Project Manager, Group Benefits Operations

manulife; Kitchener; On-site; CAD 93,000 - 143,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife seeks a Project Manager, Group Benefits Operations to lead cross-functional initiatives that improve plan sponsor and member outcomes, service performance, and financial results. You will govern initiatives across Operations, Product, Technology, Finance, Risk, Compliance, Procurement and external partners.

The role emphasizes governance, decision-ready insights, and coordination of testing, training, cutover, and stabilization, with a focus on process improvement, digitization, data

Qualifications

• Degree or diploma in business, operations, finance, technology, project management, or related discipline.
• Five+ years of progressive experience leading complex projects or transformations in financial services, insurance, or regulated environments.
• Experience in Group Benefits operations, products, claims, or benefits administration.
• PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, Lean Six Sigma or equivalent certification.
• Experience with Microsoft Project, Planner, Visio, Power BI, SharePoint, Jira or equivalent platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead mid-to-large Group Benefits Operations initiatives through intake, prioritization, planning, implementation, stabilization, and benefits realization.
• Partner with operational leaders to define problems, requirements, outcomes, and sustainable solutions.
• Maintain an integrated view of active and pipeline initiatives, ownership, milestones, dependencies, risks, and costs.
• Establish governance and operating rhythms, including integrated plans, risk logs, and executive reporting.
• Lead initiatives that improve sponsor/member experiences, service performance, quality, capacity, and end-to-end processes.
• Identify and implement process improvement, digitization, automation, data, and AI opportunities to strengthen controls and scalability.
• Coordinate testing, change management, training, communications, cutover, and stabilization with Product and Technology.
• Support business cases, budgets, forecasts, resource plans, and benefit measures; monitor financial performance and value.
• Coordinate external partner and vendor deliverables, performance, and contractual obligations.

Skills

PMP

PRINCE2

Agile

Lean Six Sigma

Education

Post-secondary degree or diploma in business, operations, finance, technology, project management, or related discipline

Tools

Microsoft Project

Planner

Visio

Power BI

SharePoint

Jira

Job description

The Project Manager, Group Benefits Operations leads cross-functional Group Benefits Operations initiatives that improve plan sponsor and plan member outcomes, service performance, operational effectiveness, risk management, workforce readiness, and financial results. The role applies governance, produces decision-ready insights, and coordinates delivery across Operations, Product, Technology, Finance, Risk, Compliance, Procurement, and external partners.

Position Responsibilities:

• Lead moderate-to-large Group Benefits Operations initiatives through intake, prioritization, planning, implementation, stabilization, and benefits realization.

• Partner with operational leaders across Group Benefits to define problems, requirements, outcomes, operational impacts, and sustainable solutions.

• Maintain an integrated view of active and pipeline initiatives, including ownership, milestones, dependencies, risks, costs, benefits, and leadership decisions.

• Establish project governance and operating rhythms, including integrated plans, decision logs, risk and issue registers, change control, executive reporting, forums, escalations, and action follow-through.

• Lead initiatives that improve plan sponsor and plan member experiences, service performance, quality, capacity, and end-to-end operational processes.

• Identify and implement process improvement, digitization, automation, data, and AI opportunities that simplify work, strengthen controls, improve scalability, and deliver measurable benefits.

• Partner with Product and Technology to translate operational needs into requirements and coordinate testing, change management, training, communications, cutover, and post-implementation stabilization.

• Support service recovery, workforce, and capacity initiatives by validating data, identifying root causes, assessing resource impacts, coordinating remediation, and escalating material risks or delays.

• Support business cases, budgets, forecasts, resource plans, and benefit measures; monitor financial performance and expected value.

• Coordinate external partner and vendor deliverables, performance, risks, dependencies, and contractual obligations with business and control functions.

• Ensure projects meet legal, regulatory, operational risk, privacy, information-security, records-management, accessibility, and Company requirements; track corrective actions, control remediation, evidence, approvals, and commitments through closure.

• Handle highly sensitive, confidential, privileged, or NDA-protected information with discretion and sound judgment, sharing it strictly on a need-to-know basis.

• Build collaborative relationships, clarify roles and decision rights, resolve competing priorities, and drive accountability across Group Benefits and enterprise functions.

Required Qualifications:

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in business, operations, finance, technology, project management, or a related discipline; an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

• Five or more years of progressive experience leading complex projects, operational improvement, or transformation initiatives in financial services, insurance, benefits administration, or another regulated environment.

• Experience in Group Benefits operations, products, claims, benefits administration, plan sponsor servicing, plan member servicing, billing, eligibility, or plan design.

• PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, Lean Six Sigma, or an equivalent project management or process-improvement certification.

• Experience with Microsoft Project, Planner, Visio, Power BI, SharePoint, Jira, or equivalent project and reporting platforms.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated full-lifecycle delivery experience, including scope, requirements, schedules, budgets, resources, dependencies, risks, issues, change control, implementation, stabilization, and benefits realization.

• Strong understanding of operations and service delivery, including customer journeys, transaction processing, service levels, quality, workflows, capacity, backlogs, and operational readiness.

• Proven ability to apply portfolio and project governance, support integrated plans, manage risks and issues, define measures, and produce concise executive reporting and recommendations.

• Experience contributing process redesign, automation, digitization, data, workflow, system implementation, or AI-enabled change in an operational environment.

• Strong business and financial acumen, including business cases, cost-benefit analysis, budgeting, forecasting, resource planning, vendor assessment, and benefits measurement.

• Working knowledge of operational risk, compliance, privacy, information security, records management, accessibility, third-party risk, and controls in a regulated environment.

• Strong analytical, communication, facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder-influence skills, including the ability to engage senior leaders and cross-functional partners without direct authority.

• High degree of integrity, professionalism, and discretion when handling highly sensitive, confidential, privileged, or NDA-protected information.

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365 and project, collaboration, reporting, and data-visualization tools.

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.

#LI-HYBRID

The role being advertised is an existing vacancy.

Acerca de Manulife y John Hancock

Manulife Financial Corporation es un importante proveedor internacional de servicios financieros que ayuda a las personas a tomar decisiones de una manera más fácil y a vivir mejor. Para obtener más información acerca de nosotros, visite http://www.manulife.com

Manulife es un empleador que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades

En Manulife/John Hancock, valoramos nuestra diversidad. Nos esforzamos por atraer, formar y retener una fuerza laboral tan diversa como los clientes a los que prestamos servicios, y para fomentar un entorno laboral inclusivo en el que se aprovechen las fortalezas de las culturas y las personas. Estamos comprometidos con la equidad en las contrataciones, la retención de talento, el ascenso y la remuneración, y administramos todas nuestras prácticas y programas sin discriminación por motivos de raza, ascendencia, lugar de origen, color, origen étnico, ciudadanía, religión o creencias religiosas, credo, sexo (incluyendo el embarazo y las afecciones relacionadas con este), orientación sexual, características genéticas, condición de veterano, identidad de género, expresión de género, edad, estado civil, estatus familiar, discapacidad, o cualquier otro aspecto protegido por la ley vigente.

Nuestra prioridad es eliminar las barreras para garantizar la igualdad de acceso al empleo. Un representante de Recursos Humanos trabajará con los solicitantes que requieran una adaptación razonable durante el proceso de solicitud. Toda la información que se haya compartido durante el proceso de solicitud de adaptación se almacenará y utilizará de manera congruente con las leyes y las políticas de Manulife/John Hancock correspondientes. Para solicitar una adaptación razonable en el proceso de solicitud, envíenos un mensaje a [e-mail] .

Referenced Salary Location

Toronto, Ontario

Modalidades de Trabajo

Híbrido

Salary range is expected to be between

$92,900.00 CAD - $142,900.00 CAD

Los empleados también tienen la oportunidad de participar en programas de incentivos y recibir una compensación vinculada al rendimiento empresarial e individual. El salario real variará según las condiciones del mercado local, la geografía y factores relacionados con el puesto como conocimientos, habilidades, requerimientos, experiencia y educación/formación. Si solicitas este puesto fuera de tu ubicación principal, por favor escríbenos a [e-mail] para conocer el rango salarial correspondiente a tu ubicación.

Manulife ofrece a los empleados aptos una amplia variedad de beneficios personalizables, entre ellos, beneficios de salud, odontológicos, de salud mental, oftalmológicos, por discapacidad a corto y a largo plazo, cobertura de seguro de vida y por muerte accidental y desmembramiento, adopción/subrogación y bienestar, y planes de asistencia al empleado/familiar. También ofrecemos a los empleados admisibles varios planes de ahorro para la jubilación (incluidos planes de pensiones y un plan mundial de propiedad de acciones con contribuciones equivalentes del empleador) y recursos de asesoramiento y educación financiera. Nuestro generoso programa de tiempo libre remunerado en Canadá incluye feriados, vacaciones, días personales y días por enfermedad, y ofrecemos la gama completa de ausencia laboral reglamentaria. Si se está postulando para este puesto en los EE. UU., póngase en contacto con [e-mail] para obtener más información sobre las disposiciones relativas al tiempo libre remunerado específicas de EE. UU.

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 (https://careers.manulife.com/global/en/talentacquisitionprivacystatement) .