Director, Data Analytics & Innovation, Assurance and Advisory (A&A)

Company Description

Make an impact at a global and dynamic investment organization

When you join CPP Investments, you are joining one of the world’s most admired and respected institutional investors. As a professional investment management organization, CPP Investments invests the funds of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to help ensure its financial sustainability for generations of working and retired Canadians.

CPP Investments invests across regions and asset classes to build a globally diversified portfolio. It holds assets in public equity, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, and fixed income, and the CPP Fund is projected to reach $3.6 trillion in assets by 2050. The organization is headquartered in Toronto with offices in Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York City, San Francisco, São Paulo, and Sydney.

CPP Investments successfully attracts, selects, and retains talented individuals from top-tier institutions worldwide. Join our team for access to:

• Stimulating work in a fast-paced and intellectually challenging environment
• Accelerated exposure and responsibility
• Global career development opportunities
• Diverse and inspiring colleagues and approachable leaders
• A hybrid-flexible work environment with an emphasis on in-person collaboration
• A culture rooted in principles of integrity, partnership, and high performance
• An organization with an important social purpose that positively impacts lives

If you have a passion for performance, value a collegial and collaborative culture, and approach work with the highest integrity, invest your career here. 

Job Description

Assurance and Advisory (A&A) provides independent and objective assurance over the design and operating effectiveness of CPP Investments’ governance processes and internal controls. Reporting to a Managing Director, Assurance & Advisory, the Director will lead the advancement of innovative technology solutions, including Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), automation, and data governance, as they apply to assurance and advisory practices. This role plays a key leadership role in enhancing A&A's strategic value by embedding emerging technologies into audit and assurance processes. This role requires a minimum of 10 years of experience with expertise in data governance, data analytics, automation, and emerging technology risks, including Generative AI (GenAI). You will be instrumental in contributing to the multi-year strategic direction of A&A and implementing the strategy to achieve these objectives. You will be a key partner to the business, leveraging your expertise in data analytics, risk management, emerging technologies, as well as strong business acumen and advanced problem-solving.

Role-Specific Accountabilities:

Innovation, Analytics & Generative AI (GenAI) Integration & Execution

• Develop and lead the implementation of advanced data analytics and machine learning (ML) strategies to drive risk insights, audit automation, and continuous monitoring.
• Introduce and validate emerging technologies such as natural language processing (NLP), large language models (LLMs), and robotic process automation (RPA) within audit engagements
• Partner with audit teams to embed data science capabilities into audit tools and workflows to drive efficiency in the audit process.
• Lead experimentation through proof-of-concepts or pilots, ensuring alignment with A&A strategy.
• Review Generative AI (GenAI) applications to assess their governance, risk management, and compliance with internal controls, ensuring ethical use, data integrity, and alignment with internal policies.
• Champion ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI), including bias mitigation, transparency, and alignment with corporate values.
• Leverage your knowledge of data governance principles to analyze complex IT systems supporting key business processes to identify areas for improvement and recommend effective solutions.
• Communicate complex technical risks in a business-friendly manner to senior leadership.
• Lead training and mentorship programs to develop data analytics capabilities within the A&A team.

People Leadership

• Foster an inclusive team environment based on trust, with a safe to speak up culture.
• Proactively provide guidance, coaching and opportunities to A&A team members to develop their knowledge, skills, and career.
• Promote continuous professional development and foster innovation within the A&A team.
• Collaborate with HR and senior leadership to attract and retain top talent in A&A.

Culture Carrier

• Demonstrate the highest ethical standards and role-model CPP Investments’ Guiding Principles of integrity, high performance, and partnership.
• Build and maintain strong and effective working relationships with management across the first and second lines of defence to ensure they receive optimal value from A&A’s work.
• Role-model our “no surprises” approach and transparency with management.
• Provide ongoing thought leadership to the business, not just during audits.
• Embed enterprise-wide priorities into A&A and play a connector role across the organization based on your exposure to different areas.

Qualifications

Education & Professional Certifications

• A Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related quantitative field is required.
• A PhD is strongly preferred.
• MIT Applied Data Science certification or equivalent professional development is an asset.

Professional Experience

• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in data science, internal audit, and technology innovation, ideally in financial services.
• Proven ability to embed analytics and automation into assurance environments.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and deploying AI/ML models, and automation tools (e.g., Alteryx, Python, Azure, AWS).
• Experience with automation, AI-driven risk management, and Generative AI (GenAI) applications.
• Proficiency in Python, SQL, R, and cloud platforms (AWS preferred).
• Experience with data modeling, predictive analytics, and natural language processing.
• Strong foundation in IT general controls and technology risk frameworks.
• Understanding of control design and audit in complex data ecosystems.
• Proven ability to write succinct audit reports that provide meaningful insights to senior leadership.
• Experience in leading and mentoring teams, with a track record of developing high-performing professionals.

Personal Competencies   

• Self-motivated and able to work independently and as part of a team having a “hands on” approach as well as appreciate diversity of thought and opinions.
• Superior communication skills (written and oral) with the ability to take concepts or events and present them simply, concisely and effectively.
• Strong judgment and creativity; strong problem-solving and analytical skills; ability to effectively process a large volume of information and draw meaningful/persuasive conclusions.
• Proven ability to build and foster professional relationships and influence others effectively at the management and staff level.
• Ability to adapt to rapidly changing business needs and priorities with strong attention to detail with proven consistency.
• Strong organizational/project management skills, the ability to manage and achieve multiple deadlines, both internal and external.
• Exemplify CPP Investments’ Guiding Principles of integrity, high performance and partnership.

Additional Information

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At CPP Investments, we are committed to diversity and equitable access to employment opportunities based on ability.

We thank all applicants for their interest but will only contact candidates selected to advance in the hiring process. 

Our Commitment to Inclusion and Diversity:

In addition to being dedicated to building a workforce that reflects diverse talent, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible experience. If you require an accommodation for any part of the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials, accessible meeting rooms, etc.), please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Disclaimer:

CPP Investments does not accept resumes from employment placement agencies, head-hunters or recruitment suppliers that are not in a formal contractual arrangement with us. Our recruitment supplier arrangements are restricted to specific hiring needs and do not include this or other web-site job postings. Any resume or other information received from a supplier not approved by CPP Investments to provide resumes to this posting or web-site will be considered unsolicited and will not be considered.  CPP Investments will not pay any referral, placement or other fee for the supply of such unsolicited resumes or information.