Product Owner, Sponsor & Advisor Experience

Manulife John Hancock; Southwestern Ontario; Hybrid; CAD 71,000 - 118,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife John Hancock in Canada seeks an experienced Product Owner to drive strategy, delivery, and innovation across Retirement HR Services products. You will champion user-centric solutions, balance business and customer needs, and guide strategy, usability, and adoption of our HR services offerings.

You will manage the product backlog, prioritize user stories, lead agile ceremonies, and collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years in digital product ownership / product management.
• Proven delivery of successful digital products end-to-end.
• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience in agile (Scrum/Kanban) environments.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve product vision, roadmap, and priorities aligned to HR Services strategy.
• Use customer feedback, data, and market insights to inform decisions.
• Act as the voice of the customer and business across the product lifecycle.
• Own backlog prioritization, user stories, and sprint outcomes.
• Lead agile ceremonies and ensure consistent, iterative delivery.
• Oversee UAT and ensure quality, usability, and value delivery.

Skills

Product ownership

Agile delivery

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decisions

Communication

Tools

AEM

Salesforce

Sitecore

Adobe Target

Optimizely

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Product Owner to drive strategy, delivery, and continuous innovation across our Canadian Retirement HR Services products. In this role, you will champion a user-centric approach, balancing business and customer needs while leading the strategy, usability, and adoption of our HR Services offerings.

You will prioritize the product backlog, deliver iterative value, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop solutions that enhance digital experiences, leveraging AI through targeted opportunities. If you're ready for a challenging and ambitious role, join us in redefining HR Service experiences.

Position Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Ownership

• Define and evolve product vision, roadmap, and priorities aligned to HR Services strategy
• Use customer feedback, data, and market insights to inform decisions
• Act as the voice of the customer and business across the product lifecycle

Delivery & Execution

• Own backlog prioritization, user stories, and sprint outcomes
• Lead agile ceremonies and ensure consistent, iterative delivery
• Oversee UAT and ensure quality, usability, and value delivery

Data, AI & Insights

• Leverage product analytics and data driven insights to optimize experience and decision-making
• Apply structured prioritization methods (e.g., RICE, MoSCoW)
• Partner with data teams to enable accurate, actionable insights

Digital Experience & Platform Evolution

• Drive modernization of digital platforms (API-first, headless architectures)
• Implement design systems for consistent, accessible UX
• Enable personalization strategies to improve engagement and outcomes

Adoption & Change Management

• Lead go-to-market and adoption strategies for new features
• Partner across HR, marketing, and support teams
• Monitor adoption metrics and refine rollout approaches

Stakeholder Alignment

• Build strong relationships and align priorities across teams
• Communicate product vision, progress, and outcomes clearly
• Use frameworks (OKRs, RACI) to support execution and alignment

Required Qualifications

• 3-5 years in digital product ownership / product management
• Proven delivery of successful digital products end-to-end
• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Experience in agile (Scrum/Kanban) environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Group Retirement Services or B2B environments
• Expertise in digital platforms (e.g., AEM, Salesforce, Sitecore)
• Familiarity with AI technologies and trends
• Experience with personalization tools (Adobe Target, Optimizely)
• Understanding of consent and compliance (GDPR, CCPA)
• Strong UX and data-driven decision-making capabilities

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.

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 $70,500.00 CAD - $117,500.00 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, ex