Director, Retirement Strategy

Manulife/John Hancock; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 145,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, mental health, vision,

Disability, life and AD&D insurance

Retirement savings plans with employer

Paid time off and statutory leaves

Job summary

Manulife/John Hancock in Toronto seeks a Director, Retirement Strategy to shape growth for U.S. and Canada Retirement businesses, translating strategic objectives into priorities and ensuring quality execution.

You will work across GWAM, Finance, Transformation and Business Operations to drive cross-functional collaboration, monitor delivery, and prepare Board-level materials with senior leadership exposure.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of senior strategy and transformation experience in financial services.
• Strong analytical, written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to lead through influence and drive collaboration in a matrix organization.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a dynamic environment.
• Experience in wealth, retirement or broader financial services is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Shape and advance the strategic agenda for the U.S. and Canada Retirement businesses.
• Develop strategies to strengthen Retirement and connect with Wealth capabilities.
• Translate objectives into clear priorities and support execution readiness.
• Partner with GWAM, Finance, Transformation and Business Ops to drive delivery.
• Use market intelligence to keep goals aspirational and actionable.
• Prepare materials for the Board, ELT, and Transformation Delivery Team.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Communication

Analytical thinking

Influence & collaboration

Job description

Global Wealth & Asset Management is a key growth segment for Manulife, operating across Retail, Wealth, Retirement and Institutional channels in North America, Asia and Europe. The Director, Retirement Strategy will help shape the growth and transformation agenda for the U.S. and Canada Retirement businesses, translating strategic objectives into actionable priorities and quality execution. By strengthening connectivity between Retirement, Wealth and broader Manulife capabilities, this role will support our mission to make decisions easier and lives better for our customers. This high-profile opportunity provides broad exposure to senior leaders, complex strategic priorities and enterprise-wide initiatives, while enabling the successful candidate to build deep expertise and influence the future of GWAM.

Position Responsibilities

• Shape and advance the strategic agenda for the U.S. and Canada Retirement businesses by identifying growth opportunities, strategic risks and value-creation initiatives.
• Develop strategies that strengthen the Retirement businesses and deepen connectivity with Wealth and broader Manulife capabilities.
• Translate strategic objectives into clear priorities, align discretionary spending with those priorities and support business readiness for execution.
• Partner across GWAM, Finance, Transformation and Business Operations to drive cross-functional collaboration, monitor delivery and recommend interventions or pivots where required.
• Apply competitive and market intelligence to ensure strategic goals are aspirational, achievable and responsive to industry dynamics.
• Develop clear, decision-oriented materials for the Board of Directors, Executive Leadership Team, Transformation Delivery Team and other senior audiences.
• Lead strategic projects and support other GWAM priorities as business needs evolve.

Required Qualifications

• 8–10 years of relevant, progressively senior experience in strategy, transformation, financial services or a related field.
• Strong business, strategic, critical and analytical thinking, with the ability to translate complex issues into practical solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and drive collaboration, accountability and innovation in a matrixed organization.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment and deliver results in a dynamic environment.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing materials for senior executive audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in wealth and asset management, retirement or broader financial services.
• Experience developing and executing growth, transformation or enterprise strategies.
• Understanding of the U.S. and Canadian retirement markets, competitive dynamics and industry trends.
• Experience partnering with Finance, Transformation and Business Operations teams to monitor execution and outcomes.
• Experience developing Board, Executive Leadership Team or other senior management presentations.

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.

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 $145,130.00 CAD - $195,130.00 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.

• 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.
• Various retirement savings plans (including pension and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources.
• 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. We’re Manulife. And we’re on a mission to make decisions easier and lives better. Better is what drives us. It’s what inspires us to find new ways to support customers and colleagues in living longer and healthier lives. It’s the reason we’re dedicated to investing in digital innovation and industry-leading AI, and accelerating a sustainable and economically inclusive future. Joining us means you’ll be empowered to learn and grow your career. We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words. And as part of our global team, you’ll help shape the future you want to see – and discover that better can take you anywhere you want to go.

We’re proud of our accomplishments and recognition. Recent awards include: 2026 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award Winner Manulife Named one of Forbes World’s Best Employers 2025 Financial Times World’s Best Employers Asia-Pacific 2026 We’ve been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers 2026 #1 Life Insurer for AI Maturity by Evident 2026 To receive your latest job opportunities directly to your inbox, create an account or sign in and navigate to the ‘Job Alerts’ section located in the top right corner of the page. From there, you can sign up to receive job alerts. Our ambition is to be the number one choice for customers. Learn more at https://www.manulife.com/.