Senior IT Project Manager

Manulife John Hancock; Toronto; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife John Hancock seeks a Senior IT Project Manager to lead end-to-end delivery of Global Risk Technology and AI-enabled GRC transformation initiatives. You will partner with senior sponsors, architects, and risk experts to convert strategy into executable roadmaps, aligning with regulatory priorities and enterprise objectives.

This is a high-visibility role requiring strategic thinking and disciplined execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years of project or program management experience in technology/transformation.
• 5-7+ years in financial services or regulated industry.
• Proven success delivering enterprise-scale tech initiatives with executive visibility.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, and business case development skills.
• Strong governance, risk management, and regulatory delivery understanding.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and align diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of Global Risk Technology and AI-enabled transformation initiatives.
• Partner with sponsors, leaders, architects, product owners, and risk SMEs to define delivery strategies and value realization plans.
• Translate strategic priorities into executable roadmaps and milestones across multiple initiatives.
• Drive alignment across business, technology, Data & AI, architecture, and control functions.
• Manage scope, schedule, budget, resources, risks, and benefits in a complex global environment.
• Lead governance forums, steering committees, and stakeholder discussions to enable timely decisions.
• Develop executive communications, project reporting, and dashboards on project health and financial performance.
• Proactively manage risks, issues, dependencies, and regulatory considerations.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Financial acumen

Risk management

Executive communication

Leadership without authority

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering/Business

Job description

The Senior IT Project Manager is responsible for the end-to-end delivery of strategic Global Risk Technology and AI-enabled Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) transformation initiatives.

As part of Technology Business Management & Strategy within Group Functions Technology, this role operates at the intersection of project and program management, technology delivery, IT governance, and business transformation. The position supports digitization, automation, and process improvement initiatives that enhance business efficiency, strengthen risk management capabilities, and enable strategic outcomes across the Global Risk portfolio.

The successful candidate partners with senior business leaders, technology executives, product owners, architects, Data & AI teams, control functions, and external partners to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives from concept through implementation. This role engages global stakeholders across North America and Asia and provides opportunity to drive enterprise transformation programs, and strategic technology investments.

This is a highly visible role requiring more than traditional project management expertise. The ideal candidate combines delivery excellence with strategic thinking, strong business and risk domain knowledge, financial acumen, executive stakeholder management, and the ability to influence outcomes across a highly matrixed organization. Success in the role requires navigating ambiguity, building alignment across diverse stakeholders, and driving measurable business value through disciplined execution and strong governance.

Position Responsibilities:

• Lead end-to-end delivery of complex Global Risk Technology and AI-enabled transformation initiatives, ensuring alignment with business strategy, regulatory priorities, and enterprise objectives.
• Partner with business sponsors, technology leaders, architects, product owners, and risk subject matter experts to define delivery strategies, success measures, and value realization plans.
• Translate strategic priorities into executable roadmaps, integrated plans, milestones, and measurable outcomes across multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Drive alignment across business, technology, Data & AI, architecture, and control functions to establish clear ownership, accountability, and decision-making frameworks.
• Manage initiative scope, schedule, budget, resources, dependencies, risks, and benefits while balancing competing priorities within a complex global environment.
• Lead governance forums, executive steering committees, and stakeholder discussions to facilitate timely decisions, issue resolution, and delivery transparency.
• Develop executive communications, project reporting, and dashboards that provide insights into project health, risks, financial performance, and strategic trade-offs.
• Drive proactive management of risks, issues, assumptions, dependencies, and regulatory considerations to enhance delivery predictability and execution confidence.
• Partner with Finance, Procurement, Technology Business Management, and external vendors to support investment planning, forecasting, funding approvals, and financial stewardship.
• Lead and influence cross-functional teams without direct authority, fostering collaboration, accountability, and execution excellence.
• Manage vendor and partner deliverables, support contract and statement-of-work reviews, and monitor performance, financial commitments, and compliance with agreed terms.
• Lead project closeout, lessons learned, and after-action reviews, ensuring operational readiness, knowledge transfer, and benefits-tracking responsibilities are established.
• Promote best practices in project delivery, governance, portfolio management, and continuous improvement.
• Champion an innovation-first mindset by leveraging AI, automation, and emerging technologies to simplify processes, improve productivity, enhance stakeholder experiences, and enable scalable, efficient delivery across the portfolio.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer science, Engineering, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years of project or program management experience leading large-scale technology, transformation, or regulatory initiatives in complex enterprise environments.
• 5-7+ years of experience in financial services, insurance, or another highly regulated industry.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise-scale technology initiatives involving distributed teams, multiple stakeholder groups, and significant organizational complexity with executive visibility.
• Strong financial management skills, including budgeting, forecasting, cost control, variance analysis, and business case development.
• Strong understanding of project governance, risk management, regulatory compliance, controls, and enterprise technology delivery.
• Highly organized, with strong prioritization skills and the ability to navigate ambiguity, competing priorities, and changing demands.
• Exceptional comm