Director, Technology Strategy

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:

As a seasoned, strategic leader with experience leading strategic technology roadmaps, the Director, Technology Strategy is a member of the Sun Life Financial Distributor (SLFD) Advisor Digital Journey leadership team, developing and driving the technology strategy across the SLFD Digital Advisor Journey.

Together with the SLFD Digital Advisor Journey Owner, the Director, Tech Strategy drives the strategy and recommendations, of technology solutions across the Advisor Journey. The incumbent will ensure an integrated end-to-end view across people, process, and technology. They will also work with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure we are designing and delivering sustainable, scalable, and stable solutions that are fit for purpose.

What do you need to succeed?

Domain Expertise

• Deep knowledge of relevant domains/products/experiences of the Digital Advisor Journey, including Becoming an Advisor, Building my Business, Delivering Goal Based Advice, and Transitioning my Practice.

• Minimum of 5 years experience developing & shaping technology strategy for an Insurance or Wealth Advisor product area or large Insurance or Wealth Advisor program.

• Broad network and ability to influence across the organization is critical

• Vendor management experience including vendor selection, contracting, integration, and oversight.

• Delivery leadership experience focused on Insurance or Wealth Advisor-facing or relevant B2B2C models

• Experience leading seamless integration of vendor solutions into advisor facing solutions

Agile Experience

• minimum of 7 years prior experience delivering large-scale digital/agile transformations

• Experienced in or excited to learn Agile way of working (e.g., quick iterations with done better than perfect)

• Experience delivering agile at scale (e.g. SAFe)

• Experience applying design thinking principles for a variety of use cases

Individual Skills

• Ability to set a vision and map the steps to achieve that vision

• Ability to translate day-to-day learnings and team inputs into strategic actions

• Aptitude for distilling high-level input into clear recommendations, deliverables, and actions

• Ability to both grasp big picture and have rigorous attention to detail

• Ability to influence a diverse group of stakeholders - strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills

• Strong problem solver with ability to lead teams to push solution concepts and quickly structure and break down problems

• Proven ability to build and cultivate trust-based relationships with diverse individuals within the team and client

• Strong communication skills with ability to get things done, drives work through completion, while also collaborating with team

Mindset & Behaviors

• Strategic thinker; thrives in face of ambiguity & uncertainly

• Critical thinker and passion to challenge status quo to find new solutions and drive out of the box ideas, embraces change

• A servant leader who believes in a non-hierarchical culture of collaboration, transparency and trust across the team

• Not afraid to “roll up the sleeves” and seeks to go outside comfort zone to learn - pushes the team to do the same

• Experimental mindset to drive innovation and continuous improvement of team

What will you do?

• Educate teams on the end-to-end SLFD Digital Advisor Journey, including its process components & pain points

• Identify shared components / capabilities and align with technical & architecture requirements

• Champion product and process simplification

• Communicate priorities to Hubs and Platforms based on the roadmap

• Jointly lead & orchestrate the prioritization, selection, and “incubation” process (e.g., business unit outreach, client research, prototyping & co-creation, design thinking, business casing, etc.)

• Act as the ‘face’ of the Journey in partnership with the Journey Owner to the organization from idea to kickoff through to implementation; manage stakeholders

• Own long-term technology roadmap, including integration points with relevant teams and aligned with business and overall Sun Life technology strategy

• In partnership with the Journey Owner, drive strategic business casing & opportunity sizing

• Facilitate technical / business discussions to define the work needed to achieve minimum required business value

• Partner as needed, with the Director, Strategic initiatives to deliver solutions to SLFD Advisors

What’s in it for you?

• We’re honoured to be recognized as a 2024 Best Workplaces in Ontario by Great Place to Work® Canada.

• We’re proud to be recognized as a company with a 2023 Most Trusted Executive team by Great Place to Work® Canada.

• Wellness programs that support the three pillars of your health - mental, physical, and financial

• The opportunity to move along a variety of career paths with amazing networking potential.

• As a hybrid organization, you and your leader use business and Client needs to choose where you work, at home or in the office. #LI-Hybrid

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.

At Sun Life we strive to create a flexible work environment where our employees are empowered to do their best work. Several flexible 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.

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