Mid-Large Associate Director

The Associate Director (AD), Retirement Sales (Mid-Large Market) partners closely with a Regional Vice President (RVP) and is responsible for growing a Mid-Large market retirement franchise in the $50M+ plan segment. This role serves as a strategic extension of the RVP – supporting advisor relationships, opportunity execution and strengthening Manulife John Hancock’s competitive position with retirement plan advisors and consultants.

Covering a defined territory, the AD partners with top-tier retirement plan advisors, consultants, and third-party administrators to deliver consultative, ERISA-focused solutions across defined contribution, defined benefit, and non-qualified plans. The AD plays a critical role in disciplined opportunity management, elite advisor segmentation, RFP execution, finalist preparation and deal strategy.

The role provides meaningful exposure to complex retirement sales, deep advisor engagement, and hands-on leadership experience within the Mid-Large Segment while advancing Manulife John Hancock’s mission of helping people confidently save and invest for retirement.

Key Responsibilities:

Territory & Business Leadership

• Partner with the RVP to support ownership and growth of the Mid-Large Market retirement franchise across an assigned territory, focused on corporate plans with $50M+ in assets.

• Contribute to territory strategy development aligned to new sales growth, advisor prioritization, and long-term franchise value.

• Demonstrates ownership mindset for territory outcomes by proactively managing opportunities, prioritizing advisor engagement and exercising sound judgement on where to invest time and resources.

Consultative & Advisor-Centric Selling

• Deliver a consultative sales experience to advisors by understanding their business models, service offerings, growth objectives, and client needs.

• Clearly articulate how Manulife John Hancock Retirement products, services, and experience align with advisor and consultant models.

• Apply a discovery-driven approach to uncover opportunities, competitive positioning, and understanding of emerging client needs.

Elite Advisor Segmentation & Relationship Management

• Build credibility and strong working relationships with retirement plan advisors, consultants, and TPAs

• Execute proactive engagement strategies across Elite Advisor Segmentation through intentional virtual meetings and live calls.

Industry, Product, & Competitive Expertise

• Maintain a strong working knowledge of ERISA, DC/DB/NQ plan design, pricing structures, and fiduciary considerations.

• Stay current on industry trends, regulatory developments, and competitive offerings.

• Review and interpret plan documents, SPDs, and disclosures to support opportunity analysis and sales strategy.

RFP, Finalist, & Deal Execution Excellence

• Lead qualification and analysis of opportunities to ensure alignment with Manulife John Hancock Retirement capabilities and strengths.

• Execute a disciplined RFP process in partnership with RFP writers and internal teams, ensuring responses are accurate, concise, and competitively positioned.

• Conduct detailed pricing analysis and collaborate with pricing partners to submit complete, timely, and well-articulated pricing requests.

• Support finalist preparation by capturing key plan details, developing strategy documents, coordinating presentation messaging, and sharing committee insights with the RVP and presentation team members.

Collaboration & Centers of Influence

• Partner closely with internal stakeholders, including Relationship Managers, Operations, Implementation, Marketing, and Communications, as well as external centers of influence including retirement plan advisors, TPA’s and DCIO’s.

Operational Discipline & Technology

• Execute with strong organization, attention to detail, and follow-through across multiple active opportunities.

• Leverage Salesforce, benchmarking tools, fee analysis, and prospecting resources to manage pipeline and advisor engagement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree

• 4+ years of experience in retirement plans or financial services

• 4+ years of proven success in one or more of the following:

  • Internal or external retirement plan sales

  • Relationship management

  • ERISA consulting

  • Communications, operations, or implementation

• Active and maintain Life I