Technical Program Manager – Strategic Initiatives

Manulife Insurance Malaysia; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 92,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) is seeking a Technical Program Manager to lead strategic initiatives across policy administration, servicing, and operations. You will partner with business initiative owners, product owners, and technology leaders to align capabilities, capacity, and investment with commitments across the insurance value chain.

The role requires translating business, product, regulatory, and customer needs into coordinated development, testing, and implementation

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of technical program management expertise in related field.
• 3+ years delivering technology solutions in the life & annuity (L&A) insurance industry, with policy administration exposure.
• Experience with administration platforms including Verisk FAST and Hexure FireLight/Foresight.

Responsibilities

• Oversee full SDLC for initiatives supporting John Hancock Insurance priorities.
• Accountable for all aspects of technology delivery including initiation, planning, execution, and post-initiative evaluation.
• Provide cross-functional leadership and alignment for product architecture and IT service delivery.

Skills

Technical program mgmt

L&A insurance

Verisk FAST

Hexure FireLight/Foresight

Stakeholder comms

Tools

Verisk FAST

Hexure FireLight/Foresight

Job description

The Technical Program Manager (TPM) will lead strategic initiatives that deliver integrated technology solutions across John Hancock Insurance. This role offers the opportunity to shape complex, high-impact programs spanning product enablement, distribution, policy administration, servicing, and operations. The TPM will partner with business initiative owners, product owners, and technology leaders to align capabilities, capacity, and investment with commitments across the insurance value chain. The role will translate business, product, regulatory, and customer needs into coordinated development, testing, implementation, and business-readiness plans while ensuring delivery on schedule, within budget, and with strong risk management. Success requires someone who can connect business outcomes with technology execution, navigate effective-date-driven product changes, and lead across multiple platforms and stakeholder groups.

Position Responsibilities

• Initiative management: Overseeing the full Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) for initiatives that support John Hancock Insurance priorities, from initiation and delivery through implementation, stabilization, and post-launch support across policyholder, producer, and operations journeys.
• Initiative Delivery: Responsible and accountable for all aspects of technology delivery, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, closure, and post-initiative evaluation, to meet scope, budget, schedule, regulatory, operational-readiness, and customer commitments.
• Technical expertise: Using their background in understanding software engineering and technology to implement technology strategies and ensure effective software delivery.
• Cross-functional leadership: Providing cross-functional leadership and building alignment for efforts such as product architecture and synchronizing the ask with the IT organization service areas to deliver services.
• Technical risk management: Identifying and mitigating technical risks that could impact project success.
• Value Creation: works closely with Business Initiative lead to build schedule, milestones, goals, and scope by aligning and incorporating technology aspects from components, solutions, feasibility and delivery.
• People & Culture: Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, while actively driving alignment and productivity for aligned Team.

Required Qualifications

• 3-5 years of technical program management expertise in related field.
• 3+ years delivering technology solutions in the life & annuity (L&A) insurance industry (required), with direct exposure to policy administration and supporting policyholder, agent/producer workflows (new business, underwriting, illustration, application submission) and downstream capabilities (preferred).
• 3+ years experience with administration platforms including but limited to Verisk FAST and Hexure FireLight/Foresight.
• Familiarity with L&A insurance-related regulatory and business concepts and the operational cadence of product changes.
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving abilities to manage through creative tension.
• Influencing and execution the work without direct management of resources.
• Strong verbal and communication skills with the ability to effectively articulate and communicate technical vision and the ability to translate the outcomes into possibilities, options and execution.
• Comfortable with leading communications including presentations to senior leadership, sponsors and stakeholders for business cases and roadmaps.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex releases that include product/rate/assumption updates and effective-date driven changes, coordinating business readiness and producer communications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Project management skills with proficiency in project/initiative management software tools and methodologies including Agile and Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Understanding of Agile metrics, scrum, and similar agile methodology to track progress, measure team performance, and identify areas of improvement.
• Working knowledge of the data, integration, and platform capabilities required for AI solutions, including secure access to approved enterprise data.
• Proven track record of delivering complex and large-scale IT solutions, including modernization and integration work (APIs, data pipelines) in regulated environments.
• Working knowledge of insurance regulatory/compliance considerations that impact ability to partner with Compliance/Legal to ensure controls and evidence are in place.
• Experience with test governance (test-driven development (TDD), parallel testing, defect triage with business SMEs, and sign-off processes).
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and negotiate with peers and leaders.
• Ability to manage execution plans to a budget and to provide regular updated financial forecasts for labor and non-labor expenses.
• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to balance short-term and long-term objectives and trade-offs.
• Highly adaptable, flexible, and resilient, with the ability to thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

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.

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.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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 $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.

Benefits

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.

Paid Time Off

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.

Data & Analytics

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

• Family & Medical Leave
• Employee Polygraph Protection
• Right to Work
• 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. We’re proud of our accomplishments and recognitions. Recent awards include: 2024 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award Winner Manulife Named one of Forbes World's Best Employers 2023 Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2023 We’ve been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers (2024) Manulife included in Bloomberg’s 2023 Gender-Equality Index. Learn more at https://www.manulife.com/.