Head of Product Transformation and Innovation

MANULIFE (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.; Singapore; On-site; SGD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading insurance firm in Singapore seeks a Head of Product Transformation & Innovation. This pivotal role will guide a strategic overhaul of product development, fostering a commercial outlook at every stage. Responsibilities include enhancing lifecycle efficiency, embedding commercial thinking, and establishing structured management rhythms. The ideal candidate should possess a university degree and demonstrated leadership, strategic thinking, and strong communication skills, focusing on transforming the product function into a customer-centric and innovation-focused team.

Benefits

Flexible environment

Support for career growth

Inclusive workplace

Qualifications

• Proven leadership skills, strategic thinking, decision making and execution skills.
• Highly developed communication and relationship skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the redesign of the product development lifecycle for faster execution.
• Partner with IT, Operations, and Distribution to enhance capabilities.
• Introduce frameworks to replace ad-hoc workflows with strategic decision-making.
• Build a proposition-driven approach for customer alignment.
• Establish structured management rhythms for innovation balance.
• Elevate product team’s role by embedding commercial thinking.
• Drive transformation across the product organization for accountability.
• Strengthen stakeholder engagement for alignment and visibility.

Skills

Excellent Communication Skills

Leadership

Strategic Thinking

Product Management

Transformation Projects

Product Development

Education

University degree

Job description

The Head of Product Transformation & Innovation will lead the strategic overhaul of Manulife Singapore’s product development and delivery model, embedding a strong commercial lens into every stage of the process. This role is pivotal in evolving the product function from a reactive, BAU‑driven setup into a future‑ready, customer‑centric, innovation‑driven and commercially accountable team.

By driving process redesign, digital/AI enablement and cross‑functional collaboration, this role will directly address key pain points – such as need of strategic structure, prolonged development cycles, fragmented channel input, and operational risk due to unclear or inconsistent processes. The ultimate goal is to accelerate speed‑to‑market, improve execution discipline, and ensure product initiatives are aligned with business growth and customer value.

Position Responsibilities

• Lead the redesign of the product development lifecycle to enable faster, more structured, and commercially aligned go‑to‑market execution.
• Partner with IT, Operations, Underwriting, and Distribution to implement capabilities and technology modules aimed at reducing turnaround times by 50%.
• Introduce prioritisation frameworks and governance models to replace ad‑hoc, request‑driven workflows with strategic decision‑making.
• Build a proposition‑driven approach to product development that ensures consistent customer and cross‑channel alignment.
• Establish structured product management rhythms (reviews, checkpoints, and governance) to balance short‑term delivery with long‑term innovation.
• Elevate the product team’s role from technical execution to strategic leadership, embedding commercial thinking into product planning and evaluation.
• Drive mindset and skillset transformation across the product organisation, fostering agility, accountability, and cross‑functional collaboration.
• Strengthen stakeholder engagement across senior leadership to ensure alignment, sponsorship, and visibility of product initiatives.
• Serve as the key interface between product, business leadership, and enabling functions, ensuring clarity of priorities and disciplined execution.

Required Qualifications

• University degree
• Proven leadership skills, strategic thinking, decision making and execution skills
• Highly developed communication and relationship skills

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.

Tell employers what skills you have

• Excellent Communication Skills
• Leadership
• PDL
• Strategic Thinking
• Strategy
• Product Management
• Life Insurance
• transformation projects
• Communication Skills
• Product Development

Create a job alert for this search