Associate Director, Member Education & Engagement

Job description

OUR COMPANY BACKGROUND & CULTURE UPP is the first pension plan of its kind in Ontario’s university sector, proudly serving over 46,000 members across six universities and nineteen sector organizations. Our purpose is to bring greater retirement peace of mind to the university sector by investing with integrity and serving members with care. As a sector-wide plan designed for growth, our doors are open to all Ontario universities. UPP is recognized as one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for 2026. Together, we’re a team of progressive thinkers and agile doers operating within a fast-paced culture of collaboration and respect. We believe in bringing smart and capable people together to create, solve, and grow with a clear shared vision and values of integrity, inclusivity, ingenuity, and impact. Our culture is intentionally welcoming and purposefully rooted in equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (EDI&R). We believe diverse teams, perspectives, and lived experiences contribute to better decisions and a better workplace. As a pension plan, UPP approaches investing through a long-term lens to generate and safeguard value. Our commitment to investing responsibly accounts for material risks that impact our investment portfolio to generate sufficient risk-adjusted returns to meet the pension needs of our members. Join us in building a bright future for our members, our organization, and each other. THE ROLE The Associate Director, Member Education & Engagement is accountable, for delivery, and continuous improvement of UPP's technical member presentation program, serving as UPP's primary liaison for member-facing presentations. Reporting to the Director, Employer & Employee Partner Experience, this role owns the development and delivery of member-facing education and engagement activities, ensuring members and participating employers receive consistent, accurate, and engaging pension education. This role serves as UPP's primary lead for the development and presentation of member engagement activities, overseeing the planning, coordination, and facilitation of webinars, presentations, workshops, retirement education sessions, and other educational initiatives delivered across participating employers. Working in partnership with Strategy & Communications, Pension Operations, Employer Services, Actuarial, Investments, and other business partners, the Associate Director ensures education programs are aligned with approved messaging, business priorities, legislative requirements, and UPP's member experience strategy. A key focus of the role is building trusted relationships with participating employers and employee representatives, identifying opportunities to enhance member engagement, and continuously improving education delivery through member feedback, operational insights, and evolving best practices. The successful candidate will be expected to personally lead and deliver complex pension work while acting as a trusted advisor to stakeholders. This role is based in downtown Toronto in a hybrid work environment, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely and in-office (minimum two days per week in-office). This posting is for an existing vacancy. SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES The Associate Director, Member Education & Engagement will have responsibility for, but not limited to, the following: • Own the development and delivery, and continuous improvement of UPP's technical member education and • engagement program across participating employers • Serve as UPP's primary representative and facilitator for member-facing education and engagement activities • Communicate complex technical information in plain language appropriate to the audience while maintaining technical accuracy. • Serve as a recognized subject matter expert on pension plan provisions, pension administration practices, and regulatory requirements. • Lead the planning, coordination, and delivery of webinars, presentations, workshops, retirement education sessions, and other member engagement opportunities • Develop and manage the annual member presentation and engagement calendar, ensuring effective coordination across employers, internal stakeholders, and business priorities • Build strong relationships with participating employers and employee representatives to understand education needs, identify engagement opportunities, and support employer readiness • Tailor presentation delivery to meet the needs of diverse member audiences while maintaining approved messaging, content, and communication standards established by Strategy & Communications • Maintain expert knowledge of UPP's pension plan, member services, digital tools, and member experience to effectively facilitate education activities and respond to member and employer questions • Identify when specialized expertise is required and coordinate participation from subject matter experts across Pension Operations, Actuarial, Investments, Product, Legal, and other business areas • Monitor education program effectiveness through participation metrics, member feedback, employer feedback, and engagement insights, using findings to continuously improve delivery approaches • Lead, coach, and develop team members responsible for member education and engagement activities, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement • Prepare and present program performance updates, engagement metrics, emerging trends, and recommendations to senior leadership • Represent UPP at employer meetings, conferences, onboarding events, retirement planning sessions, and other external engagement opportunities as required. Enablement & Controls • Lead the execution of the design, implementation, and ongoing effectiveness of processes and controls across assigned functions, ensuring alignment with the Target Operating Model and enterprise risk frameworks. • Fosters a culture of constructive challenge by actively engaging with Second- and Third-Line functions, ensuring effective oversight and assurance, and driving timely and transparent responses to feedback, findings, and requests. • Promotes a culture of ownership, accountability, and constructive challenge, where feedback from oversight and assurance functions is actively sought and used to strengthen processes and controls. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE • Bachelor’s degree required; postgraduate degree is an asset • Minimum 8-10 years of progressive experience in Canadian defined benefit pension administration or a comparable regulated financial services environment • Demonstrated experience leading education, engagement, or client-facing programs within a complex, regulated environment • Strong understanding of Canadian defined benefit pension administration, including complex and employer-specific scenarios • Exceptional presentation, facilitation, and public speaking skills with experience presenting to diverse audiences, including executive stakeholders, employers, unions, and plan members • Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships and influence stakeholders across multiple organizational levels • Experience using member feedback and performance metrics to improve service delivery and engagement outcomes • Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to explain complex pension, actuarial, and regulatory concepts to technical and non-technical audiences. • Experience in university-sector or unionized environments is an asset • Professional designations such as CEBS or PPAC are considered assets ATTRIBUTES • Member-focused leader committed to delivering exceptional education and engagement experiences • Confident facilitator and relationship builder who is comfortable presenting to large and diverse audiences • Strategic thinker who balances long-term program development with operational excellence • Risk-aware and governance-focused mindset • Collaborative and influential in coordinating across complex stakeholder groups. • Data-driven, analytical, and improvement-oriented • Innovative and continuously seeking opportunities to improve member understanding and engagement • Dedicated to maintaining transparency and trust in member and employer communications • Accountable, service-oriented, and committed to fostering trust with members, employers, and colleagues LIFE AT UPP Do work that matters. We are duty-bound to serve our members’ interests, and it’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly. That’s why we’ve ingrained sustainability in our work from day one—to ensure our members have a resilient future to retire into, both today and for generations to come. Stronger together. Collaboration is how UPP was born, and it’s how we work with each other and our partners day in, day out. No one at UPP is just a number (even if they are excellent at math) and every win is a shared win. Grow every day. You’ll have the opportunity to work on unique, once-in-a-career projects that maximize your skill set and probably teach you some new ones—at any stage in your career. Prioritize wellness. At UPP, wellness takes many forms. Ultimately, it’s about ensuring our people are cared for in the ways that matter to them. Check out some highlights of our inclusive employee-focused benefits program including: • Defined benefit pension plan • Flexible hybrid work model • Paid time off – vacations, personal days and wellness days • Work remotely up to eight weeks/year • Comprehensive group benefits including medical, dental, vision, etc. • Extended paramedical and mental health service coverage • Health care and lifestyle spending accounts • Fertility treatments, paid parental leave, and gender affirmation coverage • Education Assistance program This posting will remain open for a minimum of seven (7) days and will remain open until a sufficient number of qualified applications are received or finalist candidates have been identified. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be used to support certain stages of the recruitment process, including sourcing, screening, and assessment. All hiring decisions involve human review and intervention by UPP employees. UPP enthusiastically welcomes applications from all qualified applicants and especially invites people with lived experience as an Indigenous person, a person with a disability or as a member of another Human Rights Code protected group that faces barriers to employment to apply. Our goal is to create a barrier-free experience for every candidate throughout the recruitment process. UPP respects your privacy. For information on how UPP handles the personal information you provide during the application process, please see our Job Applicant Privacy Statement.