AVP, Digital & Innovation Lead, In-House Accelerator
- Toronto, ON York, ON
- Permanent
- Full-time
- In partnership with CDXO (Chief Digital Experience Office) and Digital Leadership, develop the Accelerator vision aligned with organizational and business goals;
- Identify high-impact business/client opportunities for the Accelerator, developing intake/triage and exec alignment to ensure the team maximizes impact.
- Foster a culture of innovation & experimentation, agility, and customer-centricity.
- Generate and transfer Accelerator learnings to contribute to Sun Life’s digital and delivery maturity
- Lead cross-functional teams through all stages of product development, from discovery and prototyping to MVP delivery and scaling.
- Own the entire product lifecycle, ensuring seamless progression from ideation to deployment and continuous iteration.
- Develop and implement metrics to measure business value and impact of accelerator initiatives. Ensure solutions are scalable, viable, and deliver measurable business value.
- Curate and groom the accelerator’s features backlog with high degree of focus and prioritization to ensure effective value delivery
- Build and maintain strong relationships with internal business units, technology teams, and executive sponsors to drive collaboration and support.
- Translate complex technical concepts and innovation strategies into compelling narratives for diverse audiences, including senior leadership.
- Navigate Sun Life's governance, compliance, and funding processes to accelerate delivery while ensuring alignment with company policies.
- Mentor and inspire a lean, diverse team of engineers, designers, strategists, product owners, and co-op students, fostering a high-performance culture.
- Promote collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning within the accelerator team.
- Attract, recruit, and onboard top talent to expand the accelerator's capabilities and impact.
- Proven track record (7+ years) in digital product leadership, innovation management, or venture building, preferably in the financial services or insurtech sectors.
- Strong technical fluency in modern software engineering, cloud platforms, and digital architecture.
- Strong understanding of agile methodologies, lean startup principles, and design thinking, with experience applying these in corporate environments.
- Proven ability to curate, prioritize, and groom backlogs that translate into effective MVP development
- Demonstrated success in delivering digital products or platforms that drive business value in complex, regulated environments.
- Exceptional communication, storytelling, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.
- Data-driven decision-making skills with proficiency in A/B and lean experimentation
- Proven ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution and problem-solving.
- Proven ability to translate innovative ideas and solutions into commercial capabilities aligned to business and organizational objectives including experience with go-to-market strategy development
- Experience working in or closely with startups, accelerators, or corporate innovation labs.
- Experience with AI, DevOps/DevSecOps, CI/CD practices, microservices architecture, and scalable system design.
- Experience working with cross-functional teams in a digital product environment.
- Background in business or digital strategy, product design, or software engineering.
- MBA, MEng, or equivalent experience in product innovation or related fields.
- Knowledge of the insurance or financial services industry and its regulatory landscape.
- Great Place to Work® Certified for Most Trusted Executive Team in Canada – 2025, 2024 and 2023
- Great Place to Work® Certified for Best Workplaces in Canada - 2025
- Canada Order of Excellence for Mental Health at Work® certification from Excellence Canada. Sun Life is one of only four companies in Canada to ever receive this certification – 2024
- Top Work Places® for Remote Work – Monster Canada - 2024
- Great Place to Work® Certified for Best Workplaces in Canada – 2024 and 2022
- Great Place to Work® Certified for Best Workplaces for Women in Canada - 2024
- Flexible hybrid work model. #LI-Hybrid
- Pension, stock and savings programs to help build and enhance your future financial security
- Work and professional development that is united by our Purpose: to help Clients and Employees achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives
- A friendly, collaborative and inclusive culture
- Be part of our continuous improvement journey in developing the next greatest digital enterprise experience.
- Competitive salary and bonus structure influenced by market range data
- The opportunity to move along a variety of career paths with amazing networking potential