Group Benefits Product Manager

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:

The Product Manager is key to the strategic development, launch and management of our Group Benefits products. This includes developing strategies, creating business models, building new products, and enhancing existing products to advance the Sun Life Health Solutions mandate and overall market development and growth strategy

Working with key stakeholders, the purpose of this position is to determine and execute on the product strategy to successfully launch products to the market while improving tools for plan sponsors, plan members, plan advisors and business development.

In this role your primary focus will be on Disability-related products. You will also be expected to have a good understanding of our entire range of products and services. Responsibilities may extend to product manager work outside of the Disability product line, based on synergies with other products and areas of focus.

What will you do?

Main Accountabilities:

• Develop strategic plans for our products and solutions, helping to develop and deliver the product vision to plan sponsors and key internal stakeholders
• Define, set, and drive the vision for product-related experiences
• Define and execute on the product roadmap
• Understand the market, trends and competitive landscape
• Gather plan sponsor and plan member insight, translating insights into recommendations
• Validate product plans and ensure a smooth implementation for internal business units and out into the market for any new releases or enhancements
• Intake product customizations and determination of how to roll them into the product roadmap
• Provide product training and support to internal stakeholders and partners
• Build effective relationships across key partners and teams, including Group Benefits Operations, Business Development, IT, Finance, Legal, Risk, and Marketing and Communications.
• Analyze competitive intel including client feedback, trends and product performance to determine changes required to the product roadmaps

Innovation

• Proactively identify and assess solution opportunities (new or modified) and develop product strategies, considering client needs, competitive intelligence, and market disruption.
• Contribute to the development of the GB product strategy and initiative roadmap by recommending features and services required to maximize the client and product value proposition
• Lead product delivery using a lean MVP (Minimum viable product) and participate in development of strategies, business models, and business cases (where applicable) to execute delivery of the initiatives
• Manage master Epic-level backlog, innovation concepts / pilots, and produce recommendations to leadership teams on how to prioritize and execute
• Proactively analyze trends in results and client insights to recommend strategies for ongoing benefits realization following implementation of initiatives
• Actively engage in Sun Life’s Digital Enterprise model - delivering outcomes in alignment with the product development and delivery methodologies

Product delivery

• Manage and deliver product initiatives through support: planning; business value-based prioritization; resource & stakeholder management; execution; issue escalation and resolution; risk & financial management; communication and KPI management

Relationship management

• Nurture effective relationships with internal stakeholders to evolve product strategies and business/product models
• Foster relationships with external health care stakeholders and potential strategic partners to evolve opportunity analysis and business model development. Where required, support formalizing partnerships with external stakeholders through contract development and related due diligence activities
• Actively participate in the preparation for, and delivery of, client presentations and meetings, and support RFI / RFP content development as needed

Project management

• Develop strong project plans to support product initiatives

• Own documentation of product related information, ensuring it is current, relevant, and meeting the needs of the BU and partners

• Own outcomes related to project and capability delivery, client experience, market impacts, and our overall team strategy

What do you need to succeed?

• As this position is posted in several locations, we specify that bilingualism (French, English, both oral and written) is required for Quebec only for the frequent interactions with English and French-speaking colleagues or internal partners across Canada or worldwide.
• Strong and proven strategic thinking and problem solving using critical thinking skills
• Client-focused; ability to walk in our clients’ shoes and use empathy to resolve pain points
• Innovative thinking, ability to break down barriers and provide unique solutions
• Views problems as opportunities
• Continuous learning mind-set to test-and-learn
• Excellent communications skills
• Strong presentation skills with the ability to influence
• Knowledge and exposure to change management policies, practices and procedures
• Demonstrable business acumen
• Good understanding of the financial dynamics surrounding the products
• Strong and solid project management skills
• Demonstrates accountability and leadership
• A team player who is ready, willing and able to help others
• Ability to analyze data, synthesize into meaningful insights, and provide recommendations
• Ability to think like an owner and consistently apply an “Owner’s Mindset”
• High attention to detail and accuracy of information
• Experience with launching products to market
• Flexible and adaptable.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in the insurance industry, with a focus on Disability Insurance, encompassing both product and operational aspects
• Knowledge of Prevention, Extended Health Care, Dental and Life suite of products
• University degree, ideally in Health-related studies, Marketing or Business.

Reasons why should you join us under the sun:

• Agile behaviours, faster decisions and learning as we go

• 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.

• A collaborative and interactive team environment

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.

Salary Range:

Job Category:

Posting End Date: