Manager Planning & Intake

Canada Life; London; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Canada Life is strengthening enterprise delivery through the continued build-out of a centralized BPMO within COBE. The Manager, Planning & Intake is a key leadership role responsible for leading and developing a high-performing Planning & Intake team while overseeing intake management, demand planning, portfolio reporting, and governance support activities.

Working closely with Portfolio Directors, Business stakeholders, Technology, Finance, Risk, Architecture, and Delivery teams, this leader

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in project, program, or portfolio management, including governance, reporting, and prioritization processes.
• 2+ years of people leadership, with coaching and performance management responsibilities.
• Strong analytical and reporting capability, including dashboards and executive-ready insights.
• Working knowledge of financial management practices: forecasting, variance tracking, and capacity planning.
• Strong organizational discipline with the ability to manage multiple priorities and governance cycles.
• Experience with Clarity is a strong asset.
• Experience in a regulated environment (financial services preferred) and comfort working with Finance, Risk, and governance bodies.
• University degree in business/technology; PMP PfMP and/or Agile/Scrum credentials are assets.

Responsibilities

• Lead the intake and demand management process across the Canada Life organization.
• Oversee portfolio intake pipelines and provide Directors with visibility into demand trends and capacity impacts.
• Partner with Directors on planning, prioritization, and investment discussions.
• Support preparation of quarterly and annual planning inputs.
• Develop and maintain portfolio dashboards and reporting with delivery health, financials, and resource utilization insights.
• Strengthen data quality and reporting discipline across the portfolio.
• Support portfolio governance routines, stage gates, status cycles, health checks, and reporting cadences.
• Build and maintain relationships across Business, Technology, Finance, Risk, Architecture, and Delivery teams.
• Lead, coach, and develop the team with clear objectives and performance management.
• Foster a collaborative, service-oriented culture positioning BPMO as a trusted partner.
• Plan and allocate team workload across teams for coverage and quality.
• Contribute to BPMO tools, templates, and processes to standardize and improve management practices.

Skills

Analytical skills

Dashboard reporting

Portfolio governance

Forecasting

Education

University degree in business or technology

PMP/PfMP/Agile-Scrum credentials considered assets

Tools

Clarity

Job description

Permanent Full Time

Canada Life is strengthening enterprise delivery through the continued build-out of a centralized Business Project Management Office (BPMO) within COBE.

The Manager, Planning & Intake is a key leadership role responsible for leading and developing a high-performing Planning & Intake team while overseeing intake management, demand planning, portfolio reporting, and governance support activities

This role serves as a critical partner to Portfolio Directors by providing the operational leadership, analysis, and planning support required to enable informed prioritization, investment, and delivery decisions.

Working closely with Portfolio Directors, Business stakeholders, Technology, Finance, Risk, Architecture, and Delivery teams, this leader fosters strong cross-functional collaboration.

What you will do

• Lead the intake and demand management process across the Canada Life organization.
• Oversee portfolio intake pipelines and provide Portfolio Directors with visibility into demand trends and capacity impacts
• Partner closely with Portfolio Directors on planning, prioritization, and investment discussions.
• Support preparation of quarterly and annual planning inputs
• Develop and maintain portfolio dashboards and reporting that provide accurate, timely transparency on business and technology initiatives, including delivery health, financials, and resource utilization
• Strengthen data quality and reporting discipline across the portfolio, partnering with delivery leads to ensure consistent, reliable information.
• Support portfolio governance routines, stage gates, status cycles, health checks, and reporting cadences, ensuring initiatives comply with BPMO standards and investment frameworks.
• Build and maintain strong relationships across Business, Technology, Finance, Risk, Architecture, and Delivery teams
• Lead, coach, and develop the team, setting clear objectives, managing performance, and building capability across portfolio management practices.
• Foster a collaborative, service-oriented team culture that positions the BPMO as a trusted partner to business and delivery stakeholders.
• Plan and allocate team workload across the teams, ensuring coverage, quality, and responsiveness to changing priorities.
• Contribute to the evolution of BPMO tools, templates, and processes, identifying opportunities to standardize, automate, and improve portfolio management practices.

What You Will Bring

• 5+ years of progressive experience in project, program, or portfolio management, including direct experience with portfolio governance, reporting, and prioritization processes.
• 2+ years of people leadership experience, with a demonstrated ability to coach, develop, and manage the performance of a team.
• Strong analytical and reporting capability, skilled at synthesizing portfolio data into accurate dashboards and executive-ready insights.
• Working knowledge of financial management practices, including forecasting, variance tracking, and resource/capacity planning.
• Strong organizational discipline and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and governance cycles concurrently.
• Experience with Clarity is a strong asset.
• Experience in a regulated environment (financial services preferred) and comfort working with Finance, Risk, and governance bodies.
• University degree in business, technology, or a related discipline; PMP, PfMP, and/or Agile/Scrum credentials are considered assets.

The base salary for this position is between $90,400 - $140,400 annually. This represents base salary only and does not represent other variable compensation components of our total compensation ( i.e. annual bonus, commission etc).

Grow with Canada Life

We’re united by a shared purpose: to improve the financial, physical and mental well-being of Canadians. Our company is trusted by 1 in 3 Canadians and contributes to the strength of communities across the country.

We’re looking for people who live our values everyday: we step up, we do the right thing, and we deliver - for our customers, communities and each other. Are you someone who always strives to do the right thing, who steps up for themselves and others, and who delivers with impact? Then we want to hear from you!

What we offer

We’re committed to supporting our employees through every stage of their career. Here’s what you can expect as a full-time or part-time permanent team member:

• Career Development: Opportunities for career advancement, access to industry-leading learning programs and up to$2,000 annually towards education reimbursement.
• Health & Wellness:Flexible health and dental benefits, plus a $5,000 mental health benefit to support your well-being.
• Time Off:In addition to regular vacation and personal days, we support community involvement with a volunteer day.
• Financial Security:Company-matching pension plan,share ownership program and additionalinvestment options.
• Rewards and Recognition: Employee recognition programs, service milestone celebrations, employee discounts and more!
• Emphasis on Community: We provide a workplace where employees feel connected and supported through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), mentorship programs, social clubs and events.

Learn more about Canada Life.

We’re committed to removing barriers and ensuring equal access to employment. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation during the application process may contact [e-mail]. All information provided will be handled in accordance with applicable laws and Canada Life policies.

Canada Life would like to thank all applicants, however only those who qualify for an interview will be contacted