Associate Director, Events & Experience

Sun Life U.S. is one of the largest providers of employee and government benefits helping approximately 50 million Americans access the care and coverage they need. Through employers industry partners and government programs Sun Life U.S. offers a portfolio of benefits and services including dental vision disability absence management life supplemental health medical stop-loss insurance and healthcare navigation. We have more than 6400 employees and associates in our partner dental practices and operate nationwide.

At Sun Life were 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 youll 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.

Visit our website to discover how Sun Life is making life brighter for our customers partners and communities.

Sun Life embraces a hybrid work model that balances in-office collaboration with the flexibility of virtual work. Our team members and leaders are expected to foster connection and teamwork by being present in the office at least 2 days per week.

Location: Wellesley Hills MA with regular travel required to other sites.

The opportunity:

The Associate Director Events & Experience is accountable for shaping and advancing Sun Lifes enterprise workplace events and experience strategy across the United States. This role defines how inoffice offsite and hybrid experiences come together as a cohesive branded and intentional system supporting culture leadership connection collaboration and business outcomes.

As the senior-most US leader for Events & Experience this role provides strategic oversight and people leadership to the US Events & Experience Manager and site team ensuring consistent application of enterprise standards while enabling high-quality local execution.

Operating with enterprise perspective and executive presence this Associate Director partners closely with senior leaders Events & Experiences team Technology Corporate Real Estate Security Health & Safety and key business stakeholders to design scalable experience frameworks define governance and service models and ensure consistent highquality execution across all US locations.

This role orchestrates the ecosystem balancing strategic intent with operational excellence evolving ways of working and the needs of a highly distributed workforce.

How you will contribute:

Strategic Accountabilities

• Own and continuously evolve the US Events & Experience strategy ensuring alignment to enterprise priorities leadership expectations and Sun Lifes workplace and culture agenda.

• Define a cohesive experience model across all US locations (Wellesley Portland Hartford Baltimore Milwaukee Kansas City and offsite venues Waterford) ensuring consistency while allowing for local nuance.

• Act as a strategic advisor to senior leaders and business partners on how events moments of connection and workplace experiences enable engagement performance and organizational effectiveness.

• Establish governance enterprise standards and success measures for US event delivery hospitality services food & beverage and employee experience programs.

• Translate enterprise strategy into clear operating models decision frameworks and expectations for site teams and vendor partners.

• Apply deep organizational and corporate intelligence to anticipate leadership needs understand enterprise dynamics and design events and experiences that reinforce business priorities.

• Exercises significant judgment and decisionmaking authority within established enterprise governance escalating only material strategic financial or reputational risks requiring executive adjudication.

Leadership & Influence

• Anticipates future capability and resourcing needs across the US Events & Experiences portfolio informing workforce planning and operating mode evolution

• Provide leadership through influence rather than proximity setting direction for sitebased teams partners and vendors across the US.

• Coach develop and inspire team members to deliver hospitalityled employeecentric experiences aligned to enterprise standards.

• Serve as a visible leader with executive presence effectively navigating senior stakeholder conversations tradeoffs and priorities.

• Foster strong crossfunctional partnerships with E&Ex AV & Technology Security Health & Safety CRE and external partners.

Operational Excellence (at Enterprise Scale)

• Oversee delivery of highimpact events including executive meetings leadership town halls enterprise conferences and strategic gatherings ensuring quality consistency and scalability.

• Set expectations and frameworks for onsite and hybrid execution while avoiding overreliance on handson site management.

• Ensure financial stewardship across US operations including budgeting forecasting expense governance vendor contracts and chargeback models.

• Use data (space utilization attendance feedback costtovalue metrics) to continuously refine the experience model and inform investment decisions.

• Identify opportunities to streamline processes introduce innovation and improve sustainability across event and experience operations.

Enterprise Mindset & Continuous Evolution

• View all US locations as a single connected ecosystem not individual sites.

• Anticipate trends in workplace experience events and hybrid engagement translating external insights into practical enterprise innovation.

• Balance standardization with flexibility ensuring Sun Life experiences feel intentional modern and humanregardless of location.

What you will bring with you:

• 810 years of progressive experience in workplace experience corporate events hospitality or related fields with demonstrated enterprisescale leadership.

• Proven ability to lead through influence in complex matrixed environments.

• Strong strategic thinking paired with the credibility to engage confidently with senior and executive leaders.

• Experience designing operating models standards or frameworks that scale across multiple locations.

• Financial and commercial acumen including budget ownership and vendor management.

• Comfort navigating ambiguity and evolving priorities while maintaining clarity and direction.

• Willingness to travel across US sites as required (up to 30%).

Salary Range: $101200 - $151800

At our company we are committed to pay transparency and equity. The salary range for this role is competitive nationwide and we strive to ensure that compensation is fair and equitable. Your actual base salary will be determined based on your unique skills qualifications experience education and geographic addition to your base salary this position is eligible for a discretionary annual incentive award based on your individual performance as well as the overall performance of the business. We are dedicated to creating a work environment where everyone is rewarded for their contributions.

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We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all employees feel they belong are supported and empowered to thrive. We are dedicated to building teams with varied experiences backgrounds perspectives and ideas that benefit our colleagues clients and the communities where we operate. We encourage applications from qualified individuals from all backgrounds.

Life is brighter when you work at Sun Life

At Sun Life we prioritize your well-being with comprehensive benefits including generous vacation and sick time market-leading paid family parental and adoption leave medical coverage company paid life and AD&D insurance disability programs and a partially paid sabbatical program. Plan for your future with our 401(k) employer match stock purchase options and an employer-funded retirement account. Enjoy a flexible inclusive and collaborative work environment that supports career growth. Were proud to be recognized in our communities as a top employer. Proudly Great Place to Work Certified in Canada and the U.S. weve also been recognized as a Top 10 employer by the Boston Globes Top Places to Work for two years in a row. Visit our website to learn more about our benefits and recognition within our communities.

We will make reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of otherwise-qualified individuals with disabilities or special disabled veterans unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business. Please email to request an accommodation.

For applicants residing in California please read our employee California Privacy Policy and Notice.

We do not require or administer lie detector tests as a condition of employment or continued employment.

Sun Life will consider for employment all qualified applicants including those with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws including applicable fair chance ordinances.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin disability or status as a protected veteran.