Director, Strategy & Transformation

Manulife/John Hancock

Toronto

Hybrid

CAD 145,000 - 195,000

Full time

3 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Health

Dental

Mental health

Vision

Short- and long-term disability

Life and AD&D insurance

Adoption/surrogacy and wellness

Employee/family assistance plans

Pension and share ownership plan

Financial education and counseling

Holidays

Vacation

Personal

Sick days

Statutory leaves

Job summary

Manulife/John Hancock in Toronto, Ontario, seeks a Director of Strategy & Transformation to strengthen governance and portfolio delivery across the Canada Segment. The role requires building PMO capabilities, annual and multi-year planning, and executive-facing materials.

You will partner with senior leaders to drive investments, challenge business cases, and provide transparent reporting. A bilingual English/French candidate is a strong asset for cross-provincial clients.

Qualifications

10+ years of transformation, program/portfolio management, strategy, governance, or complex project delivery.
Strong executive communication and presentation skills for ELT and Board audiences.
Strong business and analytical judgment to assess business cases, risks, and trade-offs.
Proven ability to translate complex strategy into executive-ready insights and recommendations.
Exceptional relationship-building and influencing skills to mobilize cross-functional teams.
Bilingualism (English and French) is a strong asset.

Responsibilities

Lead and evolve transformation portfolio governance, prioritization, and delivery oversight for the Canada Segment.
Develop and present portfolio insights, recommendations, and trade-offs to senior leaders.
Partner with Finance and functional leaders to align resources with strategic priorities.
Build cross-functional partnerships and strengthen accountability across the portfolio.

Skills

Executive communication

Portfolio governance

Strategy development

Cross-functional collaboration

Risk & dependency management

Bilingual English/French

Job description

The Canada Segment manages a significant portfolio of strategic investments and transformation initiatives. This role will help strengthen enterprise governance, portfolio oversight, and execution discipline to ensure investments are aligned to business priorities and deliver measurable outcomes. The Director, Strategy & Transformation, will help build and evolve these capabilities, strengthening how investments are prioritized, governed, and delivered and providing greater transparency and decision support across the portfolio. The selected candidate will be a rigorous, hands‑on builder and self‑starter with strong program governance and delivery discipline, analytical capabilities, and sound business judgment. They will bring fresh perspectives, challenge assumptions, and turn ideas into action, while navigating complex, cross‑functional transformations and partnering with senior leaders to drive accountability and outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Transformation Portfolio Governance (75%)

Lead and evolve portfolio governance and management practices, including prioritization, investment planning, delivery oversight, dependencies, and executive decision support.
Help build the Canada Segment’s next‑generation transformation and portfolio management capability, including the evolution of broader PMO capabilities.
Lead annual and multi‑year portfolio planning, partnering with Finance, business leaders and functional partners to assess investments, challenge business cases, and align resources to strategic priorities.
Provide senior leaders with clear portfolio insights, recommendations, and trade‑offs, supported by consistent standards for reporting, benefits realization, and delivery performance.
Build strong cross‑functional partnerships to surface risks and dependencies early, strengthen accountability, and continuously improve how the portfolio is governed and delivered.

Enterprise Visibility and Strategic Initiatives (25%)

Support high‑profile strategy and enterprise exercises, translating complex business issues into clear perspectives, recommendations, and executive narratives.
Develop compelling materials for Canada Segment and Enterprise Leadership Teams, the Board of Directors, Rating Agencies, and other senior stakeholders.
Partner across the organization to synthesize strategic, financial, and business perspectives and ensure senior leaders are well equipped for key discussions and decisions.

Required Qualifications

10+ years of experience in transformation, program/portfolio management, strategy, governance, or complex project delivery, with experience supporting senior‑level decisions and priorities.
Strong executive communication and presentation skills, with demonstrated experience developing clear, compelling materials and recommendations for senior executives, ELT, and Board‑level audiences.
Strong business and analytical judgment, with the ability to assess business cases, challenge assumptions, identify risks and dependencies, and support informed trade‑offs.
Proven ability to translate complex strategy and delivery information into clear, executive‑ready insights and recommendations.
Exceptional relationship‑building and influencing skills, with the confidence to challenge constructively and mobilize cross‑functional teams in a complex organization.
Bilingualism (English and French) is a strong asset. If the successful candidate is in Québec, proficiency in both languages will be required to support clients from various provinces outside of Quebec

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.

The role being advertised is an existing vacancy.

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 hr@manulife.com.

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 hr@manulife.com 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
employee/family assistance plans

pension and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions
financial education and counseling resources

holidays
vacation
personal
sick days
statutory leaves of absence

If you are applying for this role in the U.S., please contact hr@manulife.com 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.

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