Job Description
:The AVP, New Business & Underwriting (NB/UW) is an operational leadership role accountable for the full NB/UW value chain, from application submission through underwriting to policy issuance, across all distribution channels, including Sun Life Financial Distributors, Individual Insurance Distribution, Prospr, and Group Benefits.
This role is responsible for delivering consistent, high-quality service outcomes, strengthening advisor and client experience, and advancing a unified operating model that enables scale, agility, and performance. The AVP leads a large, multi-layered organization and plays a critical role in modernizing underwriting capabilities, driving enterprise transformation priorities, and building a high-performing, future-ready workforce.
What will you do?
This role operates at the intersection of strategic execution and service delivery, ensuring that priorities translate into measurable improvements in service experience, speed and quality.
End-to-End Operations Leadership
Lead the full NB/UW value chain from application submission through underwriting to policy issuance.
Ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery across all client segments and distribution channels.
Deliver measurable improvements in cycle time, productivity, and service outcomes.
Drive standardized processes and segmentation-based service models to improve efficiency and experience.
Organizational Leadership & Talent Development
Lead a large, complex organization comprising ~450+ FTEs across all segments of new business and underwriting in Canada and Asia.
Establish strong governance, accountability, and performance management disciplines across teams.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, inclusion, and operational excellence.
Shape and execute talent strategies, including workforce planning, capability development, and leadership succession.
Drive employee engagement and retention through inclusive leadership and development opportunities.
Advisor & Client Experience
Deliver differentiated service experiences aligned to business and service delivery model.
Strengthen the advisor support model, including escalation management and Tier 2 support capabilities.
Improve placement rates, reduce cycle times, and enhance ease of doing business for firms, MGAs, advisors, plan sponsors, and clients.
Partner closely with Distribution and Business Units to align service delivery with advisor and client expectations.
Transformation & Change Leadership
Lead modernization of underwriting operations, including operating model redesign, digital enablement, and platform transformation.
Drive optimization of a unified underwriting model to improve consistency and reduce duplication.
Champion continuous improvement to increase agility and accelerate innovation.
Partner with enterprise teams to deliver strategic priorities such as automation, cycle time reduction, and end-to-end process optimization.
Strategy, Governance & Enterprise Integration
Align NB/UW priorities with enterprise strategy, ensuring clear linkage between service outcomes and business performance.
Strengthen governance, risk management, and compliance practices across operations (aligned to Director accountability).
Act as a key partner to Distribution, Business Units, and enterprise stakeholders to ensure alignment and integration.
Maintain a focus on data-driven decision making, transparency, and continuous performance improvement.
Drive employee engagement and retention through inclusive leadership and development opportunities.
Profile of the Leader
This role is suited for a large-scale operational leader and enterprise change agent who brings both strategic perspective and disciplined execution.
The successful candidate demonstrates:
Proven experience leading large-scale operations (200+ FTEs) in insurance or financial services
Deep expertise in underwriting, new business operations, or end-to-end insurance processes
Ability to lead transformation and operating model redesign initiatives
Strong track record of improving service performance and client/advisor experience
Experience leading multi-layered leadership teams and building high-performing cultures
Strategic thinker combined with strong execution and change leadership capability
In addition, the leader:
Operates with an enterprise mindset across channels and functions
Brings strong judgement and comfort leading through ambiguity and transformation
Uses data and insights to drive decisions and continuous improvement
Builds alignment through strong stakeholder management and collaboration
Develops future-ready talent and inclusive, high-performing teams
What success looks like
Service performance is consistent, predictable, and aligned across all distribution channels
Cycle times and placement outcomes improve, with measurable gains in advisor and client experience
The underwriting operating model is simplified, scalable, and aligned to service model
Transformation initiatives deliver tangible outcomes (speed, efficiency,…
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