People Services AI Solutions & Configuration Lead

Manulife John Hancock; Toronto; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife is seeking a People Services AI Solutions & Configuration Lead to shape AI-enabled HR experiences within Workday and related platforms. You will translate business needs into scalable configuration designs, drive solution direction, and collaborate with HR, technology, and governance teams to ensure compliant, scalable, and innovative employee services.

The role focuses on configuring AI-enabled capabilities, leading design discussions, and delivering automation while maintaining strong

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive experience configuring, implementing, or supporting Workday solutions in a complex enterprise environment.
• Deep expertise in Workday configuration, including business processes, security, calculated fields, condition rules, notifications, and related platform capabilities.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex solution design and configuration initiatives involving multiple stakeholder groups and business functions.
• Strong understanding of HR processes, employee lifecycle events, HR service delivery, and employee experience principles.
• Experience translating ambiguous business requirements into scalable technical solutions and configuration designs.
• Experience evaluating design trade-offs, identifying impacts, and recommending future-state solutions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical configuration lead for AI-enabled People Services solutions, ensuring scalable, supportable, and sustainable designs.
• Translate business requirements, user stories, and product roadmap priorities into configuration designs, technical solutions, and platform enhancements.
• Design, configure, and optimize AI-enabled capabilities within Workday and related platforms.
• Evaluate emerging Workday AI capabilities and recommend opportunities to improve employee and manager experiences.
• Act as a subject matter expert for Workday AI products and capabilities, including Workday Self-Service Agent, Agentic AI solutions, and future platform innovations.
• Lead configuration design discussions, solution reviews, and technical impact assessments with HR and technology stakeholders.
• Partner with Product Leads, Business Analysts, Architects, Developers, and Test Leads throughout the delivery lifecycle.
• Analyze current-state processes and identify opportunities for automation, simplification, intelligence, and self-service.
• Design and configure workflows, business processes, integrations, decision logic, automation, and AI-enabled experiences.
• Participate in backlog refinement, sprint planning, estimation, and delivery planning activities.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, configuration standards, design decisions, support materials, and implementation guidance.
• Assess upstream and downstream impacts of proposed changes across HR processes, data, security, reporting, integrations, and employee experiences.
• Support release planning, testing activities, defect triage, production validation, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Partner with privacy, security, compliance, risk, and architecture teams to ensure solutions meet enterprise standards and governance expectations.
• Provide technical leadership, coaching, and mentorship to team members while helping establish configuration standards and best practices.
• Monitor industry trends, vendor roadmaps, release notes, and emerging AI innovations to proactively identify opportunities for People Services.

Skills

Workday configuration

HR processes

Solution design

AI capabilities

Stakeholder collaboration

Technical leadership

Tools

Workday

AI platforms

Job description

Empowering People Through Technology : Join Manulife's Global HR Transformation

At Manulife, we are transforming how our people experience work. Our PeopleComms Technology team enables simple, personalized, and compliant People Services solutions for colleagues worldwide. We value innovation, collaboration, and human-centered design, helping every employee thrive.

The Opportunity

At Manulife, we are reimagining how colleagues and leaders access People Services through AI-enabled experiences. As our People Services AI capabilities evolve, this role will help shape how HR processes and services are delivered in the flow of work.

As People Services AI Solutions & Configuration Lead , you will serve as the technical configuration and solution design expert within our People Services AI squad. You will partner across HR, technology, advanced analytics, architecture, governance, and product teams to design, configure, optimize , and continuously improve AI-enabled People Services solutions.

Working at the intersection of HR technology, AI innovation, employee experience, and platform capability, you will evaluate emerging technologies, translate business needs into scalable technical solutions, and help ensure our platforms evolve to meet changing colleague expectations.

This is not a traditional configuration role. You will be expected to influence solution direction, challenge assumptions, evaluate design options, identify platform opportunities, and recommend approaches that balance colleague experience, business value, governance requirements, and technical sustainability.

You will stay ahead of rapidly evolving AI capabilities across Workday, Microsoft, and related technology ecosystems, helping Manulife identify practical opportunities to improve employee experiences while maintaining compliance, scalability, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical configuration lead for AI-enabled People Services solutions, ensuring scalable, supportable, and sustainable designs.
• Translate business requirements, user stories, and product roadmap priorities into configuration designs, technical solutions, and platform enhancements.
• Design, configure, and optimize AI-enabled capabilities within Workday and related platforms.
• Evaluate emerging Workday AI capabilities and recommend opportunities to improve employee and manager experiences.
• Act as a subject matter expert for Workday AI products and capabilities, including Workday Self-Service Agent, Agentic AI solutions, and future platform innovations.
• Lead configuration design discussions, solution reviews, and technical impact assessments with HR and technology stakeholders.
• Partner with Product Leads, Business Analysts, Architects, Developers, and Test Leads throughout the delivery lifecycle.
• Analyze current-state processes and identify opportunities for automation, simplification, intelligence, and self-service.
• Design and configure workflows, business processes, integrations, decision logic, automation, and AI-enabled experiences.
• Participate in backlog refinement, sprint planning, estimation, and delivery planning activities.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, configuration standards, design decisions, support materials, and implementation guidance.
• Assess upstream and downstream impacts of proposed changes across HR processes, data, security, reporting, integrations, and employee experiences.
• Support release planning, testing activities, defect triage, production validation, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Partner with privacy, security, compliance, risk, and architecture teams to ensure solutions meet enterprise standards and governance expectations.
• Provide technical leadership, coaching, and mentorship to team members while helping establish configuration standards and best practices.
• Monitor industry trends, vendor roadmaps, release notes, and emerging AI innovations to proactively identify opportunities for People Services.

What You Bring

• 7+ years of progressive experience configuring, implementing, or supporting Workday solutions in a complex enterprise environment.
• Deep expertise in Workday configuration, including business processes, security, calculated fields, condition rules, notifications, and related platform capabilities.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex solution design and configuration initiatives involving multiple stakeholder groups and business functions.
• Strong understanding of HR processes, employee lifecycle events, HR service delivery, and employee experience principles.
• Experience translating ambiguous business requirements into scalable technical solutions and configuration designs.
• Experience evaluating design trade-offs, identifying impacts, and recommending future‑state solutions.
• Ability to challengeas...
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills w