Director, Specialized Lending Product & Business Transformation

Manulife; Halifax; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 182,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services provider is seeking a Director of Specialized Lending Product in Halifax. This role involves product strategy development, managing product lifecycles, and ensuring high-quality service for high-net-worth clients. Candidates should have over 10 years of experience in banking and lending, a bachelor's degree, and excellent communication skills. The position is hybrid with a salary range of $100,950 - $181,710 CAD.

Benefits

Customizable health and dental benefits

Retirement savings plans

Paid time off including holidays and sick days

Qualifications

• 10+ years in banking and lending focused on high-net-worth clients.
• Experience in Agile and Scrum methodologies is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Develop long-term product strategies.
• Monitor and report on product performance.
• Coordinate business transformation initiatives.
• Manage performance and engage employees.

Skills

Excellent written and oral communication skills

Strategic planning and business casing

Influencing senior management

Dynamic environment adaptability

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, or related field

Job description

Reporting to the Vice President & Head of Specialized Lending, Manulife Bank, the Director, Specialized Lending Product is responsible for the Bank’s Specialized Lending product strategy, development and lifecycles management. The suite of products and services within this portfolio is uniquely positioned to help our independent advisor partners execute financial plans that improve their client’s financial health by amplifying their insurance and investment strategies, providing high-touch banking services, and, meeting the borrowing needs of their business owner and high net worth clients. It is also a significant growth opportunity for Manulife Bank. The portfolio is composed of insurance-based lending (Immediate Financing Arrangements, Cash Surrender Value (CSV) lines of credit and similar), investment loans and lines of credit, advisor & firm financing, as well as commercial and multi-unit residential mortgages.

The Director, Specialized Lending Product, bridges strategy and execution. They are responsible for influencing the Specialized Lending product & service experience direction, shaping its structure, and ensuring every effort across the Specialized Lending advisor and customer experience contributes to delivering value for our advisor partners, high net worth customers and the Bank. In fulfilling this role the incumbent will demonstrate a high level of collaboration by partnering with stakeholders across the Bank organization, including sales, underwriting, risk, marketing, delivery, technology, operations, finance and others, to identify opportunities, prioritize features, and deliver high-quality products, services and advisor / client experiences.

Position Responsibilities

Product Strategy (20%)

• Develop, monitor and refine long term product strategies for key product portfolios that will distinguish Manulife’s product offerings in the marketplace
• Analyze the market to identify opportunities and recommend sound product strategies to support the launch of key products, features and services
• Conduct advisor & customer research and analysis including competitive positioning
• Build the strategic product roadmap aligned to overarching advisor, client and business goals
• Build and maintain a library of business cases, identifying & prioritizing next best options to deliver on the strategic product roadmap

Product Portfolio Management (40%)

• Maintain a relevant and concise product shelf that has a positive impact to sales, account balances, profitability and advisor and customer strategies
• In close collaboration with Finance and the data and analytics teams, measure, analyze, monitor and report on specialized lending business performance; propose action to capitalize on strengths and address weaknesses in performance
• Working within approved pricing frameworks, establish the pricing strategy for Specialized Lending
• In conjunction with account management and the risk management teams measure, monitor and mitigate significant risks within the specialized lending portfolio
• Manage the product lifecycle from concept to launch, including planning, execution, and testing
• Recommend which product features to amend, or new products to develop and launch next
• Collaborate across the bank, working with technology, delivery, marketing, sales, risk, operations and others to develop and execute plans to ensure successful product delivery, launch and benefit realization
• Ensure that all products meet high standards of quality and align with the Bank’s product roadmap and strategy
• Develop and execute effective communication that keeps all stakeholders informed about product progress and provides a platform to ensure their requirements and needs are identified and addressed

Business Transformation (25%)

• Coordinate the Specialized lending team’s contribution to the Bank’s business transformation initiative; in conjunction key Bank stakeholders, including technical teams and product owners to define & prioritize features; deliver high-quality advisor, client and employee experiences
• Work closely with stakeholders to gather requirements, create user personas, define use cases and convert insights into exceptional products and advisor / client experiences, and strong sales enablement capabilities; all within an agile development framework
• Support day-to-day project execution, ensuring features and functionality are delivered on time, aligned to strategy, and meet advisor, client and employee needs
• Provide regular updates to leadership and stakeholders on project progress, key initiatives, risks, dependencies and milestones

Leadership & Building a High Performing Team (15%)

• Inspire, coach, guide and actively engage employees; motivate and encourage staff
• Manage performance, providing formal and informal feedback and coaching. Establish accountabilities and performance standards
• Build talent capability and engage employees through focused career discussions as well as promoting a culture of continuous professional development
• Role model critical behaviors to enhance the advisor and customer experience
• Demonstrate inclusive behaviors and provide opportunities to collaborate across teams

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant banking and lending experience with a particular focus on the high-net-worth and business owner client segment
• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, information systems or related field
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Experience with strategic planning and business casing, roadmap design, execution, and cross-functional collaboration, with P&L accountability.
• Motivated, driven, self-starter. Ability to delegate effectively and influence across the Bank. Proven ability to overcome challenges and influence senior management.
• Demonstrated experience in a dynamic environment with shifting priorities, while managing project delivery, costs, and financial performance
• Sound knowledge of regulatory requirements, including OSFI guidelines and the Bank Act.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Private banking will be an asset.
• Experience in Agile and Scrum methodologies and lending experience is an asset

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 .

Equal Opportunity Employer

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 .

Referenced Salary Location

Waterloo, Ontario

Working Arrangement

Hybrid

Salary range is expected to be between

$100,950.00 CAD - $181,710.00 CAD

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

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 for more information about U.S.-specific paid time off provisions.