Senior Associate - Financial Services Group

About the Role Join a dynamic and engaging team that thrives on collaboration, innovation, and growth. The Senior Associate role within our Financial Services Group is an exciting, transformative opportunity to lead meaningful work for financial services organizations across banking, capital markets, insurance, payments, wealth management, and related sectors. If you’re passionate about solving complex problems, supporting teams, and delivering practical, high-impact solutions, this role is for you. About Us Optimus SBR is a leading management consulting firm and award-winning workplace where we help organizations get done what isn’t. Our team of committed consultants takes swift action to deliver innovative, impactful results. As the largest independently owned Canadian management consulting firm, we are a place where people and culture come first. Our success is driven by attracting individuals who are insatiably Curious, Entrepreneurial Thinkers, Authentic, and Bold. Our Awards and Recognitions: Best Workplaces™ in Canada National List 2026 Best Workplaces™ with the Most Trusted Executive Team 2026 Best Workplaces™ for Young Talent 2026 Best Workplaces™ for Women 2026 Best Workplaces™ in Professional Services 2025 Globe and Mail – Canada's Top Growing Companies 2025 Waterstone Human Capital - Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures™ 2025 Culture is Everything. Period. That’s why we’ve been consistently rated one of the best places to work in North America – and are one of the fastest growing. As a firm that was built on culture, we value our people and their growth. Each of us embody the entrepreneurial spirit and have something unique to contribute to the fabric of our organization. From employee-championed committees to celebratory events and learning paths, these are just a few of the ways we cultivate a positive and engaging work environment. What’s in It for You? Growth Opportunities: Build your career through challenging, impactful projects and continuous learning. Diverse Workplace: Collaborate with a team of professionals from unique backgrounds, fostering innovation. Flexibility and Autonomy: Enjoy the freedom to take ownership of your work and drive meaningful results. Leadership Development: Develop your skills through mentorship and career progression opportunities. Responsibilities:  • Lead and support consulting engagements for financial services clients across banking, capital markets, insurance, payments, wealth management, and related sectors. • Manage defined project workstreams, including planning activities, assigning tasks, monitoring progress, and ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality work. • Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis to evaluate business challenges, identify opportunities, and develop practical, evidence-based recommendations. • Facilitate stakeholder interviews, working sessions, and workshops to gather requirements, validate findings, and build alignment around proposed solutions. • Assess current-state operating models, processes, controls, customer journeys, data, and organizational capabilities to identify gaps and improvement opportunities. • Design future-state processes, operating models, implementation roadmaps, governance structures, and performance measures aligned with client objectives. • Develop clear, concise, and visually effective presentations, reports, financial models, business cases, process maps, and other client-ready deliverables. • Support project governance through status reporting, risk and issue management, decision tracking, resource coordination, and stakeholder communications. • Build effective working relationships with client stakeholders and communicate confidently with project teams, managers, and senior leaders. • Conduct industry, market, regulatory, and competitive research relevant to the financial services sector. • Identify emerging project risks and issues, recommend mitigation strategies, and escalate concerns appropriately. • Support business development activities, including proposal development, scoping, research, and the preparation of client-facing materials. • Contribute to the development of intellectual capital, methodologies, tools, and reusable assets for the Financial Services Group. • Provide day-to-day direction, coaching and mentoring project teams. You will also be responsible for career management, professional development, and supporting employees through Optimus SBR’s Career Development Program (CDP). • Contribute to the life and culture of Optimus SBR.    Qualifications:  • 6+ years of progressive experience in management consulting, financial services, business transformation, strategy, operations, project delivery, or a related field. • Demonstrated experience leading project workstreams or coordinating teams in a consulting, financial services, or complex corporate environment. • Strong understanding of the financial services industry, including one or more of banking, capital markets, insurance, payments, wealth management, risk, compliance, or financial operations. • Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information and translate findings into practical recommendations. • Experience gathering requirements, assessing processes, conducting research, analyzing data, and developing future-state solutions. • Ability to create professional, persuasive, and executive-ready presentations, reports, business cases, and other client deliverables. • Strong facilitation, written communication, and verbal presentation skills. • Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with clients and collaborate effectively with stakeholders at different organizational levels. • Strong project management, organizational, and time-management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines. • Experience supporting, coaching, or providing direction to junior team members. • Demonstrated initiative, sound judgement, intellectual curiosity, adaptability, and ownership. • Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook. • Experience with process mapping, financial modelling, data analysis, visualization, project management, or collaboration tools is considered an asset. • Ability to demonstrate the bold, entrepreneurial, hard-working, and client-focused behaviours that support Optimus SBR’s culture. • Required Education: Related University Degree • Preferred Education: Post-Graduate degree, MBA, CPA, CFA or other relevant designations; or equivalent experience   Interview recording & AI notetakers  During the interview process, we may use transcription or AI notetaking tools. To protect privacy, legal compliance, and interviewer/candidate experience, the use of these tools is not permitted without your prior consent. We will ask for your consent and if you wish to decline, handwritten notes are welcome.   Compensation: Salary range is $100,000-130,000 CAD Salary ranges are designed to be competitive. Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, and experience and is subject to negotiation and subject to the candidate meeting the specific requirements or the role. Exceptional candidates may be considered above the top of the range, and pay can increase quickly for those who make a big impact in the role.   A Taste of Some of the Great Benefits at Optimus Financial Annual Bonus Retirement savings through our Group RRSP program Company equity for Managers and above Maternity and Parental Leave with top up compensation Flexibility Work in a Hybrid model (when client projects permit) 12 Optimus Days paid Health Top-tier health benefits Life & disability insurance Health Spending Dollars