Associate Director, Technology Strategy and Innovation

Reposted 14 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
Toronto, ON, CAN
In-Office
138K-188K Annually
Senior level
Fintech • Payments • Financial Services
The Role
The Associate Director will lead technology strategy, focusing on Data and AI solutions, drive innovation, and enhance customer success through collaboration and strategic partnerships.
Summary Generated by Built In

Choose a workplace that empowers your impact. 

Join a global workplace where employees thrive. One that embraces diversity of thought, expertise and experience. A place where you can personalize your employee journey to be — and deliver — your best.  

We are a purpose-driven, dynamic and sustainable pension plan. An industry leading global investor with teams in Toronto to London, New York, Singapore, Sydney and other major cities across North America and Europe. We embody the values of our 665,000 members, placing their best interests at the heart of everything we do.

Join us to accelerate your growth & development, prioritize wellness, build connections, and support the communities where we live and work.

Don’t just work anywhere — come build tomorrow together with us.

Know someone at OMERS or Oxford Properties? Great! If you're referred, have them submit your name through Workday first. Then, watch for a unique link in your email to apply.


Job Summary 

Reporting to the Vice President, Customer Success and Innovation, the Associate Director plays a critical leadership role in shaping how Data, AI, and emerging technologies drive measurable business value across the organization. This role acts as the primary bridge between Data & Technology and internal business leaders translating strategy into execution, accelerating innovation, and ensuring technology investments deliver tangible outcomes with a strong focus on Data and AI solutions. 

You will leverage your deep understanding of products and current technology landscape to provide advisory support to the internal customers for any building or buy products for Data & AI solutions. You will also champion the adoption of AI tools, helping the business understand how these technologies can drive alpha and operational efficiency. 

We are seeking an individual who excels at building trust-based relationships and influencing technology outcomes across diverse stakeholder groups.  

The Associate Director must demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills, the ability to align technology with business objectives, and a proven track record of delivering results through collaboration.  

 

Key Responsibilities 

Strategic Partnership & Customer Success 

  • Act as a trusted advisor to internal business units, understanding their strategy, priorities, and challenges. 

  • Participate, build and drive solutions in Proof of concept stage to show value to the customers 

  • Collaborate with technology and business teams to co-develop and execute customer-centric technology roadmaps for Data and AI solutions.  

  • Advocate for the adoption of D&T programs and ensure the programs are in alignment with customer goals. 

  • Establish a scalable engagement model that delivers value to our stakeholders and enhances the relationship between D&T and internal customers.  

  • Stay current with AI updates, AI trends, and industry best practices to ensure innovative and effective solutions. 

Leadership 

  • Lead and mentor a high-performing team of customer success and innovation professionals. 

  • Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement across D&T. 

  • Provide strategic direction, coaching, and professional development to team members. 

  • Demonstrate thought leadership by consistently contributing innovative ideas and insights that drive the business unit strategic direction 

Collaboration 

  • Build and nurture strong relationships with the Data and Technology Leadership Team (DTLT) and technology stakeholders across the organization. 

  • Support leadership in developing technology operating/interaction models and strategies. 

  • Act as an intake point for new initiatives and escalations. 

  • Build and orchestrate technology teams with members across the organization to deliver cohesive technology solutions. 

  • Share learnings with D&T to drive continuous improvement and operational effectiveness. 

Technology & Innovation 

  • Have strong understanding and working knowledge of Data Platforms and AI products/models 

  • Serve as the subject matter expert on AI models within the business context; explain how models work, their limitations, and their potential application and use cases 

  • Help identify AI Workflows: Collaborate with team members to identify opportunities for agentic workflows, AI-augmented decision-making  

  • Identify and drive innovation initiatives that enable growth, efficiency, and improved decision-making in the organization. 

  • Support the delivery of workshops and training sessions that help leaders shift from "decision-makers" to "learners," promoting a culture of experimentation and AI adoption. 

  • Support the team in navigating the complex ecosystem of AI vendors and tools. You will perform research and competitive analysis to provide framework-driven recommendations on build-vs-buy scenarios 

  • Assess the business impact of emerging technologies, especially in data and analytics. 

  • Develop a strong understanding of technology capabilities in the organization and outside; advise customers and technology leaders on leveraging them for initiatives. 

Qualifications: 

  • Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; advanced degree (MBA, Technology ) preferred. 

  • 8 to10+ years of leadership experience in technology, with a focus on data and analytics and AI Implementation. 

  • Worked in various domain like HR, Finance or Real Estate/Public/Private Investments  

  • Advance working knowledge of SQL and Python  

  • Demonstrated success in technology business partnering or similar strategic roles. 

  • Strong understanding of data, analytics, AI platforms, and emerging technologies. 

  • Proven track record of influencing senior stakeholders and driving business-aligned technology outcomes. 

  • Exceptional leadership, communication, and relationship management skills. 

  • Ability to navigate complex issues with sound judgment and resilience. 

  • Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. 

  • Strong leadership skills and ability to manage a team effectively through change 

We believe that time together in the office is important for OMERS and Oxford, the strength of our employees, and the work we do for our pension members. In delivering on our pension promise, keeping us connected to our work and each other, our flexible hybrid work guideline requires teams to come in to the office 4 days per week. 

 

  

This posting is for an existing vacancy.
The expected salary range for this position is $138K - $188K per year.

You may also be eligible to receive an annual Incentive Award pursuant to our Short-term Incentive plan and our Long-Term Incentive plan (if applicable), and to participate in our group benefits and retirement plans – details on these elements of compensation are included within OMERS & Oxford offer letters.


As one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans, our people-first culture is at its best when our workforce reflects the communities where we live and work — and the members we proudly serve.

From hire to retire, we are an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection process that extends all the way through your employee experience. This sense of belonging and connection is cultivated up, down and across our global organization thanks to our vast network of Employee Resource Groups with executive leader sponsorship, our Purpose@Work committee and employee recognition programs.


Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are used to support certain stages of the OMERS recruitment process. While AI assists us in our process, human judgment and decision-making remain central to our candidate experience.

Skills Required

  • Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred (MBA, Technology)
  • 8 to10+ years of leadership experience in technology, with a focus on data and analytics and AI Implementation
  • Advance working knowledge of SQL and Python
  • Demonstrated success in technology business partnering or similar strategic roles
  • Strong understanding of data, analytics, AI platforms, and emerging technologies
  • Exceptional leadership, communication, and relationship management skills

OMERS Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about OMERS and has not been reviewed or approved by OMERS.

  • Retirement Support Retirement benefits are positioned as a standout part of total rewards, anchored by a defined benefit pension that provides predictable lifetime income and includes survivor, disability, bridge, and inflation-protection features. The plan is often treated as materially more valuable than typical RRSP matching, despite requiring employee contributions.
  • Fair & Transparent Compensation Compensation is frequently characterized as fair or well-paid in certain roles, and the overall package is sometimes framed as “excellent compensation” when pay and benefits are considered together. Pay competitiveness appears strongest in investment-focused groups and in higher-cost markets.
  • Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits Non-pension benefits are described as strong in areas like wellness and mental health support, alongside lifestyle allowances and paid-time-off features. These elements add perceived value beyond base salary and bonus.

OMERS Insights

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The Company
HQ: Toronto
1,560 Employees
Year Founded: 1962

What We Do

Founded in 1962, OMERS is one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans, with $133.6 CAD billion in net assets as of June 30, 2024. With employees in our offices in Toronto, London, New York, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Singapore, Sydney and other major cities across North America and Europe, OMERS invests and administers pensions for over half a million active, deferred and retired employees of 1,000 municipalities, school boards, libraries, police and fire departments, and other local agencies in communities across Ontario

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