Senior Counsel – Individual Insurance and Affinity

Manulife is seeking a confident, capable, and adaptable Senior Counsel to act as a strategic partner and advisor in advancing customer‑centric, digitally enabled insurance products in a constantly evolving legal and regulatory landscape. As Senior Counsel, you will have the opportunity to draft and negotiate agreements with vendors, strategic partners, and plan sponsors, and to provide practical advice on insurance law, financial services, digital solutions, privacy, and artificial intelligence.

This role reports to the VP and Chief Legal Counsel, Individual Insurance, Affinity, and Canadian Law. In addition, you will collaborate with senior legal leadership and key business leaders and represent Manulife in relevant industry working groups.

This role follows a hybrid work model, with in‑office days on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The position may be based in Halifax, Montreal, or Waterloo.

Position Responsibilities:

• Provide clear, concise, and actionable advice to business partners on laws and regulatory requirements across Canada, guiding the strategic ambitions of senior leaders and stakeholders toward compliant execution.

• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts with vendors, strategic partners, and plan sponsors.

• Provide counsel on commercial relationships and agreements, digital matters, privacy, and technology‑related issues.

• Support the development and launch of innovative, digital‑first insurance products and services.

• Collaborate with business partners to achieve organizational objectives, assess business needs, and deliver innovative legal solutions to manage risk.

• Work closely with colleagues across Legal, Compliance, Government Relations, Privacy and Cybersecurity, and Anti‑Fraud teams, as required.

• Contribute to business development initiatives, leveraging legal expertise to drive growth and innovation.

Required Qualifications:

• Member in good standing of a Canadian provincial bar.

• Minimum of 6 years of meaningful legal experience.

• Strong interest in contributing to business development and supporting organizational growth.

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across functions and with diverse stakeholders, with a commitment to elevating the team through knowledge sharing and building collective expertise.

• Strategic thinker with a passion for innovation and customer‑centric solutions.

• Commitment to continuous learning and staying current on regulatory trends.

Key Competencies:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to influence senior levels of the organization.

• Confidence to specialize in a complex and legally variable area requiring financial literacy and close attention to industry change.

• Highly adaptable, analytical, and detail‑oriented; skilled at prioritization and risk‑based decision‑making.

• Ability to work in agile teams and motivated to leverage data and technology to deliver legal solutions.

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.

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.