Manager, Operational Risk at Sun Life in Toronto, Ontario, CA

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 Risk Management Centre of Excellence (CoE) is a strategic first line of defence business partner supporting Sun Life Canada Leadership in meeting our Client for Life goals by providing a practical, working understanding of operational risk and helping business teams design solutions that keep risk within appetite.

We partner with Canadian leadership, first line of defence Business Unit Risk Officers, and second line of defence Risk and Compliance stakeholders to assess operational risks, strengthen control frameworks, and enable the business to evolve while staying within risk appetite.

As Manager, Operational Risk, you will lead first line operational risk activities for Retail Advice and Solutions (RAS) and act as a key point of contact for Canadian leaders and second line stakeholders. You will bring a practical risk mindset and strong problem-solving skills to help teams make sound decisions, navigate ambiguity, and deliver effective, sustainable controls.

What will you do?

• Apply a practical understanding of operational risk concepts (e.g., market conduct risk, technology risk, model risk, privacy, business continuity planning) to assess risk and control effectiveness within the RAS portfolio and prioritize improvement opportunities
• Lead risk and control assessments using structured problem-solving to understand processes, identify key risk drivers and control gaps, and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations
• Drive implementation of new/changed risk and compliance requirements by assessing impacts, clarifying expectations where requirements are ambiguous, and supporting business partners in building fit-for-purpose processes and controls
• Provide risk advisory support to key projects, digital initiatives, and process changes, identifying key uncertainties and recommending practical solutions that align to risk appetite
• Support AI/GenAI governance and risk management by partnering with business teams on use case intake and assessment, confirming required approvals and documentation, and helping implement/monitor appropriate guardrails (e.g., data governance and privacy, bias/fairness, explainability, vendor/third-party risk, model risk, and issue escalation)
• Support issue management by helping business partners document issues, identify root causes, define remediation plans, and track actions to closure (including escalation of overdue or higher-risk items as needed)
• Present operational risk insights, trade-offs, and recommendations at monthly Risk Steering Committees with internal clients
• Produce concise risk reporting and insights (e.g., themes, emerging risks, and key risk indicators where applicable) for risk leadership and business partners, including progress on remediation
• Build strong working relationships with business partners through credible challenge, practical guidance, and responsive support
• Support reviews conducted by Internal Audit, Compliance, external auditors, and regulators by coordinating inputs and helping teams address findings

What do you need to succeed?

• Bachelor’s degree in Risk Management, Business Administration, or a related field
• 3-5 years of experience in risk management, preferably within a securities dealer and/or financial services environment.
• Working knowledge of operational risk fundamentals, control concepts, and relevant regulatory/industry expectations
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to structure ambiguous problems, identify root causes, and translate findings into practical recommendations
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence stakeholders and drive outcomes without formal authority
• Exposure to AI/GenAI governance or model risk management concepts (e.g., AI use case intake/approval, model lifecycle, monitoring, and controls) is an asset
• Professional certifications (e.g., PRM) and/or industry courses (e.g., CSI) are an asset

Key Competencies:

• Problem solving: ability to structure complex and ambiguous situations, ask the right questions, analyze information, and drive to clear recommendations
• Self-starting and driven: takes initiative, follows through, and can progress unstructured work with minimal direction
• Basic operational risk knowledge: familiarity with risk assessment, risk monitoring, control design, and evaluating control effectiveness
• AI governance mindset: understands key AI/GenAI risks and can help implement practical guardrails (use case inventory, documentation, approvals, monitoring, and issue escalation)
• Comfort with ambiguity: able to navigate incomplete information, align stakeholders on problem definition, and iterate toward solutions
• Works independently while collaborating effectively across teams to deliver outcomes

What’s in it for you?

• We are proud to be on the 2024 Best Workplaces in Canada list by Great Place to Work.
• Flexible Benefits, Pension Plan & Stock Ownership Programs to support the three pillars of your health – mental, physical, and financial
• An environment of continuous learning, development, and improvement
• Time off giving you the flexibility to focus on the moments that matter. 20 days' vacation per year.

#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.

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.

Salary Range:

80,000/80 000 - 128,000/128 000

Job Category:

Risk Management

Posting End Date:

20/05/2026