Director, Financial Crime Analytics and Model Validation

Sun Life • Waterloo, ON

2d • CA$110,000 - CA$180,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Financial Crime (FC) Analytics & Model Validation is an enterprise leader responsible for the strategy, governance, and independent validation of financial crime models (Name Screening, Transaction Monitoring, Client Risk Rating). The role ensures models are risk-based, effective, and audit-defensible, aligned with regulatory expectations (e.g., OSFI, FINTRAC, OFAC/OFSI) and the firm’s risk appetite. You will partner across Compliance, Technology, Data Science, and Model Risk to enhance detection effectiveness, regulatory defensibility, and operational efficiency.

Requirements

• 10+ years in financial crime analytics, model validation, or model risk
• Expertise across TM, sanctions screening, and risk scoring models
• Advanced knowledge of statistical techniques, model validation methodologies, and performance metrics.
• Deep understanding of regulatory expectations and audit defensibility
• 5+ years with hands-on experience with screening and transaction monitoring systems (e.g., Actimize, NetReveal, Firco)
• Proficiency in analytics tools (Python, R, SQL, SAS)
• Strong data governance and data quality knowledge
• Proven ability to communicate complex models to executives and regulators
• Strong judgment, stakeholder management, and influencing skills

Nice To Haves

• Experience in large, global financial institutions
• Advanced degree in a quantitative discipline

Responsibilities

• Own the enterprise model governance framework for FC detection models
• Lead independent validation across NS, TM, and CRR models
• Assess conceptual soundness, data integrity, and model assumptions
• Execute validation techniques (back-testing, sensitivity, benchmarking)
• Evaluate key performance metrics (e.g., false positives, alert conversion)
• Ensure alignment with global regulatory standards and model risk principles
• Produce clear, defensible validation reports for senior management and regulators
• Lead ongoing model calibration to reflect evolving financial crime risks
• Optimize thresholds to balance detection effectiveness and efficiency
• Establish model performance monitoring frameworks and KPIs/KRIs
• Identify model drift, data issues, and emerging risk typologies
• Recommend model enhancements, recalibration, or redevelopment
• Maintain accurate model inventory and documentation
• Oversee data sourcing, lineage, and controls supporting FC models
• Define and enforce data quality standards (accuracy, completeness, timeliness)
• Leverage analytics to identify model gaps and emerging risks
• Ensure end-to-end traceability from data to model outputs
• Promote advanced analytics (AI/ML) with strong explainability standards
• Support adoption of model interpretability tools where appropriate
• Act as primary lead for regulatory and audit interactions on FC models
• Provide subject matter expertise on model validation practices
• Support regulatory exams and remediation initiatives
• Ensure findings are documented, prioritized, and tracked to closure
• Define and evolve the FC model validation strategy and governance framework
• Lead the roadmap for analytics and model validation capabilities
• Present recommendations to executive governance forums (e.g., Model Committees)
• Balance detection, operational impact, and regulatory expectations in decisions
• Drive enterprise alignment across regions and stakeholders
• Promote a culture of independence, challenge, and continuous improvement

Benefits

• Hybrid work environment
• A friendly, collaborative, and inclusive culture
• 20 vacation days per year
• Flexible Benefits from the day you join to meet the needs of you and your family
• Pension, stock and savings programs to help build and enhance your future financial security
• The opportunity to move along a variety of career paths with amazing networking potential
• Access to our Global Learning Centre, available 24/7 for your learning needs
• Wellness programs that support the three pillars of your health – mental, physical and financial

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director