Design Lead- Digital Channels

Sun Life • Waterloo, ON

3d • CA$90,000 - CA$140,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

As the Design Lead, Digital Channels, you will lead a team of UX Designers responsible for creating intuitive, accessible, and engaging experiences across Sun Life's digital channels, including public web, secure web, and mobile app. You will establish the design vision for digital experiences, coach and develop designers, and ensure the team consistently delivers high-quality solutions that meet client needs while supporting business objectives.
Reporting to the Director, Experience Design, you will partner closely with Product, Technology, Marketing, and Business stakeholders to shape digital experiences that are customer-centric, scalable, and aligned with enterprise design standards. You will foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and design excellence while balancing strategic initiatives with day-to-day delivery.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in UX, Product Design, or Digital Experience Design, with at least 2 years leading or managing designers.
• Proven experience leading UX teams delivering web and mobile experiences in complex, cross-functional environments.
• Strong understanding of responsive design, mobile-first design, interaction design, information architecture, and user-centered design methodologies.
• Experience partnering with Product Management and Engineering in Agile delivery environments.
• Demonstrated ability to coach designers, foster collaboration, and build high-performing teams.
• Experience establishing and maintaining design quality through critiques, design reviews, and mentoring.
• Deep understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2 AA, AODA) and inclusive design practices.
• Experience working with enterprise Design Systems, component libraries, and modern design tools (e.g., Figma).
• Strong analytical mindset with experience leveraging customer insights, analytics, usability testing, and experimentation to inform design decisions.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, stakeholder management, and storytelling skills.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and navigate competing priorities in a fast-paced organization.
• Demonstrated curiosity and experience applying emerging technologies, including AI-assisted design tools, to improve design processes and outcomes.
• Post-secondary education in Human-Centered Design, Interaction Design, Computer Science, Graphic Design, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of UX Designers responsible for delivering exceptional experiences across web and mobile channels.
• Set the design direction and quality standards for digital experiences, ensuring consistency across public web, secure web, and mobile products.
• Partner with Product Managers, Engineering, Marketing, Content Strategy, and Business stakeholders to define digital experience strategies that align customer needs with business goals.
• Guide designers through discovery, journey mapping, information architecture, interaction design, prototyping, usability testing, and implementation.
• Conduct regular design critiques and provide coaching that elevates design quality, craft, and strategic thinking across the team.
• Ensure digital experiences are accessible, responsive, and aligned with WCAG 2.2 AA standards and inclusive design principles.
• Champion the adoption and evolution of the enterprise Design System to drive consistency and efficiency across digital products.
• Manage team capacity, priorities, and resource allocation to balance delivery commitments with strategic initiatives.
• Leverage customer research, analytics, experimentation, and usability testing to inform design decisions and continuously improve digital experiences.
• Partner closely with Engineering throughout delivery to ensure high-quality implementation and adherence to design intent.
• Facilitate cross-functional workshops and design thinking sessions to align stakeholders, solve complex problems, and identify opportunities for innovation.
• Communicate design rationale, recommendations, and outcomes effectively to senior leaders and cross-functional partners.
• Stay current with emerging design trends, AI-enabled design tools, and digital best practices, applying new approaches to improve team effectiveness and customer experiences.

Benefits

• Access to short-term assignments or ‘Gigs’ across the organization, to help you develop new skills and connections.
• A collaborative and interactive team environment
• Charitable giving through our You Give, We Give program lets you give back to your community – and in many cases, we’ll match your contributions.
• Care Days available for self-care or care of others (i.e., family or others you may support) and Sick Days to support your well-being.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree