Director Government Relations & Industry Affairs

The Canada Life Assurance Company • Edmonton, AB

9d • Hybrid

About The Position

Provide enterprise leadership for Canada Life’s public policy and government relations agenda, translating strategy into coordinated, high‑quality execution across federal and provincial jurisdictions. The Director builds a forward‑looking policy insights engine, leads cross‑enterprise advocacy and submissions, strengthens relationships with elected officials and senior public servants, and ensures tight alignment with corporate strategy, legal, risk, and brand.

Requirements

• 8–12+ years in public policy, government relations or regulatory affairs, including experience briefing senior executives and coordinating multi‑stakeholder submissions
• Expertise in legislative and regulatory process
• Proven ability to influence policy outcomes and build relationships
• Excellent communication and advocacy skills, including written materials, and verbal briefing ability

Nice To Haves

• Experience in financial services or adjacent sectors is an asset
• Bilingualism (English/French) is considered a strong asset

Responsibilities

• Develop and operationalize a forward-looking public policy and industry affairs strategy into an annual workplan aligned to corporate strategy and business priorities
• Lead an integrated research and insights program, including horizon scanning, impact assessments and decision briefs for executive decision makers
• Coordinate national and regional policy intelligence to anticipate emerging trends and shape proactive responses
• Advise the Vice President of Public Policy & Government Relations on legislative, political and regulatory developments with strategic implications
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with federal, provincial and municipal officials and policymakers
• Plan and deliver advocacy campaigns (meetings, roundtables, submissions, coalitions), with clear objectives and outcome tracking
• Coordinate company positions across business units; ensure alignment and disciplined messaging
• Represent Canada Life in industry associations and policy forums
• Guide cross‑industry initiatives and consultation responses, enhancing our reputation as an industry leader
• Cultivate strategy relationships with external stakeholders and partners to advance shared policy objectives
• Run a policy pipeline and escalation framework, collaborating with communications, legal, compliance, risk, strategy and business unit leaders to ensure policy engagement, proactive storytelling and risk mitigation
• Ensure policy positions reflect enterprise risk appetite and legal/compliance guardrails
• Provide regular briefings and policy education to senior leadership
• Support executive participation in key external events and forums

Benefits

• Career Development: Opportunities for career advancement, access to industry-leading learning programs and up to $2,000 annually towards education reimbursement.
• Health & Wellness: Flexible health and dental benefits, plus a $5,000 mental health benefit to support your well-being.
• Time Off: In addition to regular vacation and personal days, we support community involvement with a volunteer day.
• Financial Security: Company-matching pension plan, share ownership program and additional investment options.
• Rewards and Recognition: Employee recognition programs, service milestone celebrations, employee discounts and more!
• Emphasis on Community: We provide a workplace where employees feel connected and supported through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), mentorship programs, social clubs and events.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed