AVP, Strategy, Events and Experiences

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 Assistant Vice President, Strategy, Events & Experiences leads a robust program to support Sun Life's Excel at Hybrid objectives, delivering outstanding services and enabling business communications for a vibrant and engaged employee culture. Services include thousands of virtual, in-person and hybrid conferences, town halls, webinars, celebrations, meetings and other corporate event activities as well as multimedia, hospitality and workplace experience services. The AVP works in partnership across the organization, expertly advising business leaders and teams while providing guidance and resources to strengthen impact and effectiveness. The AVP has the expert event and workplace experience knowledge to advise on the development of new services and space requirements, evolve our technology strategy and drive a complex roadmap to effectively leverage industry best practices.

As a leading member of the People Strategy and Enablement team the AVP has a team of approximately 60 people (permanent and contractors) including event, experience, audio-visual, multimedia and hospitality service professionals, and collaborates across many corporate areas to deliver robust solutions to enrich employee experience.

The role requires:

• Innovation: identifying opportunities and accelerating the Excel at Hybrid program to deliver outstanding event experiences to support leaders and engage employees, advisors, clients and guests. Strategic and iterative management of broadcast, event, multimedia and hospitality solutions, evolving business operations with the professional team to meet objectives and deliver value for global business groups. Cultivating community, moments of togetherness and amenities that enhance the experience in our North American and Ireland office environments.
• Strategic and project planning and delivery: collaborating with cross-departmental partners including consultation on capital project space design, technology and operational modelling for experience programs and site upgrades. Overseeing the event technology roadmap and event technology and service upgrade capital projects.
• Service impact: providing strategic counsel to business leaders on event and resource strategy to improve service effectiveness. Directing a robust program of signature event services offering professional caliber event producing and production programs to contribute to over 100 global events for top executives and external stakeholders. Delivering value to executive leaders and in partnership with business groups across Sun Life, overseeing day-to-day hybrid event, conference and hospitality services in North American internal event venues. Food and beverage service operations including capital improvement, day-to-day operations, sustainability initiatives and vendor management for all catering and food service programs.
• Digital leadership: developing and executing an advanced hybrid technology strategy including transitioning practices and operational tools, and iterating the use of highly specialized technology platforms, systems and practices delivered by audio-visual and technical teams. Enhancing team capabilities of to drive efficiencies and self-service scale.
• Financial and business management: leading financial and management operations to enhance service impacts, driving efficiencies and expanding self-service capabilities. Oversight of event, audio-visual, broadcast, media, catering, employee amenity and other services, delicately managing high demand limited resources and conflicting business priorities. Cultivating collaborative partnerships with facilities, technology, brand, procurement and other corporate teams to strengthen experience and effectiveness. Resource management, planning and budgeting programs across all workstreams in the portfolio. Analyzing performance data to identify opportunities for efficiencies and cost savings, or enhancements that drive stronger business results. Overseeing compliance to risk, privacy and security policies across all services and navigate the approvals process for new and evolving technology needs. Manage budget of approximately $12mm.
• Communication and promotion skills: educating, exciting and enabling employee best practices, sharing successes and telling the excel at hybrid story though internal channels.
• Talent management: Cultivating a high-performing team including integrated vendor partnerships for service excellence across all aspects of the operations. Enable career progression and professional development for team members. Anticipate future needs for critical skills and competencies and develop plans to meet them. Enable teams to be successful by providing the necessary tools, coaching, change management and other supports.
  

What you need to succeed?

• Education and experience: 10+ years of progressive senior business leadership, and leading large corporate events, hospitality and/or employee experience service teams. Bachelor's degree in related field, with advance degree preferred. A deep understanding of hybrid and audio-visual technology, event production, event services, hospitality and multimedia best practices, and a track record of improving an organizations service models and business impact.
• Business leadership: advanced business management acumen and technology improvement management, leveraging data to drive operational change. Experience managing effective embedded vendor partnerships for high caliber professional service delivery.
• Collaboration and change management: proven ability to navigate the complexities of a matrix organization. Experience collaborating with many technology and business teams as well as influencing and building strong relationships with internal and external partners. Ability to obtain executive buy-in, engage and influence multiple stakeholders, manage through ambiguity, address challenges, and meet timelines. Capability to manage multiple initiatives and projects simultaneously and shift focus with changing priorities.
• Communication: exceptional communication skills to effectively promote and explain complex services, new initiatives and present compelling business cases for change to executive leaders. Experience working with a wide range of stakeholders, partners and users to execute communications strategies and build broad awareness of the program successes and leverage feedback to improve services.
• Data analytics and financial management: excellent analytical and problem solving skills. Ability to measure outcomes, interpret and synthesize complex information for stakeholders, and provide compelling rationales using data and the "language of the business."
• Talent development: experienced people leader with demonstrated success developing high performing teams. Experience coaching, mentoring and providing professional development opportunities for team members.

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.

At Sun Life we strive to create a flexible work environment where our employees are empowered to do their best work. Several flexible 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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