Director, Canada Strategy

Manulife John Hancock; Toronto; On-site; CAD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife John Hancock is seeking a Director, Canada Strategy to shape and advance Canada’s long-term priorities. You will translate segment strategy into actionable priorities, lead critical initiatives, and provide senior-level advisory to ensure alignment with enterprise goals across functions and business units.

You will collaborate with Canada Segment leaders and enterprise teams to develop evidence-based recommendations, roadmaps, and decision-ready materials for the Board and executives

Responsibilities

• Translate Canada Segment strategy into clear priorities, expectations, and decision criteria for units/functions.
• Lead periodic strategy reviews and check-ins to test priorities and trigger leadership intervention as needed.
• Maintain an integrated view of the strategic portfolio and identify gaps, overlaps, dependencies, and risks.
• Synthesize strategies to show how they advance Canada Segment objectives.
• Develop executive-ready narrative for Canada Segment strategy to Enterprise leadership and the Board.
• Lead high-priority cross-business strategic initiatives from problem definition to execution.
• Frame and evaluate strategic choices on market entry, investment, partnerships, or divestment.
• Develop business cases and roadmaps with outcomes and success measures; secure leadership alignment.
• Support M&A assessments and integration considerations with subject-matter experts.
• Lead vertical and horizontal deep-dives across functions and challenge strategic alignment.
• Provide independent advisory to senior executives and craft concise, decision-oriented materials.
• Build alignment across units and functions and develop a high-performing team with strategic judgment.

Job description

At Manulife Canada, the Strategy & Transformation team sits at the center of the organization, partnering closely with the Canada CEO and Segment leaders to shape and advance the company's long-term direction.

We work across business lines and functions to translate Segment strategy into aligned priorities, maintain an integrated view of the strategic portfolio, shape high-impact initiatives, and improve the processes through which strategic and investment decisions are made.

As Director, Canada Strategy, you will help shape Manulife Canada's strategy and advance its most critical priorities. You will combine enterprise perspective, structured problem solving, and constructive challenge to help senior leaders make clear choices and mobilize action.

This high-visibility role spans strategy reviews, strategic initiatives, and business and functional deep dives. The Director will act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders and help connect Canada Segment priorities with business unit and functional plans.

This role is ideal for a strategy leader who has shaped enterprise or business-unit strategy in a complex organization or top-tier consulting environment and is equally comfortable developing strategy, facilitating executive decisions, and moving priority initiatives toward execution.

Position Responsibilities:

Strategy Cascade and Enterprise Visibility

• Translate Canada Segment strategy into clear priorities, expectations, and decision criteria for business units and functions.
• Lead periodic strategy reviews and structured check-ins to assess progress, test whether priorities remain valid, and identify where leadership intervention is required.
• Maintain an integrated view of the strategic portfolio, including both funded initiatives and material work outside the formal book of work, to identify gaps, overlaps, dependencies, and emerging risks.
• Synthesize business unit and functional strategies to assess how they collectively advance Canada Segment objectives.
• Help develop and communicate the narrative of the Canada Segment strategy to Enterprise leadership and the Board.

Strategic Initiatives and Enterprise Problem Solving

• Lead high-priority, cross-business strategic initiatives from problem definition through recommendation, mobilization, and transition to accountable execution owners.
• Frame and evaluate strategic choices, including where to enter, exit, invest, partner, acquire, simplify, or double down.
• Develop fact-based recommendations through structured problem solving, market and competitive analysis, financial assessment, scenario analysis, and stakeholder input.
• Develop business cases and implementation roadmaps, establish intended outcomes and success measures, and secure senior leadership alignment.
• Support partnership and M&A assessments, including strategic fit, value creation logic, key risks, and integration considerations, in collaboration with relevant subject-matter experts.

Business and Functional Deep Dives

• Lead periodic vertical and horizontal deep dives across businesses and functions, for example - Distribution, Technology, Operations, and other enterprise capabilities.
• Act as the Canada Segment's thought and challenge partner to functions, testing strategic ambition, investment priorities, operating choices, and alignment with business needs.
• Identify cross-business opportunities, shared capabilities, and structural barriers that may not be visible within individual portfolios.
• Facilitate alignment across business and functional leaders where priorities, accountabilities, or investment choices are unclear.

Executive Advisory and Team Leadership

• Provide independent, forward-looking advice to senior executives and facilitate decisions on complex or ambiguous strategic topics.
• Develop concise executive and Board-ready materials that clarify the issue, choices, trade-offs, recommendation, and required decision.
• Build alignment across business units, functions, and enterprise partners through effective facilitation, influence, and constructive challenge.
• Lead and develop a high-performing, inclusive team with strong capabilities in strategic judgment, structured problem solving, executive communication, and delivery.
• Coach direct reports and peers, allocate resources to the highest-value priorities
• Strengthen the Strategy & Transformation team's methods and capabilities - including via the adoption of AI, better operating rhythms, common approaches, etc.

Leadership Capabilities

• Strategic Judgment: Connect enterprise context, market evidence, economics, and execution realities to make clear recommendations.
• Structured Problem Solving: Break ambiguous issues into testable hypotheses, focused analyses, and practical choices.
• Influence and Constructive Challenge: Build credibility with senior leaders while testing assumptions and surfacing trade-offs.
• Executive Communication: Distill complex issues into concise, decision-oriented narratives and Board-ready materials.
• Enterprise Collabor