Data Scientist - Hybrid

Manulife Insurance Malaysia; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 167,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with employer matching

Paid time off

Job summary

John Hancock, a unit of Manulife Financial, seeks a Data Scientist focused on AI and Generative AI to influence business outcomes in U.S. Insurance. You will join a global AI community of over 160 data scientists, shaping production-grade AI applications and innovative GenAI initiatives.

You will work across business leaders, technology teams, and cloud platforms to deliver measurable value while advancing fraud detection, customer experiences, and operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or related field.
• 2+ years of industry experience developing and deploying AI and Generative AI solutions.
• Strong programming skills in Python and SQL.
• Experience designing and executing data science experiments and machine learning projects.
• Ability to translate business problems into scalable AI solutions.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy AI and Generative AI solutions addressing real business challenges.
• Build and operationalize ML and LLM solutions from concept to production.
• Partner with business stakeholders to identify opportunities, gather requirements, formulate hypotheses, and deliver measurable outcomes.
• Develop proof-of-concepts, pilot programs, and enterprise-scale AI applications.
• Implement prompt engineering strategies, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and modern AI architectures.
• Generate business insights through data exploration, experimentation, and analytics.
• Build scalable data pipelines and AI workflows that support production environments.
• Monitor, evaluate, and improve model performance and solution effectiveness.
• Communicate analytical findings and technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Stay current with emerging trends in AI, GenAI, ML, and cloud technologies.

Skills

Python

SQL

Data Science

GenAI

ML & DL

Communication

Education

Master's or PhD in quantitative field

Tools

LangChain

Semantic Kernel

Azure

Databricks

Git

Pandas

Scikit-learn

Keras

NLTK

Job description

This is a great opportunity to attract AI and GenAI talent in a highly competitive market. The key is to focus on the business impact, cutting-edge technology, and career growth opportunities rather than simply listing responsibilities. Data Scientist, AI & Generative AI John Hancock | Boston, MA / Toronto, ON Shape the Future of AI in Insurance At John Hancock, we're transforming the way people buy, manage, and benefit from life insurance. Our AI team is at the forefront of this journey, leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI to simplify customer experiences, optimize sales and marketing, strengthen fraud detection, and modernize operations. As a Data Scientist, AI & Generative AI, you'll work on high-impact initiatives that directly influence business outcomes across our U.S. Insurance business. You'll collaborate with business leaders, technology teams, and a global network of over 160 data scientists across John Hancock and Manulife, giving you exposure to world-class expertise and innovative AI applications. If you're passionate about building production-grade AI solutions, experimenting with emerging GenAI technologies, and solving complex business problems, we'd love to hear from you.

What You’ll Do As a member of our growing AI team, you will:

• Design, develop, and deploy AI and Generative AI solutions that address real business challenges.
• Build and operationalize machine learning and large language model (LLM) solutions from concept through production.
• Partner with business stakeholders to identify opportunities, gather requirements, formulate hypotheses, and deliver measurable outcomes.
• Develop proof-of-concepts, pilot programs, and enterprise-scale AI applications.
• Implement prompt engineering strategies, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) patterns, and modern AI architectures.
• Generate business insights through data exploration, experimentation, and advanced analytics.
• Build scalable data pipelines and AI workflows that support production environments.
• Monitor, evaluate, and continuously improve model performance and solution effectiveness.
• Communicate analytical findings and technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Stay current with emerging trends in AI, GenAI, machine learning, and cloud technologies.

What You’ll Bring Required Qualifications

• Master's or PhD degree in Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or a related quantitative field.
• 2+ years of industry experience developing and deploying AI and Generative AI solutions.
• Strong programming skills in Python and SQL.
• Experience designing and executing data science experiments and machine learning projects.
• Ability to translate business problems into scalable AI solutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Python libraries such as Pandas, Scikit-learn, Keras, NLTK, and similar tools.
• Hands-on experience with LLM development frameworks such as LangChain and Semantic Kernel.
• Knowledge of relational and non-relational databases (SQL and NoSQL).
• Experience developing NLP solutions such as: Document Classification Entity Extraction Relationship Extraction Sentiment Analysis
• Understanding of: Vector databases and embeddings Prompt engineering Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Agentic AI and multi-agent systems
• Strong machine learning and deep learning expertise, including supervised and unsupervised techniques.
• Experience with cloud-based AI development, preferably in Microsoft Azure and Databricks environments.
• Familiarity with MLOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, Git version control, and production deployment.
• Experience in fraud prevention, deepfake detection, healthcare analytics, EHR data, or medical terminology is an asset.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Why Join John Hancock?

Work on Meaningful Problems Develop AI solutions that help millions of customers make better financial decisions and improve their overall experience.

Build with Modern Technologies Work with LLMs, GenAI frameworks, cloud-native machine learning platforms, MLOps, and advanced AI architectures.

Learn from a Global AI Community Collaborate with a network of more than 160 data scientists across John Hancock and Manulife.

Grow Your Career Access continuous learning opportunities, mentorship, and exposure to innovative AI initiatives across multiple business domains.

Thrive in an Inclusive Environment We're committed to fostering a workplace where everyone feels supported, valued, and empowered to do their best work.

About John Hancock & Manulife

John Hancock is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services group providing insurance and wealth management solutions across North America, Asia, and Europe. Together, we're on a mission to remove complexity from financial services and make decisions easier for our customers.

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 Boston, Massachusetts Working Arrangement Hybrid Salary range is expected to be between $90,160.00 USD - $167,440.00 USD 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, experience, and education/training. If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact [e-mail] for the salary range for your location.

Manulife/John Hancock offers eligible employees a wide array of customizable benefits, including health, dental, mental health, vision, short- and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance coverage, adoption/surrogacy and wellness benefits, and employee/family assistance plans. We also offer eligible employees various retirement savings plans (including pension/401(k) savings plans and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources.

Our generous paid time off program in the U.S. includes up to 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days, 150 hours of vacation, and 40 hours of sick time (or more where required by law) each year, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence.

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.

Know Your Rights I Family & Medical Leave I Employee Polygraph Protection I Right to Work I E-Verify Company: John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) We're Manulife. And we’re on a mission to make decisions easier and lives better. Better is what drives us. It’s what inspires us to find new ways to support customers and colleagues in living longer and healthier lives. It’s the reason we’re dedicated to investing in digital innovation and accelerating a sustainable and economically inclusive future. Joining us means you’ll be empowered to learn and grow your career. We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words. And as part of our global team, you’ll help shape the future you want to see – and discover that better can take you anywhere you want to go.

Learn more at https://www.manulife.com/.