AVP, Workforce Evolution

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:

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization with assets under management of over CDN $1.5 trillion. Sun Life provides individuals and corporate clients with a diverse range of protection products (life and health) and wealth products (asset management, mutual funds, group pension and retirement, and individual annuity and savings). Chartered in 1865, Sun Life’s mission is to help its clients achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives.

Sun Life Financial has operations in Canada, Bermuda, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The People and Culture team provides full Human Resources support to over 30,000 employees globally. The team is organized and delivers work via a HRBP and Centre of Expertise model with HR practitioners based in each Sun Life region. Activities across the global team enable the successful support and delivery of business imperatives through our people ensuring Sun Life continues to achieve sustainable long-term growth.

What will you do:

The AVP, Workforce Evolution operates across HR groups to fill the critical gaps not owned by any single team. The focus is on proactive, future-focused digital, talent and workforce initiatives that proactively manages talent risks. The role is on the front line of leading and managing high-impact special projects that drive organizational transformation, effective organization design, and includes cross-functional initiatives related to digital innovation, talent optimization, and future workforce models.

The role will be instrumental in shaping the future of the workforce, leading workforce planning and addressing necessary job re-design, ensuring optimal use of talent and workforce effectiveness. The AVP, Workforce Evolution is an integrator acting as both a strategist and tactician and will be expected to do both.

The incumbent will apply strong problem solving and analytical capabilities, strategic thinking and insight generation. A high degree of initiative, ability to build relationships, coalesce themes and priorities across the global team while maintaining a comprehensive, broad orientation is required.

Key Responsibilities

Lead Cross Functional Projects and Drive Organizational Priorities:

• Catch and lead the initiatives that fall between established departments, including in partnership with other corporate functions.
• Lead cross functional task forces on priority topics (i.e. employee experience enhancements, digital transformation, Gen AI, M&A integration)
• Define problems, rally the right stakeholders, and push projects that do not have a natural owner to successful completion.

Workforce Evolution and Planning:

• Continuously anticipates future workforce and skill needs and creates plans to address changes to organizational and job design. This means using data-driven strategic workforce planning to identify emerging skill gaps, demographic shifts, or new roles required as the business evolves. The result is the proactive build of talent pipelines, upskilling/reskilling programs, and strengthened succession plans while re-designing how work gets done.
• Develop frameworks for workforce agility and resilience, ensuring Sun Life is prepared for emerging trends in the future of work.

Change Management and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Drive change management efforts to support the adoption of GenAI and new ways of working.
• Engage and influence stakeholders across all levels, fostering a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and ethical AI use.

Champion HR Innovation and Thought Leadership:

• Continuously research and benchmark emerging HR trends, and pilot innovative solutions (e.g. AI in HR) to enhance workforce effectiveness.
• Serve as a change agent to modernize HR practices, ensuring the organization’s people strategies remain cutting-edge and competitive.
• Stay abreast of the latest advancements in AI, Machine Learning (ML), Generative AI (e.g., Large Language Models, Diffusion Models), Predictive Analytics, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as they apply to HR and overall work and workforce design.

Team Leadership:

• Manage, lead and mentor direct team and serve as a thought partner to colleagues throughout the organization
• Skilled at teaching and sharing knowledge and best practices, creating a positive and motivating environment in which to perform and learn.

What do you need to succeed:

• Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Data Science, Organizational Psychology, or a related field.
• Certified in Change Management
• 10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, with expertise and in strategic workforce planning, digital transformation, talent management, and organizational development.
• Proven experience in leading and implementing large-scale Human Resources initiatives across a matrix and de-centralized environment.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable strategies and recommendations for senior leadership.
• Exceptional change management expertise, coupled with formal training, and a track record of successfully guiding organizations through transformations.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated commitment to ethical AI principles and data privacy.

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

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 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.

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