AI Talent Program Manager

Manulife Financial; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services company is seeking an AI Talent Program Manager to lead large-scale talent acquisition and manage initiatives crucial for their AI organization’s growth. You will oversee the development of over 100 AI professionals, design internal talent rotation programs, and manage FTE budgeting. The ideal candidate has at least 5 years of experience in program management and strong financial acumen. This role offers an empowering environment for professional growth.

Benefits

Flexible work environment

Support for career growth

Focus on well-being and inclusion

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in program management or large-scale transformation initiatives.
• Experience managing high-volume projects that include hiring and onboarding talent.
• Strong financial acumen, including FTE budgeting and forecasting.

Responsibilities

• Lead coordination to onboard and develop 100+ AI professionals.
• Design and manage internal talent rotation programs.
• Own AI headcount planning in partnership with Finance.

Skills

Program management

Workforce planning

Financial acumen

Stakeholder management

Executive communication

Job description

Overview

AI Talent Program Manager will lead large-scale talent acquisition and manage initiatives to support the rapid growth of the AI organization. This role will be responsible for AI talent workforce planning, coordinating the rotation and deployment of internal talent, and overseeing full-time employee (FTE) budget planning and controls. The role partners closely with AI leadership, HR, Finance, and Talent Acquisition to ensure the right skills are available at the right time while maintaining fiscal discipline.

Responsibilities

• Talent Pipeline & Hiring Program Management

• Own and manage the end-to-end coordination to onboard and develop 100+ AI professionals, including engineers, data scientists, product leaders, and platform specialists

• Partner with Talent Acquisition and HR to define role profiles, hiring waves, and prioritization aligned to AI roadmap milestones

• Track hiring progress, time-to-fill, capacity gaps, and offer acceptance metrics

• Coordinate interview capacity, decision timelines, and onboarding sequencing

• Lead the creation of strategic Manulife hubs in collaboration with academic and industry partners, leveraging cross-functional teams, including AI leadership, HR, and Data Science, to build talent pipelines and advance applied research and innovation

• Workforce Planning & Internal Talent Rotation

• Design and manage internal talent rotation programs into the AI organization

• Partner with functional leaders to identify high-potential internal talent and skill adjacency opportunities

• Oversee rotation timelines, backfill planning, and knowledge-transfer requirements

• Support the HR Partner in monitoring skill coverage, utilization, and succession planning within the AI team

• FTE Budget & Headcount Management

• Own AI headcount planning in partnership with Finance and AI leadership

• Ensure hiring aligns with approved funding and quarterly financial targets

• Prepare headcount forecasts and scenario models (growth, pause, reallocation)

• Prepare executive-level updates on hiring progress, risks, and budget status

• Data, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Report on visibility into hiring velocity, skill mix, and budget utilization

• Identify bottlenecks in recruiting, onboarding, or internal mobility and recommend improvements

• Implement best practices for scalable, repeatable workforce programs

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in program management, workforce planning, or large-scale transformation initiatives

• Experience managing high-volume projects that include hiring, onboarding and developing talent (50–100+ roles)

• Strong financial acumen, including FTE budgeting and forecasting

• Demonstrated ability to operate in complex, matrixed organizations

• Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting AI, data, engineering, or technology organizations

• Experience partnering with HR, Talent Acquisition, Strategy, and Finance at scale

When you join our team

• We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want.

• We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well being and inclusion are more than just words.

• As part of our global team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see.

Note: This description retains the core role information and responsibilities. Some parts of the original text, including regional statements and contact details, were omitted to ensure a clean, accessible format in line with formatting standards.