AVP, Head of Marketing, Retail & Institutional
Sun Life•Waterloo, ON
•CA$140,000 - CA$225,000•Hybrid
About The Position
Sun Life Global Investments is seeking a forward-thinking, commercially driven marketing leader to define and execute our marketing strategy across retail and institutional channels. Reporting to the President of SLGI, you will shape how advisors, clients, and institutional partners engage with our brand, products, and platforms, driving growth through integrated go-to-market strategies, digital transformation, personalization, and AI-enabled marketing capabilities. This highly visible leadership role sits at the intersection of distribution, product innovation, and advisor and institutional client experience, with enterprise-wide impact.
Requirements
- 12+ years progressive marketing experience in asset management, wealth management, or financial services
- Proven success leading multi-channel, integrated marketing strategies with measurable business outcomes
- Strong track record in product marketing, commercialization, and advisor-facing marketing
- Experience leading cross-functional teams (sales, product, digital, data, governance) and influencing senior stakeholders in matrixed organizations
- Deep knowledge of Canadian investment landscape, advisor distribution models, and institutional sales cycles (RFPs, due diligence)
- Expertise in lifecycle marketing, digital engagement, personalization, and campaign orchestration
- Experience with MarTech stack design and integration (e.g., Salesforce CRM, Adobe, Pardot or equivalent)
- Strong analytical mindset with experience in client data architecture, taxonomy, and data governance
- Ability to translate data into actionable insights and build KPI frameworks and dashboards
- Understanding of evolving advisor expectations and digital engagement trends
- Experience leveraging AI and emerging technologies to enhance marketing effectiveness and operational efficiency
- Experience in team development, digital fluency, and modern marketing operating models
- Ability to balance innovation with governance in regulated environments
- University degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field
- Bilingualism (French, English, both oral and written) is required for Quebec only
Nice To Haves
- Advanced degree or industry designation (MBA, CFA, CIM, CSC) is an asset
- Enterprise thinker with strong commercial acumen and growth mindset
- Data-driven decision-maker who connects strategy to measurable outcomes
- Innovative leader passionate about transforming advisor and client experiences
- Confident influencer who aligns diverse stakeholders around shared vision
- People leader who inspires high performance and continuous learning
Responsibilities
- Define and execute integrated marketing strategy across retail and institutional channels aligned to business priorities
- Lead go-to-market planning and commercialization for SLGI's full product shelf (mutual funds, managed solutions, ETFs, target date funds, segregated funds, annuities and GICs)
- Drive advisor acquisition, activation, retention, and product adoption through multi-channel strategies
- Partner with Sales, Product, Events, and senior leadership to translate commercial priorities into impact
- Design end-to-end advisor and institutional client journeys across lifecycle stages (awareness, onboarding, engagement, growth, retention)
- Develop segmented engagement strategies tailored to channel, client type, and growth opportunity
- Deliver differentiated, client-centric experiences that strengthen relationships and improve business outcomes
- Own digital strategy across web, mobile, email, social, events, and emerging channels
- Advance a connected marketing ecosystem leveraging marketing automation, CRM, and data platforms to deliver personalized advisor and institutional client journeys
- Champion experimentation, optimization, and continuous improvement through analytics and testing
- Identify and scale AI-enabled solutions that enhance targeting, content relevance, and performance
- Elevate SLGI's market presence through differentiated thought leadership and strong brand positioning
- Collaborate with Global and Canadian Marketing to strengthen cohesive SLGI brand positioning
- Communicate compelling storytelling that simplifies complex investment concepts
- Establish OKRs, KPIs, and attribution models that track marketing ROI and contribution to business growth (earnings, net sales, engagement)
- Leverage data insights to inform strategy, optimize performance, and improve outcomes
- Build transparent reporting and dashboards to support executive decision-making
- Ensure all marketing activities align with regulatory requirements, privacy standards, and enterprise governance
- Partner with Legal, Compliance, and Risk teams to balance innovation with disciplined execution
- Lead and develop a high-performing team across product marketing, digital marketing, and client engagement
- Foster accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement
- Drive operating model evolution and build future-ready capabilities in digital, data, and AI-enabled marketing
Benefits
- Supportive, flexible, and inclusive work environment
- Opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed
- Hybrid work model offering choice and flexibility
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Executive
