Associate Director, Plan Operations Risk & Controls
Top Benefits
About the role
Why you’ll love working here:
- high-performance, people-focused culture
- our commitment that equity, diversity, and inclusion are fundamental to our work environment and business success, which helps employees feel valued and empowered to be their authentic selves
- learning and development initiatives, including workshops, Speaker Series events and access to LinkedIn Learning, that support employees’ career growth
- membership in HOOPP’s world class defined benefit pension plan, which can serve as an important part of your retirement security
- competitive, 100% company-paid extended health and dental benefits for permanent employees, including coverage supporting our team's diversity and mental health (e.g., gender affirmation, fertility and drug treatment, psychological support benefits of $2,500 per year, parental leave top-up, and a health spending account).
- optional post-retirement health and dental benefits subsidized at 50%
- yoga classes, meditation workshops, nutritional consultations, and wellness seminars
- the opportunity to make a difference and help take care of those who care for us, by providing a financially secure retirement for Ontario healthcare workers
Job Summary:
Reporting to the Director, Plan Operations Risk Management, the Associate Director will play a key leadership role in advancing and executing the division’s Risk Management framework. This role provides strategic oversight and subject matter expertise in enterprise risk, operational controls, and governance initiatives, with a focus on enhancing control maturity and embedding risk-informed decision-making into operations.
As a senior member and thought leader, the Associate Director will lead complex risk reviews, oversee strategic projects, and influence enterprise initiatives to ensure Plan Operations remains resilient, compliant, and aligned with the organizational risk appetite. The position demands a balance of technical expertise, leadership acumen, and the ability to collaborate effectively across multiple levels and functions.
What you will do:
Strategic Risk Oversight & Control Development
- Lead identification of divisional risk exposures and develop control strategies aligned with HOOPP’s frameworks and risk appetite, with a strong emphasis on forward-looking risk identification and mitigation. Taking a more proactive approach to Risk and Control development within Plan Operations, anticipating potential threats and mitigation strategies in the process.
- Provide expert guidance on control design and implementation during business changes, system enhancements, and regulatory developments, leveraging technical expertise to ensure robust and scalable solutions.
- Oversee comprehensive evaluations of control effectiveness and residual risk assessments, ensuring alignment, applying advanced analytical techniques to uncover systemic issues and root causes.
- Championing the integration of risk frameworks into strategic initiatives, fostering a proactive, risk-aware culture across the division, enabling teams to make informed decisions.
- Maintain oversight of risk and control inventories, risk ratings, and key risk indicators (KRIs). Continuously update these tools ensuring they reflect emerging risks and evolving business priorities.
Strategic Projects & Initiatives
- Represent the Plan Operations Risk function as required on large-scale divisional or enterprise-wide projects, partnering with IT, Risk, and other stakeholders to address current and emerging risk challenges. Proactively address current and emerging risk challenges across the division by embedding risk perspectives early and consistently in partnership-driven project lifecycles.
- Collaborate across divisions to embed risk and control considerations into large-scale, high-impact initiatives such as system transformations, product launches, process redesigns, and organizational changes.
- Champion the integration of risk frameworks into strategic initiatives by partnering with cross-functional teams to foster a proactive, risk-aware culture and promote shared accountability for risk outcomes across divisions.
- Drive innovation in risk analysis, reporting, and governance tools, by partnering with IT and Risk teams to advance automation, data-driven insights, and analytics that enhance monitoring capabilities and support precise, informed decision-making.
Risk Reviews & Remediation Oversight
- Lead deep-dive risk reviews across operational business processes and functions in response to emerging issues or business driven needs; develop comprehensive findings and action plans and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure remediation.
- Assess risk drivers, control environments and residual risk levels with a focus on identifying root causes and solutions.
- Provide subject matter input on risk implications for access changes, process updates or control environment changes.
- Direct the development of action plans and ensure timely remediation tracking in coordination with Execution & Controls Oversight.
- Evaluate systemic or recurring issues to inform strategic control enhancements and continuous improvement.
Stakeholder Engagement & Advisory
- Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on risk exposure, control environment, and tolerance levels.
- Build and sustain strong relationships with Risk, IT, Compliance, Internal Audit, Finance, and other key partners.
- Present findings, insights, and recommendations to leadership teams and governance committees.
- Facilitate risk education sessions and maturity-building discussions with business leaders and initiative sponsors.
What you will bring:
Leadership & Strategic Influence
- Proven ability to lead and inspire teams, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
- Demonstrated success influencing decision-making at senior leadership levels and across business functions.
- Skilled at balancing enterprise priorities with divisional needs to achieve aligned, sustainable outcomes.
- Strong facilitation skills to drive consensus in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
Risk Management & Governance Expertise
- Deep understanding of operational risk management principles, internal control frameworks, and governance structures.
- Expertise in access and entitlement governance, business continuity considerations, and regulatory compliance expectations.
- Ability to translate enterprise risk appetite into practical control strategies for operational functions.
- Skilled in designing and implementing controls during major business changes, system upgrades, or regulatory shifts.
Analytical & Problem-Solving Excellence
- Advanced analytical skills with the ability to synthesize large volumes of data and qualitative insights into actionable strategies.
- Experience conducting root cause analyses, residual risk assessments, and scenario planning.
- Ability to identify patterns in systemic issues and recommend forward-looking control enhancements.
- Adept at leveraging automation, data analytics, and visualization tools for risk monitoring and reporting.
Project & Change Leadership
- Strong project management skills with the ability to oversee multiple, concurrent strategic initiatives.
- Comfort navigating ambiguity, shifting priorities, and complex interdependencies.
- Proven success in embedding risk management principles into transformation initiatives, process redesign, and new product/service launches.
- Skilled in change management practices to ensure adoption of new controls and frameworks.
Communication & Relationship Building
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills tailored to diverse audiences, from frontline staff to governance committees.
- Ability to present complex risk concepts in clear, actionable terms.
- Strong relationship-building skills, fostering trust and collaboration across Risk, Compliance, IT, Finance, and other functions.
- Skilled in delivering risk education and capability-building programs to enhance organizational risk maturity.
Industry Knowledge & Professional Credibility
- Working knowledge of pension administration or financial operations, with awareness of relevant industry trends.
- Experience engaging with regulators, auditors, and other external oversight bodies.
- Recognized subject matter expertise that enhances credibility and influence within the organization.
About HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan)
Established in 1960, the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) is a multi-employer defined benefit pension plan for Ontario's hospital and community-based healthcare sector. We serve more than 460,000 members who provide valued healthcare services at more than 670 employers across the province. At HOOPP, we exist to provide a stable and reliable pension for our members that starts in retirement and is paid for life. As one of Canada's largest and most respected pension plans, HOOPP's net assets reached $112.6 billion at the end of 2023 and our funded status remained strong at 115%. HOOPP's core values - professional, accountable, collaborative, compassionate and trustworthy - guide our every interaction with our members, employers and employees.
We've become one of Canada's leading pension plans by consistently challenging ourselves and embracing innovation. From our unique investment management approach to our innovative technology and thought-provoking research, we constantly seek to push the boundaries, and we do this by hiring passionate, forward-thinking people. Our high-performance culture, which spans our head office in Toronto and our office in London (UK), is founded on collaboration, respect and belonging. HOOPP is an equal opportunity employer and we're proud of our diversity. We select applicants for employment solely on the basis of their qualifications. Should you require accommodation because of a disability during the recruitment and selection process, please contact our Human Resources team. We will be happy to consult with you so that arrangements can be made for reasonable accommodation.
Associate Director, Plan Operations Risk & Controls
Top Benefits
About the role
Why you’ll love working here:
- high-performance, people-focused culture
- our commitment that equity, diversity, and inclusion are fundamental to our work environment and business success, which helps employees feel valued and empowered to be their authentic selves
- learning and development initiatives, including workshops, Speaker Series events and access to LinkedIn Learning, that support employees’ career growth
- membership in HOOPP’s world class defined benefit pension plan, which can serve as an important part of your retirement security
- competitive, 100% company-paid extended health and dental benefits for permanent employees, including coverage supporting our team's diversity and mental health (e.g., gender affirmation, fertility and drug treatment, psychological support benefits of $2,500 per year, parental leave top-up, and a health spending account).
- optional post-retirement health and dental benefits subsidized at 50%
- yoga classes, meditation workshops, nutritional consultations, and wellness seminars
- the opportunity to make a difference and help take care of those who care for us, by providing a financially secure retirement for Ontario healthcare workers
Job Summary:
Reporting to the Director, Plan Operations Risk Management, the Associate Director will play a key leadership role in advancing and executing the division’s Risk Management framework. This role provides strategic oversight and subject matter expertise in enterprise risk, operational controls, and governance initiatives, with a focus on enhancing control maturity and embedding risk-informed decision-making into operations.
As a senior member and thought leader, the Associate Director will lead complex risk reviews, oversee strategic projects, and influence enterprise initiatives to ensure Plan Operations remains resilient, compliant, and aligned with the organizational risk appetite. The position demands a balance of technical expertise, leadership acumen, and the ability to collaborate effectively across multiple levels and functions.
What you will do:
Strategic Risk Oversight & Control Development
- Lead identification of divisional risk exposures and develop control strategies aligned with HOOPP’s frameworks and risk appetite, with a strong emphasis on forward-looking risk identification and mitigation. Taking a more proactive approach to Risk and Control development within Plan Operations, anticipating potential threats and mitigation strategies in the process.
- Provide expert guidance on control design and implementation during business changes, system enhancements, and regulatory developments, leveraging technical expertise to ensure robust and scalable solutions.
- Oversee comprehensive evaluations of control effectiveness and residual risk assessments, ensuring alignment, applying advanced analytical techniques to uncover systemic issues and root causes.
- Championing the integration of risk frameworks into strategic initiatives, fostering a proactive, risk-aware culture across the division, enabling teams to make informed decisions.
- Maintain oversight of risk and control inventories, risk ratings, and key risk indicators (KRIs). Continuously update these tools ensuring they reflect emerging risks and evolving business priorities.
Strategic Projects & Initiatives
- Represent the Plan Operations Risk function as required on large-scale divisional or enterprise-wide projects, partnering with IT, Risk, and other stakeholders to address current and emerging risk challenges. Proactively address current and emerging risk challenges across the division by embedding risk perspectives early and consistently in partnership-driven project lifecycles.
- Collaborate across divisions to embed risk and control considerations into large-scale, high-impact initiatives such as system transformations, product launches, process redesigns, and organizational changes.
- Champion the integration of risk frameworks into strategic initiatives by partnering with cross-functional teams to foster a proactive, risk-aware culture and promote shared accountability for risk outcomes across divisions.
- Drive innovation in risk analysis, reporting, and governance tools, by partnering with IT and Risk teams to advance automation, data-driven insights, and analytics that enhance monitoring capabilities and support precise, informed decision-making.
Risk Reviews & Remediation Oversight
- Lead deep-dive risk reviews across operational business processes and functions in response to emerging issues or business driven needs; develop comprehensive findings and action plans and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure remediation.
- Assess risk drivers, control environments and residual risk levels with a focus on identifying root causes and solutions.
- Provide subject matter input on risk implications for access changes, process updates or control environment changes.
- Direct the development of action plans and ensure timely remediation tracking in coordination with Execution & Controls Oversight.
- Evaluate systemic or recurring issues to inform strategic control enhancements and continuous improvement.
Stakeholder Engagement & Advisory
- Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on risk exposure, control environment, and tolerance levels.
- Build and sustain strong relationships with Risk, IT, Compliance, Internal Audit, Finance, and other key partners.
- Present findings, insights, and recommendations to leadership teams and governance committees.
- Facilitate risk education sessions and maturity-building discussions with business leaders and initiative sponsors.
What you will bring:
Leadership & Strategic Influence
- Proven ability to lead and inspire teams, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
- Demonstrated success influencing decision-making at senior leadership levels and across business functions.
- Skilled at balancing enterprise priorities with divisional needs to achieve aligned, sustainable outcomes.
- Strong facilitation skills to drive consensus in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
Risk Management & Governance Expertise
- Deep understanding of operational risk management principles, internal control frameworks, and governance structures.
- Expertise in access and entitlement governance, business continuity considerations, and regulatory compliance expectations.
- Ability to translate enterprise risk appetite into practical control strategies for operational functions.
- Skilled in designing and implementing controls during major business changes, system upgrades, or regulatory shifts.
Analytical & Problem-Solving Excellence
- Advanced analytical skills with the ability to synthesize large volumes of data and qualitative insights into actionable strategies.
- Experience conducting root cause analyses, residual risk assessments, and scenario planning.
- Ability to identify patterns in systemic issues and recommend forward-looking control enhancements.
- Adept at leveraging automation, data analytics, and visualization tools for risk monitoring and reporting.
Project & Change Leadership
- Strong project management skills with the ability to oversee multiple, concurrent strategic initiatives.
- Comfort navigating ambiguity, shifting priorities, and complex interdependencies.
- Proven success in embedding risk management principles into transformation initiatives, process redesign, and new product/service launches.
- Skilled in change management practices to ensure adoption of new controls and frameworks.
Communication & Relationship Building
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills tailored to diverse audiences, from frontline staff to governance committees.
- Ability to present complex risk concepts in clear, actionable terms.
- Strong relationship-building skills, fostering trust and collaboration across Risk, Compliance, IT, Finance, and other functions.
- Skilled in delivering risk education and capability-building programs to enhance organizational risk maturity.
Industry Knowledge & Professional Credibility
- Working knowledge of pension administration or financial operations, with awareness of relevant industry trends.
- Experience engaging with regulators, auditors, and other external oversight bodies.
- Recognized subject matter expertise that enhances credibility and influence within the organization.
About HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan)
Established in 1960, the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) is a multi-employer defined benefit pension plan for Ontario's hospital and community-based healthcare sector. We serve more than 460,000 members who provide valued healthcare services at more than 670 employers across the province. At HOOPP, we exist to provide a stable and reliable pension for our members that starts in retirement and is paid for life. As one of Canada's largest and most respected pension plans, HOOPP's net assets reached $112.6 billion at the end of 2023 and our funded status remained strong at 115%. HOOPP's core values - professional, accountable, collaborative, compassionate and trustworthy - guide our every interaction with our members, employers and employees.
We've become one of Canada's leading pension plans by consistently challenging ourselves and embracing innovation. From our unique investment management approach to our innovative technology and thought-provoking research, we constantly seek to push the boundaries, and we do this by hiring passionate, forward-thinking people. Our high-performance culture, which spans our head office in Toronto and our office in London (UK), is founded on collaboration, respect and belonging. HOOPP is an equal opportunity employer and we're proud of our diversity. We select applicants for employment solely on the basis of their qualifications. Should you require accommodation because of a disability during the recruitment and selection process, please contact our Human Resources team. We will be happy to consult with you so that arrangements can be made for reasonable accommodation.