The Manager, Group Benefits Strategy is a key part of the Group Benefits’ Strategy team and will contribute to the successful delivery of the overall strategic mandate. Reporting to the Director Strategy, this influential and high-profile role will define, champion, and drive goals in alignment to Group Benefit’s strategic objectives and client/customer needs, providing the right data and insights at the right time to help stakeholders solve challenging problems. 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 (25%)

Supports the alignment of Group Benefits’ strategy to the overall Canada Segment strategy (e.g., Development of GB Strategic OKRs and Delivery OKRs)

Supports Group Benefits’ strategic execution, in collaboration with Canada Segment, through annual planning, ad-hoc and monthly strategic reporting (such as business review) and change management activities.

Supports various strategic forums and workshops such as the Annual GB Strategy Forum, Bi-monthly Strategy Council, etc.  

Analyzes key business priorities and brings insight to generate executive action that creates value for the company.

Monitors industry trends, market positioning or competitive activities and conducts external research on emerging trends to inform strategy and plans. Synthesizes recommendations, understanding the impact on the business, and ultimately presenting findings in a clear, concise, and decision-driven manner.

Delivery Execution & Reporting (50%)

Develops and maintains an inventory of 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 development of delivery roadmaps across strategic initiatives, embedding into relevant delivery tools including JIRA and Planview.

Supports ad-hoc and monthly portfolio management reporting (such as portfolio sync).

Manages Group Benefits’ 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 (25%)

Leads the planning and execution of Group Benefits’ townhall events on quarterly basis.

Supports planning, developing, and deploying communications in support of strategy execution.

Supports internal communications strategies, such as 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:

Post-secondary education in a quantitative discipline; or a combination of education and experience.

Excellent writing, proofreading and content analysis skills.

Superior communication skills, both verbal and written, with varying audiences in a matrixed environment.

Understanding of the financial services industry.

Effective conceptual, diagnostic, analytical and problem-solving skills.

Well-developed planning and project management skills.

Strong business, strategic, critical, and analytical thinking.

Extremely detail-oriented, self-starter, deadline-driven.

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 provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. To learn more about us, visit https://www.manulife.com/en/about/our-story.html.

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 recruitment@manulife.com.

Primary Location

CAN, Ontario, Toronto, 200 Bloor Street East

Working Arrangement

Hybrid

Salary range is expected to be between

$86,250.00 CAD - $155,250.00 CAD

If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact recruitment@manulife.com 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 recruitment@manulife.com for more information about U.S.-specific paid time off provisions.