Director, Talent Development (GRO) and Human Performance Enablement

Manulife; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 125,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife seeks a seasoned leader to drive GRO Program & Human Performance Enablement, accountable for strategy, operating model and global performance. You will guide program design, governance and delivery across regions while modernizing the platform for the future.

The role focuses on GRO leadership, development of programs, and applying skills-based and AI-enabled practices to advance talent initiatives. Hybrid work arrangement in Canada.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in talent management, HR programs or early talent programs.
• 3+ years of leading teams and managing enterprise talent initiatives.
• Experience running large-scale programs with onboarding, rotations and operations.
• Strong program and project management capabilities including roadmaps, budgets and cross-functional delivery.
• Knowledge of job, skills and career architecture and their impact on performance decisions.
• Proven ability to build, lead and coach high-performing program teams.
• Data-driven mindset with KPIs, adoption metrics and feedback loops.
• Ability to build relationships with HR Partners, COE peers, Technology and business leaders.
• Excellent communication, presentation and facilitation skills.
• Curiosity about AI and applying HR tech to drive outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead GRO governance and operating rhythm, including portfolio reviews and decisions.
• Define GRO portfolio roadmap aligned with enterprise direction and capacity.
• Manage GRO program managers and resources across regions and businesses.
• Ensure disciplined execution, risk tracking and dependency management.
• Partner with HR, Finance, Tech and regional leads to secure sponsorship and enable delivery.
• Provide change leadership and communication across the GRO ecosystem.

Skills

Talent management

HR programs

Program leadership

Change management

AI & emerging HR tech curiosity

Data-driven mindset

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Stakeholder management

Matrixed organization experience

Tools

Workday

TechWolf

HR platforms

Job description

GRO is a global workforce capability program that builds critical skills and accelerates early-career talent through structured development experiences. As Director, GRO Program & Human Performance Enablement, you will be accountable for the strategy execution, global operating model and performance of GRO across businesses and regions.

The majority of the role is focused on GRO leadership and delivery. A critical secondary component supports selected Human Performance priorities, applying the team’s program, experimentation and change capabilities to help move new talent products and practices from concept to pilot and adoption. This is a role for a leader who can protect reliable program delivery while modernizing the platform for the future.

• Report directly to the Leader of Human Performance Design & Architecture and serve as the accountable global leader for GRO strategy execution, operating model, governance, delivery and continuous improvement.

• Translate enterprise direction into an integrated GRO plan, making recommendations on program design, global standards, investment, expansion, delivery capacity and measurable outcomes.

• Lead GRO Program Managers and associated resources, establishing clear accountabilities across enterprise, regional and business delivery.

• Own the global GRO operating rhythm and ensure decisions, commitments, risks and dependencies are translated into disciplined execution.

• Contribute to a defined portfolio of Human Performance work, agreed with the leader and balanced against core GRO commitments.

• Use GRO as a proving ground for selected skills-based, AI-enabled and human-performance practices where there is a clear benefit to participants and the enterprise.

How you’ll make an impact

• Be accountable for the end-to-end global operation of GRO, including annual planning, cohort and rotation design, onboarding and orientation, development programming, manager and participant engagement, talent reviews, conversion support, offboarding and alumni connection.

• Lead, coach and develop the GRO Program Managers and associated program resources. Set clear priorities, allocate capacity across global and regional commitments, strengthen program management capability and create an environment where the team can test, learn and improve while maintaining reliable delivery.

• Establish the common standards, playbooks and controls required for a consistent experience while enabling appropriate regional and business flexibility.

• Convert enterprise direction into a practical GRO portfolio roadmap. Assess business demand, workforce priorities, program readiness and delivery capacity; recommend where and how GRO should evolve; and lead the implementation of approved expansion across businesses, capabilities and regions.

• Run the global governance and operating rhythm for GRO, including portfolio reviews, risks, issues, dependencies, investment needs and decisions.

• Build strong partnerships with business leaders, HR Partners, Talent COE teams, Finance, Technology and regional stakeholders to align demand, secure sponsorship and enable delivery.

• Maintain a defined portion of team capacity that can deploy to priority Human Performance initiatives. Provide disciplined program leadership for discovery, design, testing, pilots, implementation and adoption, drawing on GRO as a practical environment to test and scale new approaches where appropriate.

• Use data and stakeholder feedback to identify improvements, inform recommendations and report progress and outcomes to the leadership team and governance forums.

• Lead coordinated change and communication across the GRO ecosystem so participants, managers, business sponsors and delivery partners understand the program, their accountabilities and what is changing. Ensure enterprise decisions are reflected consistently in local execution and stakeholder experience.

What you’ll bring to the team

• 10+ years of experience in talent management, HR programs, HR technology or early talent program management, including 3+ years leading teams.

• Proven experience managing enterprise talent programs or HR technology platforms from launch through adoption, ideally skills, career or talent marketplace solutions (e.g., Workday, TechWolf or similar).

• Experience running large-scale early talent, graduate or rotational programs, including onboarding, orientation, rotations and program operations.

• Strong program and project management capabilities, including roadmaps, vendor management, budgets and cross-functional delivery.

• Working knowledge of job, skills and career architecture and how they connect to performance and talent decisions.

• Demonstrated ability to build, lead and coach high-performing teams of program managers.

• Data-driven mindset, with experience using KPIs, adoption metrics and feedback to improve programs.

• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain positive relationships with HR Partners, COE peers, Technology and business leaders.

• Strong communication, presentation and facilitation skills.

• Aptitude to solve problems, pivot quickly and bring structure to ambiguous, fast-moving work.

• Curiosity about AI and emerging HR technology, with a test-and-learn approach to innovation.

• Experience working in a matrixed, multi-region organization would be an asset.

• Change management experience or certification is considered an asset.

What motivates you?

• You obsess about customers, listen, engage and act for their benefit.

• You think big, with curiosity to discover ways to use your agile approach and enable business outcomes.

• You thrive in teams and enjoy getting things done together.

• You take ownership and build solutions, focusing on what matters.

• You do what is right, work with integrity and speak up.

• You share your humanity, helping us build a diverse and inclusive work environment for everyone.

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.

#LI-Hybrid

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 [e-mail].

Referenced Salary Location

Toronto, Ontario

Working Arrangement

Hybrid

Salary range is expected to be between

$125,100.00 CAD - $175,100.00 CAD

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 [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.