Director, Account Management & Underwriting

Reporting to the AVP, Specialized Lending Underwriting and Account Management, the Director, Account Management leads the underwriting and ongoing management of Manulife Bank’s Specialized Lending portfolio while managing a high‑performing team of Account Managers and Review Analysts. This portfolio is among the Bank’s most complex and represents a significant growth opportunity. It includes lending against insurance and wealth assets of HNW/UHNW clients as well as financing for financial advisory business acquisitions. As the portfolio grows, our underwriting and account management functions are evolving toward a more scalable, efficient operating model.

The Director will play a critical role in this transition—partnering with Sales, Risk Management, and Operations to deliver a best‑in‑class advisory experience while ensuring strong credit discipline and exceptional service to a sophisticated client base. This role requires sound judgment, deep expertise in complex credit structures, and an ability to lead and elevate a team serving high‑net‑worth individuals, business owners, and influential financial professionals.

Job Responsibilities:

Loan Underwriting

• Apply deep lending expertise, financial acumen, and a strong understanding of tax and estate planning strategies to structure, assess, and analyze credit applications—ensuring solutions meet client needs and align with Bank policies and regulatory requirements.

• Exercise delegated lending authority and approve credit applications consistent with the Bank’s risk appetite.

• Communicate credit decisions clearly to Sales, Advisors, and clients, ensuring all conditions and terms are fully understood.

• Lead and support a team of skilled underwriting professionals, providing direction on complex deal structuring and managing escalations to ensure efficient and effective approval processes.

Account Management

• Oversee effective portfolio monitoring, including timely completion of annual reviews and ongoing surveillance to assess portfolio health.

• Monitor collateral positions and ensure prompt action on surpluses or deficits to protect the Bank’s security interests.

• Identify at‑risk accounts for Watchlist designation and oversee enhanced monitoring, escalation, and intervention in work‑out or insolvency scenarios.

HNW Team Leadership & Servicing Model

• Build and develop a specialized, high‑performing HNW account management team with deep subject‑matter expertise in wealth‑ and insurance‑based lending.

• Strengthen the HNW servicing model, ensuring consistent delivery of an elevated, white‑glove client experience tailored to the needs of sophisticated borrowers and their advisors.

• Establish rigorous service standards, response expectations, and escalation pathways designed specifically for HNW/UHNW clients and their intermediaries.

• Foster strong partnerships with internal and external stakeholders (Advisors, Wholesalers, Private Wealth teams) to enhance relationship continuity and support complex credit conversations.

• Champion a culture of discretion, technical excellence, and proactive stewardship appropriate for the Bank’s most valued and sensitive relationships.

Strategy & Operations

• Foster a strong culture aligned with Manulife’s values—focused on client outcomes, quality credit decisions, speed to market, and portfolio profitability.

• Contribute to the development and enhancement of specialized and business lending policies, ensuring alignment with strategy, risk appetite, and product intent.

• Implement and manage processes that support efficient, scalable underwriting and account management workflows.

Leadership & Team Development

• Inspire, coach, and engage employees to build a high‑performing, motivated, and client‑obsessed team.

• Provide regular feedback, manage performance, and set clear expectations and accountability.

• Build talent through targeted development plans, career discussions, and a culture of continuous learning.

• Role‑model behaviors that enhance the customer experience and promote inclusive, cross‑functional collaboration.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant underwriting and lending experience.

• University degree in Business or a related field.

• Strong knowledge of tax and estate planning strategies.

• Expert knowledge of entrepreneurial and/or high‑net‑worth lending.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Deep understanding of lending policies and procedures.

• Strong understanding of insurance structures and the strategies used by advisors.

• Experience working with private business financial statements, including holding companies.

• Advanced relationship management and negotiation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• 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.

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 [email protected].

Referenced Salary Location

Salary range is expected to be between

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 [email protected] for the salary range for your location.

Manulife 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 and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources. Our generous paid time off program in Canada includes holidays, vacation, personal, and sick days, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence. If you are applying for this role in the U.S., please contact [email protected] for more information about U.S.-specific paid time off provisions.

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.