Event Planning Associate Jobs in Toronto, ON (NOW HIRING)

Permanent Full Time 

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The Meeting and Event Management team is looking for an Associate Manager, Planning & Performance.

Reporting to the Director, Meeting & Event Management, the Associate Manager, Planning & Performance, is responsible for driving consistency, scalability, and operational excellence across the team. This role leads the development and optimization of planning processes, standards, tools, and best practices, while providing leadership, coaching, and oversight to a team of event planners and digital specialists. Working closely with partners across BMCI and key stakeholder groups, the Associate Manager, Planning & Performance ensures planning excellence and consistent delivery across a diverse portfolio of internal and external meetings and events.

The ideal candidate is a dynamic, people-focused leader who builds high-performing teams through coaching, accountability, and a shared commitment to excellence. Strategic and results-oriented, they bring a continuous improvement mindset-assessing current practices, identifying opportunities, and implementing scalable solutions that strengthen consistency, efficiency, and team performance. With strong operational expertise and proven leadership skills, they will balance process discipline with a positive team culture to deliver exceptional event experiences and enhance the strategic impact of Meeting & Event Management across the organization.

What you will do:

• Model & promote a culture of continuous improvement within the business
• Drives efficiency gains, quality improvements and consistency through new and improved processes aligned with business objectives
• Collaborate with partners and key stakeholder groups o reengineer existing processes, apply technology where appropriate, design, test and evaluate new process models, formulate the business case, and operationalize/deploy the new model.
• Manage the people side of change to achieve a desired state of operational excellence (through communication, coaching, transition and training
• Communicate process impacts to stakeholders to ensure they understand process outcomes.
• Works in helping to deliver the message as they relate to changes in process. 
• In collaboration with cross-functional teams, looks for continuous improvement opportunities based on best practices and strategic orientation
• Assist in establishing team objectives
• Provides input for annual expense budget for their team
• Provides input to help prioritize and assign process initiatives
• May develop training plans for new and existing employees to ensure continual growth
• Responsible for direct reports' performance management & compensation decisions
• Assists in creation of department best practices

What you will bring:

• Excellent interpersonal skills in order to effectively gather process requirements, obtain approvals, build relationships and provide sufficient influence to achieve success
• Willingness to understand the event planning industry, culture and nuances that impact processes
• Curious and creative problem solver that can break down complex problems into meaningful parts to identify and solve improvement areas
• Ability to analyze complex data to determine appropriate course of action towards the objectives
• Strong execution skills to support robust deployment of improvement and transformation opportunities in a dynamic environment
• Ability to work with a high degree of detail and accuracy in a fast-paced environment
• Strong time management skills with the ability to prioritize competing projects

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated leadership experience with the ability to inspire, coach, and develop individuals and teams.
• 2+ years' experience leading and delivering operational process improvements or initiatives
• Financial services/insurance business knowledge is an asset
• Experience with SAP, budgeting and financial systems
• Experience in leading projects and Change Management
• Excellent communication skills with experience creating and leading presentations to senior leadership
• Skilled at building strong, collaborative relationships at all levels of an organization

-The base salary for this position is between $71,900 - $119,800 annually. This represents base salary only and does not represent other variable compensation components of our total compensation ( i.e. annual bonus, commission etc). If you are selected to move forward in our recruitment process, your recruiter will be able to discuss additional details of our total rewards program with you.

Career opportunities will be open a minimum of 5 business days from the date of posting, closing dates will vary depending on the search activity. All applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Grow with Canada Life 

We're united by a shared purpose: to improve the financial, physical and mental well-being of Canadians. Our company is trusted by 1 in 3 Canadians and contributes to the strength of communities across the country.  

We're looking for people who live our values everyday: we step up, we do the right thing, and we deliver - for our customers, communities and each other. Are you someone who always strives to do the right thing, who steps up for themselves and others, and who delivers with impact? Then we want to hear from you! 

What we offer:  

We're committed to supporting our employees through every stage of their career. Here's what you can expect as a full-time or part-time permanent team member: 

• Career Development: Opportunities for career advancement, access to industry-leading learning programs and up to$2,000 annually towards education reimbursement. 

• Health & Wellness:Flexible health and dental benefits, plus a $5,000 mental health benefit to support your well-being. 

• Time Off:In addition to regular vacation and personal days, we support community involvement with a volunteer day. 

• Financial Security:Company-matching pension plan,share ownership program and additionalinvestment options. 

• Rewards and Recognition: Employee recognition programs, service milestone celebrations, employee discounts and more!  
• Emphasis on Community: We provide a workplace where employees feel connected and supported through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), mentorship programs, social clubs and events.  

Learn more about Canada Life.  

We're committed to removing barriers and ensuring equal access to employment. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation during the application process may contact  talentacquisitioncanada@canadalife.com. All information provided will be handled in accordance with applicable laws and Canada Life policies.  

Canada Lifewould like to thank all applicants, however only those who qualify for an interview will be contacted. 

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