• Job Description

  Req#: JR00099751

  You are as unique as your background, experience and point of view. Here, you’ll be encouraged, empowered and challenged to be your best self. You'll work with dynamic colleagues - experts in their fields - who are eager to share their knowledge with you. Your leaders will inspire and help you reach your potential and soar to new heights. Every day, you'll have new and exciting opportunities to make life brighter for our Clients - who are at the heart of everything we do. Discover how you can make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities around the world.

  Job Description:

  The opportunity to lead the Corporate Real Estate Group for Sun Life across Canada, the U.S. and Ireland, and provide a centre of excellence for Sun Life’s Asia portfolio. With a workforce In Canada, the U.S. and Ireland of more than 23,000 employees, over 4 million square feet of leased properties and a CRE budget in excess of $110 million annually, Sun Life is focused on leveraging its corporate real estate to enhance employee experience and excel at hybrid while optimizing its strategic investment in space.

  With a depth of commercial real estate experience, you are keen to lead, manage and mentor a team of over 100 people across 3 countries or more. You will have the opportunity to make both a strategic contribution and to leverage your deep operational knowledge, including relating to sustainability and green buildings. You will play a key role in helping modernize our real estate portfolio as our digital transformation continues and we continue to develop new ways to empower our people in a hybrid work environment that maximizes the productivity of the time we spend together in person and also seamlessly integrates how we work with colleagues across the country and around the globe, while reflecting the culture and brand of Sun Life.

  Key Areas of Focus

  Strategy & Leadership

  • Assess the current real estate portfolios and define a strategic roadmap for corporate real estate that positions Sun Life as a modern employer of choice aligned with business requirements and within a prudent cost framework
  • In partnership with local leadership in Asia, develop a support model that will optimize the Asia portfolio
  • Provide guidance and thought leadership in all matters related to CRE and facilities functions
  • Promote a continuous improvement environment for the teams, by championing strong process, methodology, technology, and training
  • Leading the implementation of lean processes and best practices within the CRE organization
  • Establish and update key governance and policy guidelines related to Real Estate
  • Develop the direction of our Workplace Strategy in alignment with the Excel at Hybrid direction and Sun Life’s culture
  • Align and lead specialized Real Estate Teams (including Relationship Managers to the business, Workplace Strategy, Leasing, Facilities Management, Project Management & Design, and Real Estate Analytics & Technology) to execute on strategy

  Stakeholder Management

  • Enhance employee and leader experience through all Real Estate facilities, in partnership with other key functions, including Talent & Culture strategy team, Future of Work Employee Experience, and Digital Business and Technology Solutions
  • Directly or through the Corporate Real Estate Relationship Managers function, engage with key stakeholders and maintain strong relationships across the various Corporate and Business Groups
  • Act as a Change Champion by proactively identifying areas of change, leveraging existing communication channels and engaging partners across the different functions to build awareness and drive momentum and excitement with changes as they are rolled-out
  • Develop and maintain collaborative, cross-functional and strategic relationships at various levels across the organization (including Technology Services, Finance, HR, Legal, Risk Management and Corporate Sustainability) to facilitate the accomplishment of enterprise-level goals
  • Liaise with BGO, the real estate investment arm of Sun Life, with respect to industry trends and activity, as well as for those Sun Life properties that are managed by BGO. Leverage BGO’s expertise in the markets in which they operate, and where their capabilities are additive to the capabilities of the Corporate Real Estate Group.
  • See that teams maintain strong and positive relationships with landlords across portfolio leased facilities
  • Work closely with various vendors to sustain a high level of performance, adapt to the changing business and industry environment, and monitor adherence to guidelines and policies

  Planning & Budgeting

  • Develop and oversee the execution of a multi-year financial plan for Sun Life’s real estate portfolio, aligned with Sun Life’s Corporate and Business Group expectations for its workforce
  • Partner with Sun Life’s Corporate and Business Groups, as well as Finance, in developing operating budgets, capital plans and forecasts
  • Partner with the AVP, Corporate Real Estate to monitor and manage operating budgets, capital plans and forecasts, as well as overseeing the management of the day-to-day leasing, facilities and project execution activity across the portfolio

  Real Estate Data & Analytics

  • Play a key role in developing a best-in-class analytics function within CRE that provides critical data and predictive insights to proactively manage the portfolio and enhance employee experience

  Sustainability

  • Partner with Corporate Sustainability in continuing to enhance the efficiency of Sun Life’s corporate real estate, including by reducing its carbon footprint

  Qualifications / Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 10+ years of commercial real estate experience in a senior leadership role, with a focus on the Office asset class
  • Continuous commitment to maintaining an understanding of best practices and new trends within the commercial real estate industry
  • At least 5 years of Management & Leadership Experience with a team operating in multiple time zones and countries
  • Asset/Portfolio Strategy – including experience with site selection and large-scale corporate office leases
  • At least 5+ years of experience leading planning, budgeting and reporting exercises for a CRE portfolio
  • Strong knowledge of Facilities Management processes and best practices
  • Experience developing a Workplace Strategy that encompasses and embraces a combination of on premises, hybrid and remote work strategies
  • A track record of leading the adoption and integration of real estate technology / proptech across a large portfolio
  • Experience with Digital Transformation – creating and managing processes for a portfolio’s statistics/data, forecasting, budgeting and reporting
  • Thorough understanding of sustainability and Green Buildings knowledge and significant experience (5+y) in operating sustainable buildings
  • LEED certification is an asset
  • Familiarity with Property Management processes and best practices
  • Thorough understanding of modern risk management practices, particularly as it relates to building operations

  Soft Skills

  • Biased for action – embraces a #failsafe mindset by quickly learning from mistakes so teams can succeed sooner
  • Drive outcomes and results – measures progress against outcomes and enables speed from ideas to implementation, grounded in facts derived from data analysis and insights
  • Resiliency – knows when to push, when to pivot, and when to let go
  • Stakeholder management – leads and engages within and across the business and corporate group leaders, HR, Finance, Legal, Asset management affiliates to influence and garner support towards the best outcomes for the organization., and provide expertise, advice and solutions for business problems and opportunities
  • Delivery – ability to engage and influence across a matrixed organization, manage ambiguity, address challenges, and meet timelines
  • Communication – expert presentation and storytelling through material development and verbal presentation, tailored to Executive and Board-level audiences
  • Leadership Orientation - Focuses on developing people through coaching, continuous feedback, and sharing leadership practices and technical expertise to empower and enable teams to achieve outcomes. Builds the team and pipeline for future success including identifying opportunities to expose Corporate Real Estate team members to new experiences and skill building
  • Demonstrated ability to deliver excellent client service at all levels of the organization and with external partners
  • Ability to develop systems/processes and/or teams that are flexible, adaptable and results-oriented reaching the goal of maximum efficiency
  • Strong organizational, time management and project management skills with a demonstrated ability to work both independently and within a team environment
  • High level of professionalism and excellent interpersonal skills. Strong team player and Collaborative style

  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.

  Diversity and inclusion have always been at the core of our values at Sun Life. A diverse workforce with wide perspectives and creative ideas benefits our clients, the communities where we operate and all of us as colleagues. We welcome applications from qualified individuals from all backgrounds.

  Persons with disabilities who need accommodation in the application process or those needing job postings in an alternative format may e-mail a request to thebrightside@sunlife.com .

  At Sun Life we strive to create a flexible work environment where our employees are empowered to do their best work. Several flexible work options are available and can be discussed throughout the selection process depending on the role requirements and individual needs.

  We thank all applicants for showing an interest in this position. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

  Salary Range:

  195,000/195 000 - 270,000/270 000

  Job Category:

  General Management

  Posting End Date:

  08/08/2024

• About the company

  Sun Life Financial Inc. is a Canadian financial services company.

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