Permanent Full Time
We are looking for an
Assistant Vice-President, Corporate Properties & Workplace Services.
Reporting to the Vice-President, Shared Services, this role provides national leadership for Canada Life's corporate property portfolio, workplace services and property operations. The Assistant Vice President (AVP) leads the Head Office and Regional Office teams, establishes clear accountabilities and service standards, and ensures consistent delivery through internal leaders, landlords and external service partners.
Accountable for translating enterprise direction into multi-year portfolio plans, investment recommendations, workplace strategies and measurable operating results the role leads portfolio optimization, capital and operating planning, supplier governance and service transformation within approved strategy, budgets and governance.
What you will do- Lead the Head Office and Regional Office teams responsible for corporate property operations, workplace services, facilities, lease administration, space planning and related employee services.
- Translate the Shared Services strategy into multi-year portfolio plans, annual priorities, service standards, performance measures and work programs for the corporate office portfolio.
- Lead portfolio optimization by assessing business demand, occupancy, utilization, lease events and market conditions, and recommending consolidations, relocations, investments and other opportunities to improve cost, service and employee experience.
- Establish and report portfolio performance measures, including cost per employee, cost per occupied seat, cost per square foot, space utilization, vacancy, lease exposure and progress against relevant market benchmarks.
- Lead the development of multi-year capital plans and investment recommendations. Prioritize projects, develop business cases, track approved benefits and recommend trade-offs when cost, risk or business requirements change.
- Oversee lease administration and support negotiations, renewals, relocations, consolidations and exits within approved portfolio strategy, financial authority and legal requirements.
- Oversee the delivery of safe, reliable, accessible and welcoming workplaces, with clear accountability for maintenance, building services, workplace requests, emergency readiness and business continuity support.
- Provide governance and service quality oversight for regional facilities services, including performance monitoring, escalation management, landlord relationships and coordination with external service partners.
- Establish a strategic supplier governance model with clear service levels, performance measures, commercial accountability, risk controls and continuous improvement expectations.
- Establish standards and controls for workplace safety, emergency readiness, accessibility, environmental practices, records, vendor management and operational resilience.
- Lead the planning and delivery of workplace improvements and capital projects, ensuring projects use appropriate professional expertise, governance, financial controls and benefits tracking.
- Prepare and manage operating and capital budgets, forecasts, business cases and variance reporting. Recommend corrective actions and investment trade-offs to the Vice-President and applicable governance bodies.
- Build an integrated portfolio dashboard that provides prompt insight into cost, utilization, service quality, risk, project delivery, supplier performance, environmental performance and stakeholder experience.
- Use workplace technology, occupancy data and external benchmarks to identify trends, test assumptions and support evidence-based portfolio and investment decisions.
- Build productive relationships with business leaders, Finance, Procurement, Legal, Risk, Security, Technology, Human Resources and other partners to align property and workplace services with business priorities.
- Lead, coach and develop a team of people leaders and professionals. Set clear accountabilities, strengthen succession and capability, and foster an inclusive, service-oriented and commercially disciplined culture.
- Monitor market practices and emerging workplace, real estate and sustainability trends, and recommend practical improvements aligned with Canada Life's strategy, risk appetite and operating model.
What you will bring- Ten or more years of progressive experience in corporate real estate, facilities management, workplace services, property operations or a related field, including significant people leadership experience.
- Experience leading a multi-site corporate property or workplace portfolio in a large, complex and regulated organization. Financial services or insurance experience is an asset.
- Demonstrated experience in portfolio optimization, occupancy and utilization planning, lease strategy, workplace operations, capital planning and project governance.
- Experience managing significant operating and capital budgets, developing investment business cases and using financial, market and service information to recommend priorities and trade-offs.
- A track record of leading through managers and external service partners, with clear accountability for service quality, commercial performance, risk, cost and delivery.
- Experience establishing performance dashboards, service measures and supplier governance, and using data and benchmarks to improve portfolio outcomes.
- Strong judgement and the ability to distinguish matters that can be resolved within the function from material risks, investments and enterprise decisions requiring executive escalation.
- Proven ability to influence senior leaders and work across functions without relying on direct authority.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present concise recommendations, business cases, risks and options to senior decision-makers.
- A university degree in business, real estate, engineering, architecture, facilities management or related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Given the size and scope of our organization, we have the flexibility for this position to be located in the following head office locations: Winnipeg, London and Toronto
Assets- A recognized credential in facilities management, real estate, project management, engineering or a related field.
- Experience with outsourced or integrated facilities management models, complex supplier arrangements and performance-based commercial governance.
- Knowledge of workplace technology, occupancy analytics, market benchmarking, sustainability practices and accessibility requirements.
- Experience supporting portfolio rationalization, major lease events, consolidations or enterprise workplace transformation.
The base salary for this position is between
$151,100 - $201,100 annually. This represents base salary only and does not represent other variable compensation components of our total compensation ( i.e. annual bonus, commission etc). If you are selected to move forward in our recruitment process, your recruiter will be able to discuss additional details of our total rewards program with you.
Career opportunities will be open a minimum of 5 business days from the date of posting, closing dates will vary depending on the search activity. All applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
#LI-Hybrid
Requisition ID: 7195
Category: Corporate Functions
Location:
