Director, Program Management

The Director, Program Management will play a pivotal role in shaping and accelerating Manulife’s transition toward a unified, customer-centric digital ecosystem. This leader will drive strategic planning, cross-functional alignment, and execution of multi-year initiatives that enable scalable, integrated platforms for customer engagement.

Partnering closely with the VP, Digital Transformation and Canada leadership teams, and global stakeholders, the Director will lead the development and governance of strategic program roadmaps, chair steering committees, and oversee shared development streams that support enterprise-wide transformation. This role blends strategic foresight, program leadership, and operational rigor to ensure marketing and digital initiatives deliver measurable impact and customer value.

Position Responsibilities

• Lead Strategic Planning & Roadmap Development: Own the multi-year strategic roadmap for Canada Marketing, aligning initiatives with enterprise priorities and customer experience goals. Ensure integration with global marketing and digital transformation efforts.

• Chair Cross-Functional Steering Committees: Facilitate governance and decision-making across business units by leading steering committees and working groups that oversee shared digital ecosystem initiatives and marketing programs.

• Drive Ecosystem Integration & Shared Development Streams: Lead efforts to consolidate fragmented digital initiatives into scalable, shared platforms and capabilities that accelerate delivery and innovation across business units.

• Oversee Strategic Program Execution: Act as a business lead for high-impact initiatives, from business case development through execution. Track progress, manage risks, and ensure alignment with business objectives and customer outcomes.

• Enable Customer-Centric Decision Making: Lead research and insight generation to inform strategy and product development, ensuring decisions are grounded in customer needs and market dynamics.

• Manage Marketing’s Book of Work: Oversee the full portfolio of marketing initiatives, including campaign spend and IT-supported projects. Prioritize efforts in partnership with the CMO and leadership team and manage approvals through Manulife’s Outcome Delivery Framework (ODF).

• Monitor and Report on Marketing Performance: Establish and track KPIs through a marketing scorecard. Lead monthly business reviews and performance reporting, identifying learnings and opportunities for continuous improvement.

• Drive Alignment Across Business Units and Functions: Ensure strategic and operational alignment across Canada Marketing, business units, and global teams. Support the cascade and communication of the marketing plan and strategic priorities.

• Foster a High-Performing, Customer-First Culture: Provide leadership to cross-functional teams, promoting collaboration, agility, and a relentless focus on delivering value to customers.

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years of progressive experience in business strategy and program leadership, with a track record of executing large, complex, cross-functional initiatives.

• Well-developed planning and project management skills, including experience leading multi-year roadmaps and managing large-scale program portfolios.

• Experience chairing cross-functional steering committees and driving alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.

• Strong process and change management capabilities to support transformation and continuous improvement.

• Excellent communication, influencing, and conflict resolution skills to foster alignment across business units and functions.

• Proven ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams in a collaborative, customer-first culture.

• Ownership of recommendations to senior leadership and implementation of decisions related to business development initiatives, with accountability for reporting outcomes to stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into actionable plans and guide teams through ambiguity and change.

• Strong understanding of the financial services industry and its operational and regulatory landscape.

• Exceptional financial acumen with the ability to build detailed business cases and assess ROI across strategic initiatives.

• University degree in a relevant field; postgraduate degree or professional designation preferred.

• Full resource management responsibility, including hiring, performance management, training and development, and compensation decisions.

• Comfortable working in non-structured environments, applying sound judgment and flexibility to navigate complexity.

• Effective conceptual, diagnostic, and analytical skills with the ability to synthesize insights and solve complex business challenges.

• Results-oriented mindset with a focus on delivering measurable impact and driving continuous improvement.

• Well-developed interpersonal and presentation skills to engage senior leadership and represent Marketing in enterprise forums.

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.

#LI-Hybrid 

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

If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact [email protected] for the salary range for your location. 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. Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance.

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.