Lead Full Stack Software Engineer

Manulife/John Hancock; Southwestern Ontario; Hybrid; CAD 113,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Dental coverage

Pension plan

Flexible work options

Job summary

Manulife/John Hancock is seeking a Lead Full Stack Software Engineer to guide design, development, and delivery of cloud-native, full-stack applications. You will mentor teams, shape architecture decisions, and drive DevOps and testing practices across the lifecycle.

Applicants should have 8+ years in software engineering, strong Java Spring Boot and React expertise, and a track record of leading architectural discussions.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• 2+ years in technical leadership or mentorship.
• Strong hands-on with Java (Spring Boot) and React.
• Experience building cloud-native apps on Microsoft Azure.
• Understanding of microservices, RESTful APIs, and distributed systems.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and modern container deployment.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and delivery of full-stack apps using Java Spring Boot and React.
• Architect cloud-native solutions on Azure, leveraging AKS, App Service, and SQL databases.
• Mentor developers through code reviews and pair programming; drive best practices.
• Promote software quality with automated testing, observability, and DevOps practices.
• Drive CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code; support production systems and reliability.

Skills

Java Spring Boot

React

Azure cloud

CI/CD

Docker/Kubernetes

RESTful APIs

Microservices

SQL Server/PostgreSQL

TDD/Automation

Tools

AKS

App Service

Azure SQL

Service Bus

Job description

Lead Full Stack Software Engineer - Hybrid Canadian Retirement

Are you a passionate software engineering leader who enjoys building modern cloud-based solutions while mentoring and elevating development teams? Join our Canadian Retirement Technology team and play a key role in designing, delivering, and evolving digital capabilities that improve the experience of our customers and business partners. As a Lead Full Stack Software Engineer, you will provide technical leadership across the software development lifecycle, partnering with product owners, architects, and engineering teams to build secure, scalable, and high-performing applications. You'll influence engineering practices, drive architectural decisions, and help foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

What You’ll Do

Lead the design, development, and delivery of full-stack applications using Java (Spring Boot) and React. Architect and build scalable cloud-native solutions on Microsoft Azure, leveraging services such as AKS, App Service, Azure SQL, and Service Bus. Guide engineering teams through architecture reviews, technical decision-making, and implementation best practices. Mentor and coach developers through code reviews, pair programming, and ongoing technical leadership. Promote software quality through automated testing, observability, and modern engineering practices. Partner closely with business and technology stakeholders to translate requirements into innovative technology solutions. Drive DevOps adoption, CI/CD automation, and infrastructure-as-code practices. Support production systems, troubleshoot complex issues, and lead efforts to improve reliability and performance. Balance delivery priorities with long‑term architectural health and technical debt management. Contribute to hiring and talent development efforts to build a high‑performing engineering organization.

What We’re Looking For

Experience 8+ years of professional software engineering experience. 2+ years of experience in a technical leadership, lead developer, or mentorship capacity. Technical expertise: Strong hands‑on experience with Java (Spring Boot) and React. Proven experience developing and operating cloud‑native applications on Microsoft Azure. Strong understanding of microservices architecture, RESTful APIs, and distributed systems. Experience with CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and infrastructure‑as‑code solutions. Expertise working with relational databases such as SQL Server and PostgreSQL. Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and modern container‑based deployment strategies. Strong understanding of software design principles, application security, and performance optimization. Leadership & Collaboration: Demonstrated success mentoring engineers and fostering technical excellence. Experience leading architecture discussions and evaluating technical trade‑offs. Ability to establish and maintain high standards for code quality, testing, documentation, and operational excellence. Strong Agile delivery experience, including sprint planning, estimation, and retrospectives. Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage both technical and non‑technical stakeholders. Experience coordinating across multiple teams and managing cross‑functional dependencies. Mindset: Pragmatic and outcome‑focused, with a balanced approach to technology adoption. Passionate about continuous improvement, learning, and innovation. Committed to quality‑first engineering practices, including TDD and automation. Values: collaboration, transparency, accountability, and customer‑centric thinking. If you are applying to this role in Massachusetts, please note the salary range is $127300 - $236470 USD. Additionally, employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance.

Why Join Us?

You’ll have the opportunity to shape the future of Canadian Retirement technology while working with modern cloud platforms, talented engineering teams, and business leaders committed to innovation. If you’re excited about leading technical strategy, mentoring others, and delivering solutions that make a meaningful impact, we’d love to hear from you. 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 Waterloo, Ontario Working Arrangement Hybrid Salary range is expected to be between $113,260.00 CAD - $210,340.00 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. 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

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.

Awards and Recognition

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.

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