Group Benefits Service Relationship Specialist

About the Role:

We are seeking a highly skilled Group Benefits Service Relationship Specialist to join our team at Company 1 - The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company. As a key member of our Group Benefits team, you will be responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships with our corporate clients, providing exceptional service, and driving business growth.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support distribution partners in acquiring new business and participating in finalist presentations and implementation meetings.
• Assist internal partners in acquiring new business by serving as a liaison and taking part in short-list presentations and ongoing meetings for implementing new business.
• Respond to benefit plan inquiries and resolve escalated and sophisticated inquiries from plan sponsors, plan advisors/consultants, and internal department contacts.
• Champion for a successful outcome for all involved, the Service Relationship Specialist role is responsible for the successful resolution and negotiation of all service escalations.
• Initiate amendment requests, ensuring that information is complete and outstanding requirements are obtained in a timely manner to meet deadlines and meet effective dates of plan changes.

Requirements:

• Extensive Group Benefits knowledge and experience.
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of the Group Benefits products and services.
• Building and strengthening existing client and consultant/advisor relationships.
• Proven ability to take initiative, be a strong self-manager, and display integrity.
• GBA designation or working towards the designation.
• Understanding of funding arrangement, underwriting concepts, risk analysis, and financial reporting.
• Strong technical and demonstrated analytical skills using Microsoft Office Products, Excel, and/or PowerPoint, Web Analytics platforms, to arrange and display relevant information during customer business reviews.
• Excellent presentation skills and the ability to influence decision makers in various areas of organization.
• Supports, participates, and presents in corporate finalist presentations to attain new and keep existing business out to market.
• Strong customer-facing skills, including expectation management, communication skills, and information management.
• Ability to work independently and in a team setting, self-starter, innovative thinking with a keen eye for results and driven by quality.
• Outstanding analytical, strategic, and problem-solving thinking ability – enabling the candidate to recognize issues, outline possible implications, and suggest solutions.
• Relationship-oriented; must be comfortable working with a wide range of individuals at different levels, managing across, up, and down, and self-manage to meet timelines of multiple priorities.
• Capability to determine sensitive client needs or issues.
• Optimizes the plan's activities, as it relates to administration, providing recommendations on plan design, service options, technology solutions, and ongoing administration needs of the client in the corporate space.
• High level of proficiency and negotiation skills required.
• High level of capability required to assist in retaining and winning new business.
• Ability to think critically, analyze quantitative and qualitative data, and make recommendations to help clients identify opportunities for engagement/education among their plan members.
• Must have a valid driver's license and a personal automobile.

Competencies:

• Proven ability to determine business priorities, meet goals, manage high volumes of work.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, interpersonal, organizational, and time management skills.
• Negotiation and influencing skills are paramount.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Champion of superior service delivery, customer service, oral and written communication skills.
• Comprehensive understanding and knowledge of Manulife's administrative systems.
• Independent, self-motivated individual with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strategic and creative thinker focused on finding solutions to unique plan sponsor needs.
• Persuasive communicator with the ability to clearly articulate ideas and present information.
• Collaborating internally across multiple departments.
• Outstanding leadership and presentation skills.
• Ability to be flexible and empathetic and ability to manage conflicts.
• Proficient in the use of modern technology.
• Know and understand the growth and persistency strategies.
• Presenting together with the Account Executives at client service meetings. Taking initiative to prepare and structure these meetings.
• Service Relationship Specialist attends all meetings for client's re-enrolment of flex benefits with our Admin Advantage Teams and helps facilitate and ensure all tasks are brought to completion.
• Attend ongoing service meetings, maintaining and facilitating action logs with head office areas.
• Excellent planning and project management skills with a confirmed ability to complete large/sophisticated concurrent projects within tight timeframes.
• High level of skillsets and knowledge required for corporate business, understanding of complex structure.
• Proficient to gather and submit details on complex amendments on large corporate business, includes in-depth understanding of their set-up.
• Ability to offer consultative solutions on the corporate block of business while working closely with our key Advisor/Consultant firms.
• Understanding the reports on client utilization and presenting areas to assist their employees.
• Take the Lead in Projects for large corporate clients for implementing new companies, mergers, acquisitions, restructures.
• Service Relationship Specialist acts as project manager in assisting Head Office Partners/Underwriters in large project initiatives depending on client needs.
• In-depth understanding of Admin Advantage Flex Benefits operations.
• Must be fully bilingual both oral and written (in Quebec only).

Decision Authorities:

• This role directly impacts the Sales, Profitability, and Persistency of the overall Distribution offices.
• Keeping existing clients by ensuring any potential service issues are resolved promptly and putting checks in place to prevent issues from reoccurring.
• Identifies areas where we can be of further assistance to our clients by sharing information about other products available to them. Educating Clients with all of Manulife's Group Benefits services that they would benefit from.
• In this role, must possess the ability to make decisions and take ownership that will bring in new business for the large corporate groups. Being top presenters at Finalists, digitally proficient, either in person or virtually, and developing close relationships with our key Advisor/Consultant firms.

Key Challenges:

• Handling high volumes of work within tight timeframes and balancing challenging priorities.
• Working with many Advisors/Consultants and Account Executives and balancing their demands, needs, and expectations.
• When a service issue is identified, these could have a financial implication, it is critical that the issue be managed to resolution while ensuring that service and quality are maintained.
• Direct interaction with very senior, decision-makers, and those who influence decisions on what business Manulife wins and retains.

Working Conditions:

• Occasional travel will be required within your region to client meetings, wellness fairs, employee sessions.
• This role will occasionally require working outside traditional business hours to meet client needs. Example - employee sessions for night shift workers.
• Work Smart options are available.
• Some occasional travel to other provinces within Canada or U.S. for Large National Corporate Client meetings.