Job Description
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:
You believe life is about aiming high and making an impact.
At Sun Life Financial, we work together, share common values and help each other grow and achieve goals. With roots tracing back to 1865 in Canada, Sun Life Financial has grown to become an established and trusted name in insurance and financial services, with offices and operations in key markets around the world. We recognize that our growth, success and reputation for excellence are due in large measure to our talented and dedicated employees.
Sun Life and our peers operate in a complex risk environment, with increasing threats posed to our critical operations from events like control failures, third-party disruptions, infrastructure outages, technology failures, cyber incidents, geopolitical incidents, pandemics, and natural disasters. A robust and concerted approach to operational and technology resilience can enhance Sun Life’s ability to withstand, adapt to, and recover from these events while continuing to deliver our critical operations. This is key to protecting our clients and ensuring our services are available, when needed, through disruption.
This is a Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Program Manager position within the Enterprise Continuity Management team, reporting to the Director of Enterprise Continuity Management. Enterprise Continuity has global governance and oversight of Sun Life’s Business Continuity Management and Disaster Recovery management programs, in support of the organization’s Operational Resilience framework.
What will you do?
Act as a second line risk subject matter expert in Business Continuity Management, Disaster Recovery Management, and Operational Resilience (i.e. specifically Technology Resilience)
Provide second line governance and oversight to Sun Life’s business groups/units to ensure appropriate Technology Resilience strategy is in place and evidence is delivered that demonstrates good state of readiness on technology recoverability, in support of operational resilience, and compliance to Sun Life policy and regulatory requirements
Utilizing Risk Management three lines of defence model, conduct second line quality assurance review and challenge of each business areas' completion of Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and Operational Resilience documentation including but not limited to Technology teams related BC plans, Business impact assessments, Enterprise Disaster recovery plans, Technology/application recovery plans and the respective testing results and exercising of those plans, solutions, and test/exercise results
Based on quality assessments develop and communicate recommendations for improvement to our first line Business partners
Work closely with business groups/units to discern technical recovery capabilities, and operational resilience requirements to support business objectives
Establish Disaster Recovery controls to ensure monitoring of activities in support of the DR environment and coordinate with IT/DR teams to ensure effective Disaster Recovery and Application Recovery Plans are in place to successfully recover production environments and applications
Ensure recovery strategies and operationally resilient recovery and resolution plans that support the business are maintained, viable, and capable of ensuring recoverability and service continuity
Work with business groups to ensure that cross-functional dependencies have been addressed in all plans including internal and external requirements
Support the development and improvement of Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and Operational Resilience operating procedures, guidelines, and templates that support the Sun Life Business Continuity Policy, Enterprise Operating Guideline, and Operational Resilience Framework, while adhering to regulatory expectations and industry best practices
Collaborate with the Disaster Recovery Team, Crisis Management, Business Continuity teams, and operational resilience stakeholders to ensure streamlined processes and information exist across all continuity and resilience initiatives
Support Business Continuity and operational resilience scenario testing to ensure the business can withstand and recover from operational disruptions within the defined impact tolerances and recovery time objectives for critical business operations and functions
Monitor compliance with Disaster Recovery and Operational Resilience regulatory requirements and provide reporting to management and regulatory bodies
Provide governance and oversight of Technology related third party Exit and Contingency Plans within business groups/units to ensure policy compliance and appropriate evidence is delivered
Utilize Risk Management three lines of defence model to complete second line review and challenge of first line supplier responses to annual Business Continuity Questionnaires and assess critical and significant Technology related suppliers to ensure state of readiness
Manage and report Policy Non-Compliances related to Business Continuity Policy third party requirements
Work with Risk Officers, Business Continuity Contacts, and Relationship Managers in conducting reviews, training, reporting, and Business Continuity Due Diligence activities
Track business unit deliverables to ensure timely completion and thoroughness, and work with business groups/units and reporting teams to ensure accurate reporting
Support risk dashboards and provide key performance indicator (KPI) and key risk indicator (KRI) reporting to policy contacts on key initiatives, risks to the program including gaps, and ensure compliance to Sun Life's internal policy and regulatory requirements
Establish self as a Fusion Risk Management Business Continuity and Operational Resilience Management expert and support the Enterprise Continuity Management team and business areas in the development and enhancement of Fusion RM (force.com) tool, Sun Life's Business Continuity and Operational Resilience software platform
Collaborate with First Line Disaster Recovery Team to embed the requirements of the policy into their operational directives. Collaborate with them to develop new policy requirements in alignment to industry guidelines
What do you need to succeed?
University Degree
Business Continuity and/or Disaster Recovery Designation
PMP/PMI Certification or equivalent
5+ experience in Business Continuity/Crisis Management/Disaster Recovery program management
Experience in Operational Resilience governance and risk management with a focus on Technology Resilience
5+ experience in Supplier Management with a focus on Technology related Third Party Governance and Business Continuity
Broad IT generalist level experience including SAN/Storage, Network LAN/WAN/IP, Mainframe, AS/400, Windows/Unix server, Citrix and equivalent systems
Background with data centre recovery tools and disaster recovery products (e.g., Airgap, SafeGuard Storage)
Several years' experience in the management, development and execution of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity testing and exercising
2+ years' experience with financial institutions and/or insurance industries
Technical aptitude in development and enhancement of Salesforce (Fusion Platform), Tableau (reporting & analyses), as well as knowledge of Ariba (procurement)
Strong Presentation, Communication (both written and oral), Negotiation and conflict management
Strong Analytical and Reporting skills, Process Management skills, Technical competencies
Strong interpersonal customer/client focus skills
Familiarity with industry best practices in Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Operational Resilience
Skilled at working collaboratively in a team environment
Demonstrated problem-solving abilities with crisp problem identification, cross-team coordination, remediation action development and resolution impact validation
Preferred Qualifications
5+ years' experience with life insurance company
2+ years of management experience
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Management Information Systems or related field; or 5-10 years equivalent IT Experience
Experienced with making presentations to large groups
Experience with Quality Assurance
Large scale data centre recovery and test execution experience across multiple technology sets
Experience working with risk management frameworks and three lines of defence model
In depth understanding and experience with Disaster recovery in hybrid on-prem and cloud-based environments
What's in it for you?
The opportunity to move along a variety of career paths with amazing networking potential
Flexible Benefits from the day you join to meet the needs of you and your family
We’re committed to creating an inclusive and respectful environment. Our goal is to make sure all our employees have the chance to live up to their full potential
We’re honoured to be recognized as a 2025 Best Workplaces in Ontario by Great Place to Work® Canada
We are thrilled to be recognized by Excellence Canada with their top-level certification, the Canada Order of Excellence for Mental Health at Work®, for prioritizing employee well-being, fostering a positive work culture, and achieving excellence in mental health
LI-NB1
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 [email protected].
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! Several work options are available and can be discussed throughout the selection process depending on the role requirements and individual needs.
We may use artificial intelligence to support candidate sourcing, screening, interview scheduling.
We thank all applicants for showing an interest in this position. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Salary Range:
90,000/90 000 - 140,000/140 000
Job Category:
IT - Technology Services
Posting End Date:
18/04/2026
Job Description:
You believe life is about aiming high and making an impact.
At Sun Life Financial, we work together, share common values and help each other grow and achieve goals. With roots tracing back to 1865 in Canada, Sun Life Financial has grown to become an established and trusted name in insurance and financial services, with offices and operations in key markets around the world. We recognize that our growth, success and reputation for excellence are due in large measure to our talented and dedicated employees.
Sun Life and our peers operate in a complex risk environment, with increasing threats posed to our critical operations from events like control failures, third-party disruptions, infrastructure outages, technology failures, cyber incidents, geopolitical incidents, pandemics, and natural disasters. A robust and concerted approach to operational and technology resilience can enhance Sun Life’s ability to withstand, adapt to, and recover from these events while continuing to deliver our critical operations. This is key to protecting our clients and ensuring our services are available, when needed, through disruption.
This is a Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Program Manager position within the Enterprise Continuity Management team, reporting to the Director of Enterprise Continuity Management. Enterprise Continuity has global governance and oversight of Sun Life’s Business Continuity Management and Disaster Recovery management programs, in support of the organization’s Operational Resilience framework.
What will you do?
Act as a second line risk subject matter expert in Business Continuity Management, Disaster Recovery Management, and Operational Resilience (i.e. specifically Technology Resilience)
Provide second line governance and oversight to Sun Life’s business groups/units to ensure appropriate Technology Resilience strategy is in place and evidence is delivered that demonstrates good state of readiness on technology recoverability, in support of operational resilience, and compliance to Sun Life policy and regulatory requirements
Utilizing Risk Management three lines of defence model, conduct second line quality assurance review and challenge of each business areas' completion of Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and Operational Resilience documentation including but not limited to Technology teams related BC plans, Business impact assessments, Enterprise Disaster recovery plans, Technology/application recovery plans and the respective testing results and exercising of those plans, solutions, and test/exercise results
Based on quality assessments develop and communicate recommendations for improvement to our first line Business partners
Work closely with business groups/units to discern technical recovery capabilities, and operational resilience requirements to support business objectives
Establish Disaster Recovery controls to ensure monitoring of activities in support of the DR environment and coordinate with IT/DR teams to ensure effective Disaster Recovery and Application Recovery Plans are in place to successfully recover production environments and applications
Ensure recovery strategies and operationally resilient recovery and resolution plans that support the business are maintained, viable, and capable of ensuring recoverability and service continuity
Work with business groups to ensure that cross-functional dependencies have been addressed in all plans including internal and external requirements
Support the development and improvement of Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and Operational Resilience operating procedures, guidelines, and templates that support the Sun Life Business Continuity Policy, Enterprise Operating Guideline, and Operational Resilience Framework, while adhering to regulatory expectations and industry best practices
Collaborate with the Disaster Recovery Team, Crisis Management, Business Continuity teams, and operational resilience stakeholders to ensure streamlined processes and information exist across all continuity and resilience initiatives
Support Business Continuity and operational resilience scenario testing to ensure the business can withstand and recover from operational disruptions within the defined impact tolerances and recovery time objectives for critical business operations and functions
Monitor compliance with Disaster Recovery and Operational Resilience regulatory requirements and provide reporting to management and regulatory bodies
Provide governance and oversight of Technology related third party Exit and Contingency Plans within business groups/units to ensure policy compliance and appropriate evidence is delivered
Utilize Risk Management three lines of defence model to complete second line review and challenge of first line supplier responses to annual Business Continuity Questionnaires and assess critical and significant Technology related suppliers to ensure state of readiness
Manage and report Policy Non-Compliances related to Business Continuity Policy third party requirements
Work with Risk Officers, Business Continuity Contacts, and Relationship Managers in conducting reviews, training, reporting, and Business Continuity Due Diligence activities
Track business unit deliverables to ensure timely completion and thoroughness, and work with business groups/units and reporting teams to ensure accurate reporting
Support risk dashboards and provide key performance indicator (KPI) and key risk indicator (KRI) reporting to policy contacts on key initiatives, risks to the program including gaps, and ensure compliance to Sun Life's internal policy and regulatory requirements
Establish self as a Fusion Risk Management Business Continuity and Operational Resilience Management expert and support the Enterprise Continuity Management team and business areas in the development and enhancement of Fusion RM (force.com) tool, Sun Life's Business Continuity and Operational Resilience software platform
Collaborate with First Line Disaster Recovery Team to embed the requirements of the policy into their operational directives. Collaborate with them to develop new policy requirements in alignment to industry guidelines
What do you need to succeed?
University Degree
Business Continuity and/or Disaster Recovery Designation
PMP/PMI Certification or equivalent
5+ experience in Business Continuity/Crisis Management/Disaster Recovery program management
Experience in Operational Resilience governance and risk management with a focus on Technology Resilience
5+ experience in Supplier Management with a focus on Technology related Third Party Governance and Business Continuity
Broad IT generalist level experience including SAN/Storage, Network LAN/WAN/IP, Mainframe, AS/400, Windows/Unix server, Citrix and equivalent systems
Background with data centre recovery tools and disaster recovery products (e.g., Airgap, SafeGuard Storage)
Several years' experience in the management, development and execution of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity testing and exercising
2+ years' experience with financial institutions and/or insurance industries
Technical aptitude in development and enhancement of Salesforce (Fusion Platform), Tableau (reporting & analyses), as well as knowledge of Ariba (procurement)
Strong Presentation, Communication (both written and oral), Negotiation and conflict management
Strong Analytical and Reporting skills, Process Management skills, Technical competencies
Strong interpersonal customer/client focus skills
Familiarity with industry best practices in Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Operational Resilience
Skilled at working collaboratively in a team environment
Demonstrated problem-solving abilities with crisp problem identification, cross-team coordination, remediation action development and resolution impact validation
Preferred Qualifications
5+ years' experience with life insurance company
2+ years of management experience
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Management Information Systems or related field; or 5-10 years equivalent IT Experience
Experienced with making presentations to large groups
Experience with Quality Assurance
Large scale data centre recovery and test execution experience across multiple technology sets
Experience working with risk management frameworks and three lines of defence model
In depth understanding and experience with Disaster recovery in hybrid on-prem and cloud-based environments
What's in it for you?
The opportunity to move along a variety of career paths with amazing networking potential
Flexible Benefits from the day you join to meet the needs of you and your family
We’re committed to creating an inclusive and respectful environment. Our goal is to make sure all our employees have the chance to live up to their full potential
We’re honoured to be recognized as a 2025 Best Workplaces in Ontario by Great Place to Work® Canada
We are thrilled to be recognized by Excellence Canada with their top-level certification, the Canada Order of Excellence for Mental Health at Work®, for prioritizing employee well-being, fostering a positive work culture, and achieving excellence in mental health
LI-NB1
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 [email protected].
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! Several work options are available and can be discussed throughout the selection process depending on the role requirements and individual needs.
We may use artificial intelligence to support candidate sourcing, screening, interview scheduling.
We thank all applicants for showing an interest in this position. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Salary Range:
90,000/90 000 - 140,000/140 000
Job Category:
IT - Technology Services
Posting End Date:
18/04/2026
💡 Quick Summary
Seeking a career-building opportunity? The Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Program Manager position is now open for candidates interested in the Back Office Jobs sector. This role in Toronto offers a professional environment and growth potential.
Requirement Snapshot: Candidates should possess basic communication skills, a proactive attitude, and the ability to work in a team. Experience in Back Office Jobs is a plus.
