Lead - AI Strategic Initiatives

Manulife/John Hancock; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 93,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Pension plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Manulife/John Hancock is seeking a Lead - AI Strategic Initiatives to orchestrate large-scale transformation programs across Canada Operations, from ideation to realization.

The role partners with senior leaders to govern plans, manage budgets, align stakeholders, and drive change in a regulated financial services environment. Hybrid work in Toronto supports AI-driven decision making and organizational growth.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of project or program management experience leading large-scale transformation initiatives.
• Proven experience delivering complex cross-functional programmes within insurance, financial services or other highly regulated industries.
• Demonstrated success managing scope, schedule, budget, resources, risks & stakeholder communications.
• Strong governance and reporting experience, including preparation of executive updates, steering committees and financial papers.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent initiatives with significant organisational impact.
• Leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of strategic transformation initiatives, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within scope, budget, and quality expectations.
• Develop and manage integrated project plans, milestones, dependencies, and resource requirements, while driving accountability across all workstreams.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams, vendors and stakeholders to resolve issues, remove obstacles and achieve targeted business outcomes.
• Establish and maintain project governance, ensuring oversight of scope, schedule, budget, risks, issues and key decisions.
• Provide clear, accurate and timely reporting on project health, progress, dependencies and performance metrics.
• Partner with initiative owners to monitor benefit delivery and address realization gaps.
• Prepare executive presentations, steering committee materials and leadership updates that translate complex information into actionable insights.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Governance & reporting

Stakeholder management

Change leadership

Executive communications

Delivery excellence

Cross-functional collaboration

Program management

Job description

We’re looking for a high-performing, strategic thinker and hands‑on operator to join our Canada Operations team as a Lead - AI Strategic Initiatives. This role serves as the central orchestrator for complex, cross‑functional programs, ensuring successful execution from ideation through implementation and benefits realization.

The successful candidate will drive project governance, planning, stakeholder alignment and change adoption across multiple concurrent initiatives. Working closely with senior leaders, the Project Manager will ensure initiatives are delivered on time, within scope, within budget and aligned to strategic business objectives. This role requires a strong blend of execution excellence, strategic thinking, executive communications and change leadership to successfully navigate large-scale organisational and digital transformation efforts.

Position Responsibilities

Transformation Delivery & Execution

• Lead end-to-end delivery of strategic transformation initiatives, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within scope, budget, and quality expectations.
• Develop and manage integrated project plans, milestones, dependencies, and resource requirements, while driving accountability across all workstreams.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams, vendors and stakeholders to resolve issues, remove obstacles and achieve targeted business outcomes.

Governance, Planning & Reporting

• Establish and maintain project governance, ensuring effective oversight of scope, schedule, budget, risks, issues and key decisions.
• Provide clear, accurate and timely reporting on project health, progress, dependencies and performance metrics.
• Partner with initiative owners to monitor benefit delivery, track progress against expected outcomes, and proactively address any realization gaps.
• Prepare executive presentations, steering committee materials and leadership updates that translate complex information into actionable insights.

Stakeholder, Risk & Financial Management

• Build strong relationships with business and technology stakeholders to drive alignment, facilitate decision-making and manage competing priorities.
• Proactively identify, assess and manage project risks, issues and cross-functional dependencies, escalating concerns with recommended actions when required.
• Manage project budgets, forecasts and financial performance, ensuring strong fiscal discipline and effective benefits realization.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in of project or program management experience leading large-scale business transformation initiatives.
• Proven experience delivering complex cross‑functional programmes within insurance, financial services or other highly regulated industries.
• Demonstrated success managing project scope, schedule, budget resources risks & stakeholder communications.
• Strong governance and reporting experience, including preparation of executive updates steering committee materials financial decision papers.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent initiatives with significant organisational impact.
• Leadership experience.

When you join our team

We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want. We’ll recognise 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

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 and advancement and to compensation and we administer all of our practices and programs without discrimination on the basis of race but 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 and gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability and 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 $92,900.00 CAD - $142,900.00 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.

Benefits

• 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.
• Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance.

Application Process

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.

Mission and Vision

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.

Recent Awards

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