Strategic Partnership Manager

Manulife; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife in Toronto seeks a Strategic Partnership Manager to lead initiatives in strategic sourcing, contracting, and vendor governance, driving high-value relationships and commercial outcomes.

You will collaborate with Legal, Risk, Vendor Governance, and Business Units to optimize total cost of ownership, manage third‑party risk, and ensure compliant, best‑in-class service delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent business experience; 5+ years in Strategic Partnerships, Insurance, and Contracting.
• Experience in Vendor Management, Procurement, or Strategic Sourcing is assets.
• Strong knowledge of Insurance business, operations, procurement processes, contract law and third-party risk frameworks.
• Proven ability to build internal and external relationships in complex environments.
• Excellent negotiation, collaboration and influencing skills; effective communicator with senior audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end contracting activities across business units and functions.
• Manage vendor relationships and governance to optimize performance and value.
• Oversee vendor risk assessments, SLAs, KPIs, and compliance with policies.
• Act as a trusted advisor aligning procurement policies with enterprise standards.

Skills

Strategic Partnerships

Vendor Management

Procurement

Contracting

Negotiation

Risk Management

Stakeholder Management

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Job description

Key Accountabilities

Vendor Contracting

As a Strategic Partnership Manager, you will play a critical role in leading initiatives, driving high value vendor relationships, optimizing third-party performance, and enabling strong business outcomes through strategic sourcing, contracting, partnership management and governance. You will collaborate across multiple business areas to ensure competitive agreements are secured, manage risks effectively, and deliver exceptional service to our internal stakeholders, customers and vendors. Key success factors for this role include effective contract execution, risk mitigation, vendor performance outcomes, stakeholder satisfaction, and achievement of commercial objectives.

Vendor Contracting

• Provide leadership and subject matter expertise across procurement, business projects and outsourcing initiatives, including the development, end-to-end negotiation, contract drafting, risk concurrence and management of high value contracts.
• Lead end-to-end contracting activities with key stakeholders across Business Units, Procurement, Vendor Information Security, Legal, Risk, and Vendor Governance, including RFIs (Requests for Information), RFPs (Requests for Proposals), MSAs (Master Service Agreements), SOWs (Statements of Work), amendments, change requests, work orders, and NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements).
• Ensure best-in-class service delivery and competitive commercial agreements by engaging appropriate stakeholder groups, optimizing total cost of ownership, driving long-term partnership value, and adhering to required project, operational, procurement, and risk frameworks.
• Function as a trusted advisor, ensuring alignment with all Procurement policies, sourcing best practices, and enterprise standards related to contracting.

Relationship Management

• Build proactive and trusted partnerships with business stakeholders, Procurement, Legal, Risk, and Vendor Governance teams to identify cost-effective, innovative solutions that enhance product and service delivery.
• Partner closely with Vendor Governance Risk Management, Vendor Information Security Management, Operational Risk, Data Governance, Legal and other required stakeholders to appropriately assess, mitigate, and manage third-party risk (including supporting the following activities: third-party risk assessments, business continuity planning, concentration risk analysis and exit planning activities).
• Build collaborative relationships with vendors and serve as a key liaison between vendors and business units to foster strong collaboration, maintain strategic alignment, and ensure vendors are positioned to deliver optimal performance and innovation.

Vendor Performance Management

• Oversee vendor stakeholder compliance with all enterprise risk policies and ensure that vendors meet requirements set out by Vendor Governance—such as risk assessments, performance scorecards, audits, and business continuity planning.
• Develop deep expertise in existing and future contracts, ensuring a full understanding of vendor obligations, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and SLAs (Service Level Agreements).
• Establish, track, and report on KPIs, SLAs, contractual obligations as well as strategic objectives to measure vendor performance and identify gaps or issues requiring corrective action.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, operational meetings, working group meetings, and touchpoints to ensure strategic alignment, address emerging issues, and strengthen vendor accountability.

Issue Management

• Lead the resolution of major service disruptions related to contracted services, working with business stakeholders and vendors to restore service quickly and effectively.
• Act as the primary escalation point for complex vendor related issues and disputes, driving root cause analysis and long-term corrective actions.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent business experience, with 5+ years of experience Strategic Partnerships, Insurance, and Contracting; experience in Vendor Management, Procurement, or Strategic Sourcing would be an asset.
• Strong knowledge of Insurance business, operations, procurement processes, sourcing methodologies, contract law, as well as experience with third-party risk management frameworks and regulations relevant to third-party engagements.
• Proven ability to build strong internal and external relationships and navigate complex stakeholder environments.
• Exceptional collaboration, negotiation, and influencing skills, with the ability to balance business needs, vendor capabilities, and contractual obligations.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including experience presenting to senior and executive audiences.
• Strong analytical, problem solving, consulting, and conflict management skills.
• Highly self-motivated with a strong drive for quality outcomes and the ability to achieve results through cross-functional or indirect resources.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively, offer peer support and build strong relationships within a cohesive team.
• Demonstrated project management experience.

Bilingualism (English and French) is an asset. If the successful candidate is in Québec, proficiency in both languages will be required to support clients from various provinces outside of Quebec.

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