Senior Technical Program Manager

John Hancock; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 92,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife/John Hancock is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager to lead complex technology initiatives across the New Business and Underwriting Platform. You will drive planning, governance, and delivery across engineering, product, operations, and external partners in a hybrid setting.

You will bring 7+ years of TPM experience in the insurance space, focus on underwriting processes, and excel at translating complex requirements into clear plans and decisions for senior leadership.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in technical program management or a related role.
• Strong insurance industry experience with underwriting processes or technology.
• Proven track record leading cross-functional technology initiatives from planning through implementation.
• Solid understanding of software delivery lifecycles, architecture, integrations, and operational readiness.
• Excellent communication, coordination, facilitation, and documentation skills.
• Ability to influence without direct authority in a matrixed environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, prioritization, and execution of technology initiatives across New Business and Underwriting workflows.
• Manage initiatives across the full delivery lifecycle from planning to post-launch review.
• Define program scope, objectives, milestones, and governance with stakeholders.
• Coordinate across engineering, architecture, product, operations, security, risk, business, vendor, and external partner teams.
• Build and maintain integrated delivery plans with milestones, dependencies, and resources.
• Identify risks, issues, blockers, assumptions, and dependencies; drive mitigation.
• Serve as escalation point to resolve delivery challenges.
• Facilitate planning sessions, status reviews, and retrospectives with clear decisions and owners.
• Partner with technical teams to understand architecture, integrations, and non-functional requirements.
• Manage changes to scope and delivery approaches with impact assessment.
• Establish governance and reporting for visibility into progress and program health.
• Track program performance using metrics to improve predictability and quality.
• Coordinate implementation, release, change-management, and operational readiness.
• Lead post-implementation reviews and continuous improvement.

Skills

7+ years experience

insurance industry

underwriting processes

software delivery lifecycle

communication

cross-functional leadership

risk management

vendor coordination

influence without authority

Job description

Senior Technical Program Manager

New Business & Underwriting Platform

Are you a seasoned Technical Program Manager who knows how to bring structure, momentum, and clarity to complex technology initiatives?

We’re looking for a Senior Technical Program Manager to help drive critical initiatives supporting our New Business and Underwriting Platform. This role is ideal for someone who combines strong technology delivery expertise with a solid understanding of the insurance industry and underwriting processes.

You’ll work across multiple initiatives rather than a single project, partnering with engineering, architecture, product, operations, business teams, and external partners. You’ll anticipate risks, remove roadblocks, manage dependencies, and help teams turn complex requirements into successful business and technology outcomes.

What You’ll Do

As a Senior Technical Program Manager, you will:

• Lead the planning, prioritization, and execution of technology initiatives, enhancements, and regulatory changes across New Business and Underwriting workflows.
• Manage complex initiatives across the full delivery lifecycle, from planning and mobilization through implementation and post-launch review.
• Define program scope, objectives, outcomes, milestones, delivery plans, governance, and success measures in partnership with business and technology stakeholders.
• Coordinate across engineering, architecture, product, operations, security, risk, business, vendor, and external partner teams.
• Build and maintain integrated delivery plans that identify milestones, dependencies, critical paths, resources, and commitments.
• Proactively identify risks, issues, blockers, assumptions, and dependencies, driving mitigation and escalating decisions when necessary.
• Serve as an early point of escalation, helping teams resolve challenges before they impact broader delivery objectives.
• Facilitate planning sessions, status reviews, dependency discussions, and retrospectives that result in clear decisions, owners, actions, and target dates.
• Partner with technical teams to understand solution architecture, integrations, implementation sequencing, operational readiness, and non-functional requirements.
• Manage changes to scope, schedules, priorities, and delivery approaches through transparent impact assessment and stakeholder alignment.
• Establish effective governance and reporting that gives stakeholders and leaders clear visibility into progress, program health, risks, and trade-offs.
• Track program performance and use delivery metrics and insights to improve predictability, execution, and quality.
• Coordinate implementation, release, change-management, and operational-readiness activities.
• Lead post-implementation reviews and help continuously improve delivery practices across the organization.

What You Bring

• 7+ years of experience in technical program management, technical project management, technology delivery, or a comparable role.
• Strong insurance industry experience, with a solid understanding of underwriting processes, systems, or technology.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional technology initiatives from planning through implementation.
• Strong understanding of software delivery lifecycles, technical architecture, system integrations, and operational readiness.
• Proven experience managing multiple initiatives simultaneously while navigating scope, schedules, risks, issues, dependencies, and competing priorities.
• Excellent communication, coordination, facilitation, and documentation skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, business stakeholders, senior leaders, and external partners.
• Ability to translate complex technical information into clear plans, decisions, risks, and executive-level updates.
• Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority, establish accountability, and drive progress within a highly matrixed environment.

What Will Help You Stand Out

• Deep knowledge of life insurance, new business, and underwriting workflows.
• Experience working on technology platforms supporting underwriting or insurance operations.
• Demonstrated success coordinating initiatives involving multiple internal teams and external partners.
• A track record of identifying delivery risks early and bringing the right stakeholders together to resolve them.
• The ability to move comfortably between detailed technical conversations and broader business discussions.

The Opportunity

This role goes beyond tracking project plans. You’ll be at the center of complex technology initiatives, connecting teams, surfacing risks, driving decisions, and helping ensure delivery stays on track.

If you understand the insurance business, can navigate technical complexity, and enjoy bringing people together to turn ambitious plans into measurable outcomes, this could be a great opportunity for you.

When You Join Our Team

• We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want.
• We’ll recognize and support you in an environment where well-being and inclusion matter.
• As part of a global organization, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to meaningful technology initiatives and help shape the future of our business.

The role being advertised is an existing vacancy.

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 USA, Massachusetts, Boston, 200 Berkeley Street

Working Arrangement Hybrid

Salary range is expected to be between $92,475.00 USD - $160,290.00 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.

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.)