Associate Director, Partner Delivery

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 6,400 employees and associates in our partner dental practices and operate nationwide.

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

Job Description:

Sun Life embraces a hybrid work model that balances in-office collaboration with the flexibility of virtual work. Our leaders are expected to foster connection and teamwork by being present in the office 2 to 3 days per week.

The opportunity:  

The Associate Director of Partner Delivery will own and lead the assessment and execution of partner initiatives, manage client relationships during the project lifecycle, and ensure the successful delivery on complex projects. You will partner with internal team members, including subject matter experts and business area stakeholders, to ensure alignment and successful project outcomes. You will also engage in direct client partner interactions throughout the project lifecycle. The ideal candidate for this role has experience in implementation, project management, or Client facing roles within the Group Insurance industry and enjoys managing multiple high-priority projects simultaneously while maintaining exceptional quality and meeting deadlines. You will be working on complex projects that influence the business and our partners experience. This role offers an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal part in enhancing our partner delivery processes and contributing to the overall success of our organization’s client partnerships.

How you will contribute:  

• Own and lead the assessment and execution of initiatives approved through the partner delivery process that evaluates partners service and capability requests; this includes direct client partner interaction, development and maintenance of project management tools, and ensuring successful completion

• Provide leadership and consultative subject matter expertise to partners to ensure successful project delivery

• Influence middle and senior leaders on partner initiatives and be able to present complex situations and anticipate potential questions

• Drive both internal and external stakeholder accountability and alignment across all aspects of partner requests; where necessary lead stakeholder working groups to ensure people, process or technology change and adoption takes place

• Create and deliver plan to ensure deliverables and commitments for partner initiatives are managed appropriately, timely, and executed effectively thereby enhancing partner satisfaction and achieving strategic objectives

• Build and lead strong, effective working relationships with internal partners, including subject matter experts and business area stakeholders, and external partners

• Oversee the RFI process, coordinating responses for new business opportunities, audits, and compliance requirements

• Leverage existing and emerging technology to streamline RFI processes and maintain a high-quality response database

• Proactively identify opportunities and new ideas that create a more efficient and effective operating model that enhances the partner experience and delivery of what we do for our partners

• Key role in identifying broader partner and industry trends and influencing a strategy to address these; creating actionable plans to address emerging partner needs

• Provide support for new partner implementations which would include direct client partner interaction, development and maintenance of project management tools, and ensuring successful onboarding

• Translate partner requests into initiatives that can be implemented which will require critical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making skills; ability to plan and strategize

• Manage complex project portfolios, ensuring timely execution and high-quality outcomes

• Document detailed assessment with consideration of capacity, timeline, work effort estimates, etc. that conclude in a recommendation from all parties especially the functional leaders and SME’s

• Drive and influence alignment in decision making process and document outcomes

• Own and lead client partner interactions throughout the project lifecycle

• Influence the priorit