Role Overview

The AVP, Implementation & Innovation is a senior leader responsible for shaping, operationalizing, and accelerating the strategic agenda across Retail & Wealth Operations. This role acts as a strategic integrator and execution catalyst, translating enterprise and functional strategy into impactful, scalable outcomes, while embedding a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making.

Key Accountabilities

Strategy Development & Execution

• Act as a strategic advisor to the Global Head of Retail & Wealth Operations, supporting prioritization, sequencing, and execution of the function’s strategic agenda.
• Define and operationalize the strategic roadmap aligned with business priorities for the Global Retail and Wealth Operations organization, including development of key OKRs and KPIs
• Provide end-to-end coordination of strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment across teams, geographies, and leadership forums.
• Champion a customer-first mindset, ensuring initiatives enhance the client and advisor journey.

Program Delivery & Implementation

• Oversee complex program delivery, ensuring delivery on time and on budget.
• Establish governance and delivery frameworks that embed accountability and measurement and remove barriers to execution
• Embed Manulife’s risk, compliance, and control standards into all transformation activities, ensuring audit readiness and regulatory alignment
• Oversee testing, readiness, and post-implementation controls to safeguard operational integrity.

Innovation & Transformation Leadership

• Identify and scale innovation opportunities
• Drive AI, automation, and digital capabilities
• Partner across teams to industrialize solutions
• Foster experimentation and agility

Operating Model & Capability Evolution

• Design scalable operating models that seek to continuously improve service quality and improve productivity, keeping Manulife John Hancock customers at the forecront.
• Enhance data, analytics, and automation
• Lead and develop high performing teams by fostering a culture of inclusion, accountability, collaboration, constructive challenge, and continuous improvement.

Executive Advisory & Stakeholder Management

• Act as trusted advisor to Global Retail and Wealth Operations leadership and key stakeholders.
• Prepare and deliver executive-level materials including board-ready presentations, strategy updates, and transformation reporting Drive cross-functional alignment and leverage data to influence decisions
• Own management reporting, including dashboards, performance insights, and progress tracking across the function.

Key Qualifications & Experience

• 15+ years in strategy, transformation, or operations leadership
• Knowledge of wealth and asset management operations, Fund operations, and regulatory frameworks across global jurisdictions
• Expertise in program delivery, execution, and change enablement
• Strong understanding of regulatory risk and control frameworks
• Experience with digital transformation and driving operating model change with AI and low code toolkits
• Strong verbal and written communication with the ability to effectively articulate and communicate vision, possibilities and outcomes across all levels in a complex matrix organization.
• Strong adaptability and agility; able to reprioritize effectively in fast‑moving environments.
• Ability to translate ambiguous business problems into structured analysis and recommendations.

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,