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.

At Sun Life, we're driven by our Purpose: helping our Clients achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives. Our values shape how we work: caring, authentic, bold, inspiring, and impactful.

When you join Sun Life, you'll work with passionate colleagues and empowering leaders who support your growth and celebrate your contributions, so you can make a meaningful difference in our Clients' lives.

Discover how you can make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities around the world.

Job Description:

Reporting to the Manager, Events, the Senior Event Planner is equal parts strategist, producer, problem-solver, and experience creator. From transforming ideas into unforgettable moments to orchestrating the countless details that bring an event to life, this role blends creativity, expert planning, and logistics into experiences that feel effortless.

Whether coordinating travel, designing meaningful attendee experiences, managing complex budgets, or navigating unexpected challenges with grace, the Senior Event Planner ensures every element comes together seamlessly. Behind every memorable event is someone connecting people, solving puzzles, building relationships, and creating moments that inspire, celebrate, educate, and leave a lasting impression.

 This role serves as a central point of contact across internal business partners and external suppliers, contributing to detailed project schedules, operational plans, attendee experiences, communications, and event execution. The role requires strong financial stewardship, supplier management, risk mitigation, issue resolution, and the ability to manage multiple interdependent workstreams in highly dynamic environments.

A key component of the role is building trusted relationships with team members, executive stakeholders, sponsors, internal partners, and suppliers while influencing decisions, managing competing priorities, and ensuring programs are delivered in alignment with business objectives.

Role Requirements

• This role requires the flexibility to work outside regular business hours during peak event periods to ensure successful planning, delivery, and stakeholder support.
• Up to 20% travel may be required.
• This is a hybrid role with a minimum of 2-days working in our corporate office in Toronto, Waterloo or Montreal. This is subject to change.

Must reside within 150 km of an international airport/ Must hold a valid passport.

What you will do:

Event Planning & Execution (15%)

• Purpose: Deliver high-quality advisor and employee events that support business objectives and create meaningful attendee experiences.
  • Lead the project management, planning and execution of medium- to high-complexity events, including international events, national kick-offs, roadshows, educational conferences and multi-day meetings.
  • Works in conjunction with business partners to develop program agendas, project plans, key messages, and attendee experiences that motivate, inspire, connect and educate attendees while aligning to business priorities and attendee needs.

Operational Delivery & Workstream Management (40%)

• Purpose: Coordinate detailed event logistics and interdependent workstreams from planning through execution and wrap-up.
  • Role may be responsible for any aspect of an event including but not limited to project planning, creative ideation, attendee communications, registration, travel, gifting, food and beverage, seating plans, rooming list management, transportation, venue management and onsite operations.
  • Oversee vendor performance, contract deliverables, procurement requirements, insurance documentation, invoice reconciliation, budgets and post-event evaluations.

Vendor Sourcing & Financial Management (20%)

• Purpose: Ensure responsible stewardship of event budgets, vendors, contracts and financial deliverables.
  • Research, recommend, source, contract and manage domestic and international destinations, hotel properties, venues and suppliers, including destination management companies, translation companies, keynote speakers, graphic designers and promotional item providers.
  • Oversea vendor performance, contract deliverables, procurement requirements, insurance documentation, invoice reconciliation, budgets and post-event evaluations.
  • Manage complex project budgets, including approvals, forecasts, actuals, accruals, invoice reconciliation, savings opportunities, monthly budget reporting, CE accreditation and taxation reporting.

Stakeholder, Partner & Team Coordination (10%)

• Purpose: Build strong working relationships and keep internal partners, project team members and stakeholders aligned.

Serve as a central point of contact across business partners, project team members, internal teams and external suppliers.

Lead project team members, collaborate with business partners and use diplomacy and tact to resolve demanding situations, escalating when required.

Collaborate closely with internal teams on website development, registration, creative and communications strategies, invitee lists, award winners, and attendee-facing communications.

Risk, Compliance & Standards (5%)

• Purpose: Deliver events in alignment with company policies, compliance requirements and industry best practices.
• Ensure events are designed and delivered in accordance with company policies, accessibility, inclusion, privacy, risk, procurement, compliance, brand standards and industry best practices.

Develops and supports contingency plans and escalation protocols for travel disruption, onsite incidents, vendor issues, weather impacts and attendee emergencies.

Technology, Reporting & Continuous Improvement (10%)

• Purpose: Use event technology, data and lessons learned to improve event delivery and attendee engagement.
  • Manage event technology platforms, including registration, attendee communications, mobile app or Attendee Hub, reporting, virtual or hybrid tools and post-event analytics.
  • Incorporate innovative ways to engage audiences, lead post-event debriefs, analyze event performance data, identify lessons learned, recommend improvements and support the creation of process and procedure documentation.

What you need to succeed:

• A university degree or college diploma in a related field
• Bilingualism in English and French is a strong asset
• Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation is an asset
• 10 or more years’ experience leading/assisting with multi-faceted, complex events both virtually and in-person
• 5 or more years’ experience leading international events
• Project management experience is an asset
• Fluency in MS Office Suite of tools (Word, PowerPoint)
• Advanced technological abilities including Excel skills

• Knowledge of CVENT and Attendee Hub is an asset

Why join Sun Life:

• Being a member of the Sun Life family, a group of people united by our Purpose: to help Clients and Employees achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives
• A friendly, collaborative and inclusive culture
• A collaborative and interactive team environment
• Being part of our journey in developing the next greatest digital experience
• Working together, sharing common values and encouraging growth & achievement

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.

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.

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