AVP, Emerging Risk Management & Strategic Risk Initiatives

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.

At Sun Life, we're driven by our Purpose: helping our Clients achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives. Our values shape how we work: caring, authentic, bold, inspiring, and impactful.

When you join Sun Life, you'll work with passionate colleagues and empowering leaders who support your growth and celebrate your contributions, so you can make a meaningful difference in our Clients' lives.

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

Job Description:

About the role

At the intersection of strategy, risk management and execution, the AVP, Emerging Risk Management & Strategic Risk Initiatives leads enterprise-wide capabilities and strategic initiatives that strengthen Sun Life's ability to anticipate, assess and respond to evolving risks. The role provides second-line leadership for emerging risk management, AI risk governance, risk culture and selected strategic risk initiatives. Working across Business Groups, Corporate Functions and Risk teams, the AVP translates strategic direction, external developments and internal risk signals into forward-looking insights, practical governance and risk management actions that support risk-informed decision-making across the organization. The role is flexible and future-focused, leading the development and implementation of operating models, methodologies, governance structures and management reporting that turn emerging or conceptual issues into practical and sustainable risk management capabilities.

What you'll need to succeed

*
* More than 10 years of progressive experience in risk management or a related discipline, preferably within a major federally regulated financial institution.
* Significant experience leading enterprise-wide initiatives and influencing senior stakeholders across multiple businesses, functions and jurisdictions.
* Demonstrated people or functional leadership experience, including leadership through matrix reporting relationships.

* Expert knowledge of risk management within a large, complex financial institution.
* Strong understanding of first-line and second-line risk management accountabilities and the respective roles.
* Demonstrated ability to develop and execute enterprise strategies, operating models and multi-year transformation roadmaps.
* Proven ability to lead through influence across a federated or matrix organization and gain alignment among senior stakeholders with competing priorities.
* Has led or has exposure to the development of AI risk governance models in an organization
* Strong business and industry acumen, with the ability to assess complex and sensitive risk matters and provide pragmatic recommendations.
* Demonstrated experience developing executive and committee reporting that translates complex risk information into clear implications and decisions.
* Strong knowledge of regulatory expectations and leading practices relating to risk.
* Experience translating enterprise policy and methodology into first-line execution guidance.
* Strong knowledge of Sun Life’s products, businesses and operational risk environment.
* Exceptional written, verbal and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate with and influence senior executives.
* Strong change leadership, communication, negotiation, and decision-making capabilities.
* Demonstrated sound judgment and ability to operate autonomously in complex and ambiguous situations.
* University degree in business, risk management, finance, technology or a related discipline; a relevant graduate degree or professional designation is preferred.

What you'll be doing

Risk Management Framework and Associated Governance

* Identify where emerging risks, AI or other evolving risk management capabilities may require changes to the Risk Management Framework, risk taxonomy, policies, standards or related governance.
* Work with the AVP, Enterprise Risk Management and relevant policy owners to recommend and support appropriate changes while maintaining clear accountability with the applicable framework or policy owner.

AI Risk Governance and Oversight

* Lead the development and ongoing evolution of the second-line approach to AI risk governance and oversight, including the target operating model, governance forums, roles and accountabilities, escalation pathways and management reporting.
* Bring together relevant risk and policy owners to support coordinated identification, assessment and oversight of risks arising from AI across the Enterprise.
* Provide second-line risk advice, oversight and challenge on material AI initiatives, including risks arising as AI systems become more capable, autonomous or influential in business decision-making.
* Monitor developments in AI technology, regulation and industry practice and assess implications for Sun Life’s risk governance and capabilities.
* Support the integration of AI risk considerations into existing risk frameworks, policies, governance and business processes in partnership with accountable owners.

Enterprise Reporting and Decision Support

* Provide senior management and the Board with clear, decision-relevant reporting on emerging risks, AI risk governance, risk culture and other strategic risk priorities within the role’s mandate.
* Develop and maintain meaningful indicators, scorecards and analysis to identify trends, changes in exposure and areas requiring management attention.
* Prepare high-quality materials for senior leadership, committees and working groups.

Emerging Risk Management and Strategic Risk Initiatives and Enterprise Preparedness

* Lead the ongoing development, execution and enhancement of Sun Life’s Emerging Risk Management program, including horizon scanning, risk identification, assessment, prioritization, monitoring and reporting.
* Develop forward-looking insights on changes in the external environment, emerging technologies and evolving risk themes that could materially affect Sun Life’s strategy, risk profile or resilience.
* Lead the enterprise Risk Culture program, including its framework, assessment methodology, monitoring, reporting and continuous improvement roadmap.
* Partner with Business Groups, Human Resources and other Corporate Functions to embed risk culture considerations into relevant business and people practices.
* Lead and/or work with the AVP, Enterprise Risk management on risk interconnectedness analysis to understand how material risks, business activities and critical dependencies interact and where interconnections could amplify risk or impact.
* Convene leaders and subject-matter experts to identify material intersection points, dependencies, concentration points and potential blind spots.
* Use scenario analysis, discovery workshops and tabletop exercises, where appropriate, to test preparedness and identify gaps in decision rights, playbooks, capabilities, dependencies or resilience.

Data & Records, Innovation and Risk Enablement

* Support the Risk function in meeting applicable records management and OSFI E-21 data risk management requirements by strengthening how risk data and records are governed, managed and used, in partnership with EORM leadership and relevant data and information owners.
* Partner with Corporate Risk Operations and other EORM teams to advance data, technology and innovation initiatives that support strategic risk priorities.

Leadership, Partnerships and Team

* Build strong relationships across Business Groups, Corporate F

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