AVP, AI

Manulife Financial; Toronto; On-site; CAD 130,000 - 241,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife Financial seeks a senior AVP to lead end-to-end AI transformation across Group Functions, driving AI-enabled solutions in risk, legal, procurement and compliance. You will partner with senior leaders, align roadmaps, and direct cross-functional teams of AI/ML engineers, data scientists, and product SMEs to deliver value.

Emphasizes responsible AI, security, and governance. This hybrid role combines hands-on engineering with strategic leadership, including experience in fraud detection,

Qualifications

• 8+ years in data science, AI/ML engineering, or applied machine learning with leadership of AI programs.
• Hands-on Python and cloud ML with MLOps, vector databases, LLM-Ops and modern evaluation frameworks.
• Experience with Agentic AI architectures, orchestration frameworks, and multi-model pipelines is preferred.
• Financial services experience with fraud prevention or related governance contexts is a plus.
• Proven leadership of multidisciplinary delivery teams and ability to influence senior leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end AI transformation delivery across Risk, Legal, Procurement and Compliance.
• Direct multidisciplinary teams; shape roadmaps and ensure measurable business outcomes.
• Conduct hands-on AI engineering work when needed to accelerate delivery.
• Promote responsible AI, governance, and enterprise integration across initiatives.

Skills

Python programming

Cloud ML

MLOps

Vector databases

LLM-Ops

Agentic AI

Orchestration frameworks

Multi-model pipelines

Leadership

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/DS/Engineering

Master's or PhD desirable

Tools

Graph databases

Job description

The AVP, AI - Group Functions AI Transformation Delivery is a senior AI leadership role responsible for leading the end-to-end delivery of AI-enabled transformation across Group Functions, with a primary focus on Risk, Legal, Procurement, and Compliance. A significant portion of this role’s portfolio includes AI enabled fraud detection targeting financial crimes. This role pairs hands-on technical depth with strong delivery leadership to turn functional priorities into deployed, value-generating AI solutions.

Operating at the intersection of business strategy and AI engineering, the AVP partners with senior functional leaders to identify high-impact opportunities, shapes pragmatic delivery roadmaps, and leads multidisciplinary teams to build and scale Classical AI, Generative AI, and Agentic AI solutions - all while meeting enterprise standards for security, governance, model risk, and responsible AI.

Position Responsibilities: AI Transformation Delivery Leadership

• Lead end-to-end delivery of AI solutions for Risk, Legal, Procurement, Compliance, and other Group Functions – from opportunity shaping and design through deployment, adoption, and value realization.
• Own delivery roadmaps and execution across a portfolio of concurrent initiatives, ensuring measurable business outcomes against defined success metrics.
• Direct multidisciplinary delivery teams (AI/ML engineers, data scientists, product, and functional SMEs), removing blockers and ensuring quality, velocity, and accountability.
• Conduct full-stack AI engineering work, including hands-on development, prototyping, and architecture decisions where needed to accelerate delivery.

Functional Stakeholder Engagement & Opportunity Development

• Partner with leaders in Risk, Legal, and Procurement to surface high-impact AI opportunities and articulate clear value cases.
• Translate functional needs into well-structured initiatives aligned with enterprise AI strategy and capabilities.
• Provide thought leadership on Agentic AI, Generative AI, and machine learning, and advise functional leaders on use cases, readiness, risk considerations, and operating-model changes.
• Coach stakeholders to drive adoption and embed AI into functional workflows and decision-making.

Responsible AI, Governance & Enterprise Integration

• Ensure all solutions meet enterprise standards for security, data governance, model risk management, and responsible AI.
• Coordinate with Enterprise Architecture, Risk, Legal, and the Global Data Office to deliver secure, compliant, and scalable solutions.
• Promote reuse of enterprise components, shared codebases/libraries, and aligned architecture across initiatives.
• Represent Group Functions AI delivery in enterprise governance and portfolio forums, ensuring functional initiatives accelerate enterprise impact.

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years in data science, AI/ML engineering, or applied machine learning, including significant experience leading delivery of complex AI programs at scale.
• Hands-on engineering expertise in Python, cloud ML environments, MLOps, vector databases, LLM-Ops, and modern evaluation frameworks; experience with Agentic AI architectures, orchestration frameworks, and multi-model pipelines is strongly preferred.
• Prior experience with financial crime prevention, including graph-based solutions
• Demonstrated experience partnering with one or more corporate functions – preferably Risk, Legal, Procurement, Compliance, Audit, or Treasury – ideally within financial services.
• Proven people-leadership experience, with the ability to build, coach, and lead high-performing, multidisciplinary delivery teams.
• Strong ability to translate technical concepts into business outcomes and to communicate and influence at the senior-leader level.
• Comfortable operating in a highly matrixed, global environment with a results-driven, ownership mindset.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field; an advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) is desirable.

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.

If you are applying to this role in US, please note the salary range is $152,900.00 USD - $283,800.00 USD. Additionally, employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance.

#LI-Hybrid

The role being advertised is an existing vacancy.

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 [e-mail].

Referenced Salary Location

Toronto, Ontario

Working Arrangement

Hybrid

Salary range is expected to be between

$129,800.00 CAD - $241,200.00 CAD

Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance. 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. If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact [e-mail] for the salary range for your location.

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 [e-mail] for more information about U.S.-specific paid time off provisions.

We use data and analytics technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and automated processing tools, to analyze and process the information you provide to us or third parties in the application process. For more information, please refer to our personal information collection statement.