Job Information
Manulife Strategy Director in Waterloo, Ontario
We are a leading financial services provider committed to making decisions easier and lives better for our customers and colleagues around the world. From our environmental initiatives to our community investments, we lead with values throughout our business. To help us stand out, we help you step up, because when colleagues are healthy, respected and meaningfully challenged, we all thrive. Discover how you can grow your career, make impact and drive real change with our Winning Team today.
Working Arrangement
Hybrid
Job Description
Job Description:
The Strategy Director is an integral contributor of the development, governance, and realization of Manulife Canada’s long-term strategy and vision. This role has an explicit focus on driving forward the strategy for the dedicated business unit, with direct accountability to the business unit Head and adjacent accountability to the Head of Canada Strategy & Transformation.
This influential and high-profile role will define, champion, and drive goals in alignment to the business unit’s strategic objectives and client/customer needs, providing the right data and insights at the right time to help stakeholders solve challenging problems. This role also delivers comprehensive, forward-looking advisory services to senior management, while maintaining an effective monitoring framework and process that will help ensure a successful execution on our strategy to achieve our objectives. The individual will work closely with Canada Strategy & Transformation team to enable efficient completion of Segment-led initiatives as the Strategy leader for the business unit.
The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker and a skilled communicator with the ability to make complex concepts simple and engaging for various audiences.
Key Accountabilities:
Strategic Analysis & Planning (40%)
Champions strategic goals of the business unit and influences direction and focus via thoughtful analysis of current state and alignment to Canada Segment strategy.
Drives strategic execution, in collaboration with Canada Segment and other partners, through annual planning, ad-hoc and monthly strategic reporting (such as business review) and change management activities.
Works with internal partners to gather critical information to deliver thoughtful recommendations to senior management on strategic planning and direction for the business unit.
Develops and prepares executive presentation materials, metrics and performance reports, and ad-hoc requests as needed including crafting analysis, conclusions, and facilitating associated actions.
Analyzes key business priorities, evaluates options to grow the business through organic and inorganic growth, and brings insight to generate executive action that creates value for the company.
Monitors industry trends, market positioning or competitive activity to inform strategy and plans.
Conducts external research on emerging trends, synthesizing recommendations, understanding the impact on the business, and ultimately presenting findings in a clear, concise, and decision-driven manner.
Delivery Execution & Reporting (40%)
Engages directly with executive / senior leaders and teams across the organization to create alignment on strategic initiatives.
As needed, develops delivery roadmaps across key strategic initiatives, embedding into relevant delivery tools including JIRA and Planview.
Maintains an inventory of the business unit’s strategic initiatives, monitoring their overall heath, financials, and key results via Manulife reporting tools such as the Global Initiatives App (GIA).
Serves as a subject matter expert on necessary governance procedures/approvals in alignment with Manulife standards, such as the Outcome Delivery Framework (ODF) and Delegation of Authority (DOA).
Supports ad-hoc and monthly portfolio management reporting (such as portfolio sync).
Manages the business unit’s portfolio-level intake process, understanding the impact of new items to the existing portfolio, and presenting recommendations in a decision-driven manner.
Provides proactive recommendations on tools and processes to drive enhancements across reporting and analytics.
Strategic Communications (20%)
Leads planning, developing, and deploying communications in support of strategy execution.
Leads internal communications strategies, such as all-colleague townhalls and offsites, and helps bring them to life.
Builds strategic partnerships with key business partners and across the Segment to gather and share relevant information.
This job description does not represent a comprehensive listing of job duties that are required of the employee performing this role.We reserve the right to change duties or assign additional duties at any time with or without notice.
Job Requirements:
10 years of relevant, progressively senior experience.
Advanced degree in business or equivalent, experience in management consulting an asset.
Exceptional interpersonal skills with ability to foster and maintain relationships in a matrixed, geographically dispersed organization.
Ability to set, manage and work to the expectations of stakeholders and to work independently as well collaboratively in a dynamic group.
Exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written, for varying audiences.
Strong Financial Services business acumen in a fast-paced high performing environment.
An aptitude for strategic, critical, and analytical thinking and effective conceptual, diagnostic, analytical and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrated experience in the development and execution of a large-scale transformation strategic plans.
Demonstrated ability to break down complex problems into actionable steps and to create solutions where blueprints may not exist.
Receptive and adaptive to an evolving, fast-paced environment.
Competencies
Structures problems, analyzes data and presents complex findings in a clear, concise, and decision-driven manner.
Be a champion of collaboration, by proactively reaching out and working with relevant stakeholders to mobilize teams and bring all partners together through open dialogues to drive towards a common goal/approach.
Make complex concepts simple and engaging for various audiences.
Actively embraces change efforts and acts as a change agent to build awareness and vision.
Applies organizational savvy and business expertise to present and defend issues that have a direct and significant impact to the business.
Ability to quickly shift priorities.
Decision Authority
Day to Day operational decision-making authority
Prioritize and drive risk and issue resolution
About Manulife and John Hancock
Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we operate as Manulife across our offices in Asia, Canada, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. We provide financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2022, we had more than 40,000 employees, over 116,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 34 million customers. At the end of 2022, we had $1.3 trillion (US$1.0 trillion) in assets under management and administration, including total invested assets of $0.4 trillion (US $0.3 trillion), and segregated funds net assets of $0.3 trillion (US$0.3 trillion). We trade as ‘MFC’ on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges, and under ‘945’ in Hong Kong.
Manulife is an Equal Opportunity Employer
At Manulife /John Hancock , we embrace our diversity. We strive to attract, develop and retain a workforce that is as diverse as the customers we serve and to foster an inclusive work environment that embraces the strength of cultures and individuals. We are committed to fair recruitment, retention, advancement and compensation, and we administer all of our practices and programs without discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour , ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or religious beliefs, creed, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, genetic characteristics, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, or any other ground protected by applicable law.
It is our priority to remove barriers to provide equal access to employment. A Human Resources representative will work with applicants who request a reasonable accommodation during the application process . All information shared during the accommodation request process will be stored and used in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and Manulife/John Hancock policies . To request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact .
Salary & Benefits
The annual base salary for this role is listed below.
Primary Location
Toronto, Ontario
Salary range is expected to be between
$103,050.00 CAD - $185,490.00 CAD
If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact for the salary range for your location. The actual salary will vary depending on local market conditions, geography and relevant job-related factors such as knowledge, skills, qualifications, experience, and education/training. Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance.
Manulife offers eligible employees a wide array of customizable benefits, including health, dental, mental health, vision, short- and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance coverage, adoption/surrogacy and wellness benefits, and employee/family assistance plans. We also offer eligible employees various retirement savings plans (including pension and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources. Our generous paid time off program in Canada includes holidays, vacation, personal, and sick days, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence. If you are applying for this role in the U.S., please contact for more information about U.S.-specific paid time off provisions.