AVP, Corporate Investigations Unit

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 AVP of the Corporate Investigations Unit (CIU), you will lead high-performing investigative teams in Asia and Canada and be responsible for conducting or overseeing all global internal investigations into fraud, financial misconduct, and other breaches of the Code of Conduct and corporate policy. Your mandate will be to safeguard the integrity, assets, and reputation of the organization, ensuring that investigations are executed with rigour, discretion, and compliance with all relevant laws, regulations and policies.

This leadership role is critical to maintaining a safe, ethical, and resilient organization. The AVP, CIU will serve as a trusted advisor and partner, ensuring Sun Life’s continued success and integrity in a dynamic risk environment. Please note this hybrid role requires regular presence at our Toronto One York office.

What will you do:

• Oversight of Complex Internal Investigations: Lead, supervise, and mentor investigators in handling sensitive and high-stakes investigations, including allegations of employee fraud, misappropriation of assets, conflict of interest, and other alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct across Sun Life. Oversee the full lifecycle of global internal investigations, from initial assessment and triage through evidence gathering, analysis, interviews, documentation, and final reporting. Ensure adherence to investigation protocols, legal requirements, and ethical standards, including confidentiality and due process. Coordinate with Legal, Compliance, Security, Human Resources, other business stakeholders, and external law enforcement or regulatory bodies as needed. Will work very closely with the AVP, Employee Relations Enterprise on overseeing joint investigations.

• Strategic Investigation Leadership: Set the vision and strategic priorities for the CIU, aligning investigative goals with the broader risk management and corporate governance strategy of the company. Maintain a deep understanding of potential internal fraud risks, emerging threats, and industry trends to proactively identify and address vulnerabilities within the organization. Champion a culture of integrity and transparency, ensuring swift and effective responses to allegations of internal fraud or misconduct.

• Case Management and Reporting: Oversee the ongoing enhancement of robust case management processes to track investigations, document findings, and support effective resolution and lessons learned. Analyze investigation outcomes and identify systemic issues or control weaknesses, recommending and supporting remedial actions and partnering closely with audit partners. Prepare clear, insightful reports and presentations on trends, significant cases, and risk indicators for management presentations to executive leadership and, where appropriate, the Board or Committees of the Board.

• Policy, Training, and Prevention: Collaborate on the development and refinement of anti-fraud policies, codes of conduct and whistleblower processes. Lead the development and maintenance of investigation procedures to ensure best practices and regulatory compliance. Support enterprise-wide training initiatives to raise awareness of fraud risks, prevention techniques, and ethical standards among employees and leaders. Advise business units on risk mitigation strategies and support the implementation of new controls and processes to reduce the likelihood of future incidents.

• People and Stakeholder Leadership: Foster an investigative team culture grounded in professionalism, adaptability, and continuous improvement. Cultivate a development culture with direct feedback, coaching, opportunities to cross and up skill, and stretch opportunities, in which success is celebrated, and performance concerns are addressed directly and promptly. Build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with internal partners and stakeholders, providing expert guidance and support on all aspects of internal investigations. Promote team adaptability, resilience, and a psychologically safe work environment. Drive behaviour change in alignment with Sun Life objectives (i.e., BOLDER mindset, ACE/DARE decision making). Models and sets expectations for talent scouting and desire to build the best CIU.

• Financial and Resource Management: Demonstrate fiscal responsibility by managing investigative resources and budgets, identifying opportunities for efficiency and value creation. Integrate key performance and financial metrics and outcomes into ongoing assessment of the unit’s effectiveness and impact. Continuous Improvement and Innovation. Embrace new investigative techniques, forensic technologies, and data analytics to enhance the detection and resolution of complex matters. Encourage a growth mindset, supporting the team in staying ahead of evolving threats and best practices within the investigations field.

What do you need to succeed:

• Expertise: Broad and deep leadership and investigational expertise. Minimum of 10 years of experience in corporate investigations, compliance, or a related field; within the insurance or asset management industries preferred. Bachelor's degree in Business, Law, Finance, Criminology or a related field; in combination with a CPA, JD, CFE or other relevant designation/certification preferred.
• Mindset: Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Possesses a growth mindset with willingness to look externally, challenge the status quo, try new things, test & learn and empower others to do the same. Innovates and finds new solutions that solve business problems or create business opportunities, including leveraging technology. Prioritizes time for own learning and growth.
• Data and Measurement Focus: Grounds decisions in facts, leverages data to generate new insights and opportunities, clearly defines and measures business outcomes to identify course corrections and measure success. Informs strategies and decisions through knowledge of current internal and external research and trends.
• Relationship Management: Exceptional interpersonal skills. Builds connections across functions and geographies, partners to validate priorities and desired business outcomes, collaborates and co-creates to develop solutions, and supports a safe environment where people can be themselves and deliver their best.
• Talent Development Orientation: Focuses on developing people through coaching, continuous feedback, and sharing expertise. Builds the team and pipeline for future success including identifying opportunities to expose team members to new experiences and skill building. Drives active use of development plans and supports time for team learning and growth.
• Delivery: Ability to engage and influence stakeholders including navigating in a matrix organization, manage, adapt, and pivot through ambiguity and change, address challenges and meet timelines. Experience working in agile is an asset.
• Executive-level Presentation Skills: Ability to shape and produce ideas, presentations, and documents tailored to Executive and Board-level audiences independently and through others.
• Travel: Must have ability to travel, including to Asia for longer periods as needed.
• University degree and professional designation with over 10 years of experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

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.

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