AVP, Corporate Underwriting Risk & Governance

Sun Life•Toronto, ON

2d•CA$140,000 - CA$225,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Corporate AVP, Underwriting Risk & Governance is accountable for maintaining the organization's underwriting philosophy, risk appetite, technical standards, and governance framework across all life and health insurance businesses. The role serves as a corporate risk subject matter expert on mortality, morbidity, product, underwriting, and fraud risks, providing underwriting risk management guidance to business units globally, with particular emphasis on emerging risks, high-net-worth markets, and the impact of underwriting and product design decisions on long-term business performance. The incumbent will lead the evaluation and approval of underwriting and product-related risk initiatives, assess the mortality and morbidity implications of underwriting requirement changes, product innovations, and distribution strategies, and ensure alignment with corporate risk management objectives, with primary focus on our Asia business units and Private Wealth business. The role provides technical leadership to underwriters and input to actuarial, product development, and risk management teams on underwriting-specific risk while championing sound underwriting practices, risk governance, and sustainable growth. Operating in a highly collaborative, consultative, and project-oriented environment, the Corporate AVP, Underwriting Risk & Governance will lead complex initiatives across the Asia business units and jurisdictions, influence business unit underwriting leadership and risk management decision-making, and represent the organization on underwriting and insurance industry matters under the direction of the Corporate Chief Underwriter.

Requirements

Minimum 15 years of progressive life and health underwriting experience.
Minimum 5 years holding an individual underwriting approval authority of at least $30 million (preferred).
Significant experience assessing complex mortality and morbidity risks.
Experience underwriting high-net-worth and large face amount business, including exposure to Asian insurance markets.
Demonstrated experience evaluating underwriting implications of life, health, disability, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and medical reimbursement products.
Proven experience leading complex underwriting, governance, or risk initiatives across multiple business units or jurisdictions.
Experience working with reinsurance and retention management frameworks.
Experience developing underwriting philosophy, guidelines, manuals, and risk governance standards.
Proven ability to influence business risk management and underwriting leaders.
Strong strategic thinking and risk assessment capabilities.
Exceptional communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to work independently with minimal direction while managing multiple concurrent priorities.
Strong collaboration skills with the ability to drive alignment across diverse stakeholders.
Comfortable operating in a dynamic environment focused on governance, consultation, project leadership, innovation, and enterprise risk oversight rather than production underwriting activities.

Nice To Haves

FALU
FLMI
Additional designations in risk management, supplemental health, or related disciplines.

Responsibilities

Support and champion corporate underwriting philosophy, risk appetite, and underwriting governance standards.
Provide enterprise oversight of underwriting practices across life, health, critical illness, disability, and medical reimbursement products.
Evaluate proposed changes to underwriting requirements, underwriting evidence, accelerated underwriting programs, automation initiatives, and digital underwriting solutions.
Assess and communicate the mortality and morbidity implications associated with underwriting and product design changes.
Evaluate mortality and morbidity risks associated with existing and proposed products, underwriting methodologies, and distribution strategies.
Assess the impact of product features, underwriting evidence requirements, and benefit structures on expected mortality and morbidity outcomes.
Partner with actuarial, product, and risk management teams to monitor emerging experience trends and recommend mitigation strategies.
Provide technical leadership on mortality and morbidity risk management across multiple markets.
Assess product design features for anti-selection, fraud, claims, and sustainability risks.
Identify underwriting controls, medical requirements, and risk management measures necessary to mitigate adverse selection and fraud exposure.
Provide risk guidance during new product development and product enhancement activities.
Evaluate the potential impact of product design changes on underwriting outcomes and claims experience.
Identify emerging fraud risks and vulnerabilities within underwriting and product frameworks.
Recommend underwriting, medical, and operational controls designed to mitigate fraud exposure.
Partner with claims, investigations, and risk management teams to identify trends and strengthen preventive measures.
Provide technical leadership on high-net-worth and Private Wealth underwriting practices, particularly within Asian markets.
Evaluate large face amount and complex financial underwriting cases.
Monitor market developments and emerging risk trends impacting high-net-worth and Private Wealth business.
Support business units in developing prudent underwriting strategies for complex and high-exposure risks.
Provide leadership and guidance regarding retention management practices.
Evaluate retention limits, concentration risk, and reinsurance effectiveness.
Partner with reinsurance stakeholders as permitted to ensure alignment between underwriting strategies and risk transfer objectives.
Lead complex cross-functional underwriting initiatives involving multiple business units, jurisdictions, and product lines.
Influence senior leaders and business partners on underwriting, mortality, morbidity, and product risk matters.
Provide strategic recommendations balancing growth opportunities with responsible risk management.
Serve as a trusted advisor to the Corporate Chief Underwriter on emerging underwriting and insurance risks.
Research emerging medical, underwriting, product, and industry developments.
Participate in the development and maintenance of underwriting manuals, medical guidelines, and risk assessment standards.
Translate emerging medical evidence and industry research into practical underwriting guidance.
Represent the organization externally through industry associations, conferences, forums, and professional organizations.