Back
Verified active · 1h ago

Associate Director, Portfolio Management

Sun LifeSun Life·Financial Services

Apply effort

<60 sec

via Aplyr Quick Apply

Posted

Today

01

About the role

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:

An experienced Project Manager is required to oversee the Client Operations Portfolio to ensure the project delivery of all digital initiatives are according to the agreed scope, time, and cost. Scope of work will primarily focus on insurance operations related projects so experience in this area will be key. This role will lead, coach, and support the team, including business, IT and vendors, to further adopt agile ways of working. Objective is to have business and IT teams operating in a two-in-a-box model for defining business feature backlog and implement them following an MVP and Sprint delivery approach.

Key Responsibilities:

Project/Program Management

  • Support business case preparation (project costing, solution selection documentation) for new company initiatives

Portfolio Planning & Scheduling

  • Develop and maintain integrated plans for the portfolio, including workstreams, milestones, dependencies, and critical path across initiatives

  • Establish and manage delivery cadences (status, RAID, steering), ensuring alignment across business, IT, data, and vendor teams

  • Support the Lead Product Owner with sprint/iteration planning logistics, release planning, and coordination of UAT and business readiness timelines

  • Track and manage cross-initiative dependencies (data, platforms, security, architecture, change) and drive timely resolution

Delivery Governance & Execution

  • Drive day-to-day project delivery activities, ensuring scope, schedule, resources, and deliverables are managed effectively

  • Facilitate governance forums and working sessions (project meetings, risk reviews, steering packs) and capture actions and decisions

  • Maintain clear documentation of project plans in Planview, RAID logs, decisions, and key artifacts to support auditability and continuity

  • Coordinate with technology delivery teams to manage environment readiness, release activities, cutovers, and post-release hyper-care

Risk, Issue, Budget & Vendor Management

  • Own and maintain RAID logs across Digital initiatives; proactively surface risks/issues, propose mitigations, and drive closure

  • Support budget tracking and forecasting for the Distribution portfolio (where applicable), including vendor spend, licensing, and resource costs

  • Coordinate with procurement and vendors/partners on onboarding, delivery plans, commercial milestones, and performance tracking

  • Ensure project activities align to governance requirements (security, risk, compliance, data privacy) and that approvals are planned into timelines

Communication, Reporting & Stakeholder Alignment

  • Prepare regular status reports and executive-ready Planview dashboards on progress, milestones, outcomes, and RAID

  • Ensure timely and clear communication across stakeholders, including business owners, IT, data teams, operations, compliance, and Regional/Corporate teams

  • Support change management and adoption activities by coordinating training plans, communications, and operational readiness checkpoints

  • Promote consistent ways of working across Digital initiatives, escalating blockers and decision needs early

Tools, Standards & Continuous Improvement

  • Establish and maintain standard portfolio artifacts (Planview, roadmap tracker, RAID, dependency map, action log, benefits tracker) to improve transparency and delivery performance

  • Maintain project management tools (e.g., Planview, Jira/Azure DevOps, SharePoint) and ensure data quality for reporting

  • Identify opportunities to streamline delivery processes, improve governance, and enhance predictability across the Distribution portfolio.

Requirement

  • University degree from a recognized institution

  • Minimum 10-15 years of relevant experience with a proven track record in Program Management

  • Solid hands-on knowledge and experience in project management methodologies, tailored to business needs

  • Strong analytical skills and business acumen

  • Experience working with executive teams and CEOs

  • Excellent communication skills in English; Cantonese and/or Mandarin is an advantage

  • Experience in change management and organizational transformation

  • Good practice of Agile methodologies and principles

    Job Category:

    Project Management - Systems

    Posting End Date:

    29/12/2026
    02

    Aplyr's read

    Sun Life is a global financial services leader, attracting professionals in insurance and investment with a focus on innovation and international growth.

    Synthesized from recent postings & public sources

    What's promising

    • Sun Life has a strong international presence, offering diverse career opportunities across various regions.
    • The company invests in cutting-edge technology, hiring roles like AI Innovator and MLOps Engineer.
    • Sun Life provides a wide range of roles, from actuarial to data governance, appealing to diverse skill sets.

    What to watch

    • The financial services industry is highly competitive, posing challenges for market differentiation.
    • Regulatory changes in different countries can impact Sun Life's operations and strategic decisions.
    • Economic downturns may affect demand for insurance and investment products, impacting revenue.

    Why Sun Life

    • Sun Life emphasizes innovation in technology, evident from roles like Manager, AI Innovator.
    • The company offers a global career path, with significant operations in Asia and North America.
    • Sun Life's focus on productivity and capability development is highlighted by dedicated leadership roles.

    Aplyr’s read is generated by AI from public sources. Was it useful?

    03

    About Sun Life

    Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of insurance and investment products.

    04

    Similar roles