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. Discover how you can make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities around the world.

Job Description:

We seek a dynamic and visionary Assistant Vice-President to lead our in-house accelerator—a startup-style team within Sun Life focused on rapid innovation and end-to-end solution delivery. This role combines product leadership, innovation strategy, and hands-on execution to bring transformative ideas to life and drive business growth.

This role offers a unique opportunity to drive innovation at the intersection of technology and financial services, shaping the future of Sun Life's products and services. The ideal candidate will be a visionary leader with a passion for innovation, a track record of delivering results, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment within a large organization.

Key Responsibilities

Vision & ImpactIn partnership with CDXO (Chief Digital Experience Office) and Digital Leadership, develop the Accelerator vision aligned with organizational and business goals;Identify high-impact business/client opportunities for the Accelerator, developing intake/triage and exec alignment to ensure the team maximizes impact.Foster a culture of innovation & experimentation, agility, and customer-centricity.Generate and transfer Accelerator learnings to contribute to Sun Life’s digital and delivery maturity

Execution & DeliveryLead cross-functional teams through all stages of product development, from discovery and prototyping to MVP delivery and scaling.Own the entire product lifecycle, ensuring seamless progression from ideation to deployment and continuous iteration.Develop and implement metrics to measure business value and impact of accelerator initiatives. Ensure solutions are scalable, viable, and deliver measurable business value.Curate and groom the accelerator’s features backlog with high degree of focus and prioritization to ensure effective value delivery

Stakeholder EngagementBuild and maintain strong relationships with internal business units, technology teams, and executive sponsors to drive collaboration and support. Translate complex technical concepts and innovation strategies into compelling narratives for diverse audiences, including senior leadership.Navigate Sun Life's governance, compliance, and funding processes to accelerate delivery while ensuring alignment with company policies.

Team LeadershipMentor and inspire a lean, diverse team of engineers, designers, strategists, product owners, and co-op students, fostering a high-performance culture.Promote collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning within the accelerator team.Attract, recruit, and onboard top talent to expand the accelerator's capabilities and impact.

Required Skills & ExperienceProven track record (7+ years) in digital product leadership, innovation management, or venture building, preferably in the financial services or insurtech sectors.Strong technical fluency in modern software engineering, cloud platforms, and digital architecture.Strong understanding of agile methodologies, lean startup principles, and design thinking, with experience applying these in corporate environments.Proven ability to curate, prioritize, and groom backlogs that translate into effective MVP development Demonstrated success in delivering digital products or platforms that drive business value in complex, regulated environments.Exceptional communication, storytelling, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.Data-driven decision-making skills with proficiency in A/B and lean experimentationProven ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution and problem-solving.Proven ability to translate innovative ideas and solutions into commercial capabilities aligned to business and organizational objectives including experience with go-to-market strategy development

QualificationsExperience working in or closely with startups, accelerators, or corporate innovation labs.Experience with AI, DevOps/DevSecOps, CI/CD practices, microservices architecture, and scalable system design.Experience working with cross-functional teams in a digital product environment.Background in business or digital strategy, product design, or software engineering.MBA, MEng, or equivalent experience in product innovation or related fields.Knowledge of the insurance or financial services industry and its regulatory landscape.

What’s in it for you?

Great Place to Work® Certified for Most Trusted Executive Team in Canada – 2025, 2024 and 2023Great Place to Work® Certified for Best Workplaces in Canada - 2025Canada Order of Excellence for Mental Health at Work® certification from Excellence Canada. Sun Life is one of only four companies in Canada to ever receive this certification – 2024Top Work Places® for Remote Work – Monster Canada - 2024Great Place to Work® Certified for Best Workplaces in Canada – 2024 and 2022Great Place to Work® Certified for Best Workplaces for Women in Canada - 2024Flexible hybrid work model. #LI-HybridPension, stock and savings programs to help build and enhance your future financial securityWork and professional development that is united by our Purpose: to help Clients and Employees achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier livesA friendly, collaborative and inclusive cultureBe part of our continuous improvement journey in developing the next greatest digital enterprise experience.Competitive salary and bonus structure influenced by market range dataThe opportunity to move along a variety of career paths with amazing networking potential

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 thebrightside@sunlife.com.

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! Several work options are available and can be discussed throughout the selection process depending on the role requirements and individual needs.

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

Salary Range:

145,000/145 000 - 235,000/235 000

Job Category:

IT - Application Development

Posting End Date:

26/08/2025