Canada retirement – product owner

Société Financière Manuvie; Waterloo; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a motivated Product Owner to enhance digital solutions for retirement products. In this dynamic role, you will bridge the gap between business needs and technology, ensuring exceptional experiences for customers. Your strategic mindset and collaborative nature will be key in managing product backlogs, prioritizing features, and driving innovative solutions. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment and have a passion for customer-centric design, this opportunity offers a chance to make a significant impact in a rapidly evolving field.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in product management or digital project delivery.
• Strong understanding of retirement products and customer interactions.

Responsibilities

• Own and prioritize the product backlog, driving product strategy.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to enhance digital experiences.

Skills

Analytical Skills

Communication Skills

Leadership Skills

Problem-Solving

Relationship Management

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Agile Methodologies

Design Thinking

Job description

Canada Retirement - Product Owner

Join Manulife, a leader in Canada Retirement solutions, where innovation meets customer-centric design. We strive to create exceptional product experiences for our plan sponsors and advisors. Our dynamic environment values fresh ideas and collaboration. Within Canada Retirement, we are seeking a highly motivated Product Owner for the Sponsor & Advisor Experience Pillar, who will work closely with our business functional areas to explore the products we offer, propose new offerings, and manage ongoing enhancements. This is a fast-paced, evolving environment where every day presents new challenges and opportunities for innovation. You will partner closely with our development squads to enhance digital experiences through simplified, intuitive design—focusing on the needs of sponsors and advisors by providing the right tools and solutions to facilitate positive digital interactions. As part of the product team, you will deeply understand our customers and serve as the bridge between business and technology to design experiences our customers will love.

You are the Product Owner we are looking for if:

• You are a tactical strategist
• You are business-savvy but have a love for technology
• You feel empowered to make decisions, yet are collaborative in your approach
• You are passionate and engaged
• You are a change champion
• You believe no idea is a bad idea if it is analyzed thoroughly
• You dig deep into the ‘why’ and ‘why not’
• You thrive on documentation, simplifying the complex

What motivates you?

• You obsess about customers, listen, engage, and act for their benefit.
• You can set targets based on the concept and strive to measure it—regardless of the outcome.
• You think big, with curiosity to discover ways to use your agile approach and enable business change.
• You thrive in teams and enjoy accomplishing goals together.
• You take ownership and build solutions, focusing on what matters.
• You do what is right, work with integrity, and speak up.
• You share your humanity, helping us build a diverse and inclusive work environment for everyone.

Overall, the Product Owner balances customer needs, business needs, while monitoring market trends and keeping a pulse on the competitive landscape.

In your quest to deliver enhanced and new digital capabilities for our plan members, your collaborative nature will bring together internal stakeholders from IT, Marketing, Compliance, and Finance, among others. You possess an excellent balance of analytical, communication, and leadership skills and are comfortable challenging others to continually improve our offerings. As the Product Owner, you are responsible for your squad’s success.

What will you do as a Product Owner?

• Own the product backlog and prioritize features
• Clarify the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of customer and business needs
• Drive product strategy, planning, and delivery of key features
• Ensure progress against milestones
• Represent the voice of the customer in product definition; incorporate feedback from customer insights and research
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders for successful development and implementation
• Identify solutions and opportunities to close gaps in products/services
• Launch new digital transactions
• Monitor outcomes and user experience of launched features and iterate as needed
• Manage and enhance existing digital properties

Your background includes:

• 3-5 years of relevant work experience
• Understanding of or interaction with Plan Sponsors, Administrators, Members, and Advisor/Consultant communities
• Knowledge of how Retirement products are used
• Experience delivering digital projects in innovative environments, leading cross-functional teams
• Effective communication skills to articulate business needs and present strategies to senior management
• Strong relationship management skills
• Entrepreneurial drive and ability to achieve goals in a fast-paced environment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Experience in digital product management or design, with focus on digital performance indicators
• Initiative-taking and problem-solving passion

Nice to have:

• Knowledge of agile and design thinking methodologies
• User-centered design, journey mapping skills
• Experience in competitive intelligence research