Director, Market Activations, Events and Sponsorships

Sun Life Financial, Inc.

$110K — $180K *
Finance & Insurance
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years in Group Retirement/Financial Industry with strong marketing knowledge
  • Post-secondary degree in Marketing, Communications, or equivalent experience
  • Exceptional stakeholder management and strategic influencing skills
  • Strong analytical capabilities for insights-driven narratives
  • Innovative mindset with experience in executing strategies
  • Expertise in identifying media and sponsorship opportunities
  • Outstanding organizational skills for multitasking across projects
  • Excellent verbal and written communication aptitude
  • Solid negotiation abilities
  • Fluency in French is a plus

Responsibilities

  • Lead and develop a high-performance team
  • Create and execute go-to-market strategies for product launches
  • Oversee national and regional events and sponsorship plans
  • Conduct research initiatives to deliver industry insights
  • Drive social media strategy for increased engagement
  • Support senior leaders in crafting content for presentations
  • Track campaign performance metrics and recommend improvements
  • Analyze marketing trends to evolve the GRS narrative
  • Manage the marketing budget in collaboration with business leads

Benefits

  • Flexible hybrid work environment
  • Participation in incentive plans based on performance
  • Opportunity for professional development and career growth
  • Access to a dynamic and supportive team culture
Full Job Description
Job Description:

This role is an exciting opportunity to lead, develop and execute the Market Activations, Events and Sponsorships Strategy in Group Retirement Services Marketing team. Reporting to the AVP, Marketing and Communications, you will be accountable for providing leadership and direction in the development and execution of go-to-market strategies for Group Retirement Services products, innovation, advocacy initiatives and service offering. This role will focus on leading all external GRS events and sponsorships that support business objectives and drive results.

Collaborating with various business units across Canada and external stakeholders, this role will be responsible for helping the GRS Business Development teams build strong partnerships and relationships with strategic clients and industry partners across Canada. Through market research and insights, the Director will work with key partners in building a strong and compelling narrative and represent GRS Marketing on various committees and strategic projects to promote the Sun Life brand externally.

What will you do?
  • Lead and develop a high-performance team to deliver on business objectives.
  • Be responsible for creating the go-to-market strategy and executing on multimedia-based marketing and communication initiatives in support of new products and solutions, promotion of digital innovation and advocacy initiatives.
  • Oversee the national and regional events and sponsorship plan in coordination with various business partners to maximize Sun Life and GRS' presence and market visibility.
  • Spearhead research initiatives with internal and external partners, to provide best-in-class plan management insights for industry stakeholders.
  • Drive a social media strategy that will increase visibility and engagement for the leadership team.
  • Support senior leaders in the creation of content and key messaging for industry presentations and public speaking opportunities.
  • Accountable for gathering data and metrics on campaign performance, communicate progress and make recommendations on actions through dashboards and key performance indicators.
  • Stay abreast of marketing and industry trends and insights to analyse any impacts or opportunities to evolve the GRS narrative and support business development teams in prospecting and building on existing relationships.
  • Own and manage the marketing budget in partnership with the Business Unit lead.


What will you need to succeed?
  • 8+ years Group Retirement/Financial Industry experience and a strong understanding of marketing and communications
  • Post-secondary education in Marketing, Communications, or relevant experience
  • Exceptional stakeholder management skills with the ability to align varied interests and feedback. Must possess strategic influencing and communication skills.
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to seek key insights through analysis and translate them into elements to create a strong and compelling GRS narrative.
  • An innovative and creative mindset with proven experience in translating strategies and concepts into tactical execution.
  • Strong ability to seek new media and sponsorship opportunities and leading strategic client partnership forums.
  • Strong organizational skills - can manage multiple projects and priorities at the same time.
  • Ability to write, edit and produce a wide variety of communications and multimedia marketing collateral.
  • Ability to excel in a consultative environment, comfortable working in partnership with multiple internal and external stakeholders across all business units, at all levels.
  • Superb communication skills, both verbal and written
  • Strong negotiation skills
  • Comfortable in a fast-paced environment
  • Results-oriented and resourceful, with strong analytical skills
  • Fluency in French an asset


As this position is posted in several locations, we specify that bilingualism (French, English, both oral and written) is required for Quebec only for the frequent interactions with English and French-speaking colleagues or internal partners across Canada or worldwide.

The Base Pay range is for the primary location for which the job is posted. It may vary depending on the work location of the successful candidate or other factors. In addition to Base Pay, eligible Sun Life employees participate in various incentive plans, payment under which is discretionary and subject to individual and company performance. Certain sales focused roles have sales incentive plans based on individual or group sales results.

We are proud to be a hybrid organization that offers our employees the choice and flexibility to work from both the office and virtually based on the needs of the business, our Clients and you.

We may use artificial intelligence to support candidate sourcing, screening, interview scheduling.

Salary Range:
110,000/110 000 - 180,000/180 000

Job Category:
Marketing

Posting End Date:
06/09/2026

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