Director - Strategic Initiatives

RBC•Toronto, ON

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Join the Wealth Management Canada (WMC) Chief Administrative Officer's team as Director of Strategic Initiatives—a pivotal leadership role reporting directly to the CAO. In this position, you will own the strategic execution of critical business initiatives with a primary focus on WMC’s real estate strategy, serving as both a strategic architect and hands-on leader. You will drive real estate initiatives (including lease transactions and capital projects) that shape WMC's future while maintaining meticulous attention to tactical delivery, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities and exceptional execution standards. This is an opportunity to make a measurable impact on a growing business, working at the highest levels of the organization on matters that directly influence competitive positioning and shareholder value.

Requirements

5+ years of progressive senior leadership in Wealth Management or financial services
Proven track record of delivering strategic initiatives on time and within budget
Senior leadership presence with exceptional communication presentation skills
Strategic thinker who balances vision with tactical execution and hands-on delivery
Change management expertise with strong stakeholder influence and alignment abilities
Advanced analytical, financial and business acumen
Entrepreneurial mindset; self-directed with strong initiative and execution drive
Exceptional relationship-building, organizational, and time management skills
Sound judgment and decision-making capabilities
Strong work ethic with demonstrated commitment to achieving ambitious goals
Ability to work effectively in a dynamic, collaborative environment

Nice To Haves

Experience working on real estate related initiatives

Responsibilities

Define WMC's premises strategy and oversee its execution as a cornerstone of the business strategy.
Lead the WMC Real Estate Committee, setting strategic agendas, reviewing, and prioritizing initiatives, presenting decision items, and directing all key stakeholders on outcomes.
Develop comprehensive business cases and financial models with Enterprise Decision Support and key stakeholders.
Provide ongoing status reporting on all initiatives against approved budgets and timelines.
Direct lease strategy (renewals, expansions, new locations) to third-party brokers and CRE transaction teams; review and arrange execution of lease documentation per delegation of authority; deliver closing reports to business leaders.
Direct and oversee capital projects (for new locations, expansions, renovations and reconfigurations), ensuring design standards are maintained, providing branch teams with project milestone updates, and reviewing P&Ls for proper capitalization and depreciation.
Serve as escalation contact for WMC branches and CRE teams on facilities management issues.
Lead the annual real estate planning and forecasting process with WMC leaders, review occupancy metrics, and develop/maintain rigorous key performance indicators (quantitative and qualitative) to inform strategic decisions.
Analyze financial and operational trends to identify optimization opportunities and drive bottom-line impact.
Provide strategic direction on development and enhancement of real estate reporting and analytical tools (including the WMC Occupancy Planning Tool) to support ongoing business decision-making.
Deliver data-driven insights on key metrics and financials related to business initiatives to track trends and identify areas of financial/operational efficiency.
Lead the annual strategic business process review (BPR), meeting with key contributors and stakeholders to create consolidated strategic documents for executive presentation.
Own decision-making processes across all initiatives, providing strategic direction and tactical day-to-day support.
Participate and represent WMC on enterprise-wide real estate initiatives and other strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with WMC objectives.
Build and mentor a high-performing team, developing talent for future leadership roles.
Foster a culture of strategic thinking, accountability, execution excellence, and continuous improvement.