emerging regulatory and supervisory developments relevant to the role’s mandate and assess their potential implications for enterprise risk management.
• Work with relevant Risk, Compliance and Corporate Functions to develop a common understanding of material developments and potential enterprise implications.
• Identify developments that may require changes to risk governance, frameworks, methodologies, capabilities or oversight and provide EORM leadership with forward-looking insight to support preparedness.

What's in it for you:

• Being a member of the Sun Life family, a group of people united by our Purpose: to help Clients and Employees achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives.
• In 2024, Sun Life ranked among the top 100 most sustainable global corporations by Corporate Knights for the 15th consecutive year, leading Canadian insurers.
• We are proud to be on the 2024 Best Workplaces in Canada list by Great Place to Work.
• We’re also listed as one of the Best Workplaces for Women and Best Workplaces with Most Trusted Executive Teams.
• Our unique Sabbatical Program gives you the opportunity to take up to 6 weeks off, every five years.
• Care Days available for self-care or care of others (i.e., family or others you may support) and Sick Days to support your well-being.

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 [email protected].

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.

We thank all applicants for showing an interest in this position. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Salary Range:

155,000/155 000 - 225,000/225 000

Job Category:

Risk Management

Posting End Date:

17/11/2026