Director, Product & Growth

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

Job summary

Manulife John Hancock seeks a Director, Product Strategy & Growth to lead the strategy, lifecycle and profitability of a portfolio. You will translate market insights into an investment roadmap, collaborate with Product, Distribution, Marketing, Digital and Operations to drive growth and differentiation.

You will own portfolio governance, set performance targets, and guide cross-functional delivery from ideation to exit or modernization, ensuring customer value and enterprise outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Own portfolio strategy, roadmap and investment decisions.
• Lead cross-functional teams across Product, Marketing, Sales, Digital, Finance and Legal.
• Develop go-to-market plans and value propositions.
• Establish portfolio scorecards and performance metrics.
• Identify market trends and competitive insights to inform strategy.
• Govern risk, regulatory and governance aspects of the portfolio.

Job description

The Director, Product Strategy & Growth is accountable for the strategic direction, growth, profitability and lifecycle management of an assigned product portfolio. The role translates customer, market and business insight into a focused portfolio strategy, investment roadmap and commercialization plan that strengthen Manulife's market position and deliver measurable value for customers, distribution partners and the business.

As a senior product leader and people leader, the Director brings together teams across Product, Distribution, Marketing, Digital, Technology, Operations, Finance, Legal, Risk and Compliance to make sound portfolio choices, accelerate execution and ensure products remain relevant, sustainable and differentiated.

Position Responsibilities:

Strategy and portfolio ownership

Own and continuously refine the long-term strategy, value proposition and investment roadmap for the assigned portfolio, aligned to enterprise and business priorities.

Manage the full product lifecycle, including ideation, validation, development, launch, optimization, modernization, rationalization and, where required, responsible exit or run-off.

Maintain a focused and relevant product shelf that supports growth, client retention, member value, operational sustainability and market differentiation.

Translate strategic priorities into clear choices, sequenced roadmaps, investment recommendations and measurable outcomes.

Structure complex or ambiguous business opportunities into evidence-based assessments and business cases that clearly articulate customer and business value, financial implications, operational impacts, risks, dependencies and trade-offs.

Customer, market and competitive insights

Champion the voice of the customer by incorporating sponsor, member, advisor and distribution insights into product strategy, design and prioritization.

Use customer research, market intelligence, competitive analysis, emerging trends and performance data to identify unmet needs, growth opportunities and portfolio risks.

Define the customer and business problems to be solved and ensure product decisions are grounded in evidence, clear hypotheses and expected outcomes.

Monitor developments in technology, regulation, healthcare, benefits and adjacent markets to anticipate changes that may affect the portfolio.

Growth, commercialization and performance

Lead commercialization and go-to-market strategies that strengthen positioning, enable distribution and improve adoption, engagement, revenue and profitability.

Partner with Sales, Marketing and Distribution to develop compelling value propositions, sales narratives, launch plans and client-facing materials.

Establish and regularly review portfolio scorecards covering customer outcomes, adoption, growth, revenue, profitability, operational health, risk and strategic value, with clear accountability for delivering agreed portfolio outcomes

Use performance insights to recommend investment, optimization, pricing, remediation or exit decisions and communicate progress to senior leadership.

Product and delivery leadership

Lead major product initiatives from opportunity assessment and business case through delivery, launch and benefits realization.

Set strategic priorities and desired outcomes for cross-functional delivery teams, ensuring resources remain focused on the highest-value opportunities.

Guide discovery, experimentation and validation using customer research, concept testing, analytics and other fit-for-purpose methods before significant investment is made.

Partner with Digital, Technology, Design and Operations leaders to create integrated experiences and scalable solutions; provide direction on scope and minimum viable product decisions.

Identify and evaluate opportunities to use AI, automation, data and emerging digital capabilities to improve customer value, operating effectiveness or business performance.

Lead the strategic management of external product partners and vendors, working with Procurement and business partners on selection, contracting, renewals, service expectations, performance and ongoing strategic alignment.

Ensure product launches and material changes are operationally ready, with appropriate contracts, policy provisions, processes, training, communications, controls and distribution enablement in place.

Risk, governance and regulatory stewardship

Own product governance for the assigned portfolio and ensure material product, customer, contractual, operational, financial and regulatory risks are understood and managed.

Work closely with Legal, Compliance, Risk, Privacy and other control functions to obtain required approvals and ensure products and communications meet applicable requirements.

Bring forward clear decisions, trade-offs and recommendations when risk, customer value, economics or delivery feasibility are in tension.

Maintain appropriate documentation, controls, decision records and escalation paths across the product lifecycle.

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