VP Operations Excellence

Overview VP Operations Excellence – Manulife Manulife Canada is the largest segment within Manulife. The Canada segment has served customers in our home market for over 135 years, including approximately 27,000 businesses and organizations. Our Canadian business lines include group life, health, and disability insurance; insurance and guaranteed investment products; Affinity group insurance offerings; and flexible banking products through Manulife Bank. Manulife Canada, Operations is one of the largest Operations teams with 5,000 employees across Canada, the Philippines, and India. The Chief Operating Officer for Manulife Canada is seeking a VP, Operations Excellence for Canada Operations to serve as the executive leader for Operations Excellence, accountable for strategy, execution, and outcomes of Canada Operations. This role provides leadership to the Operations senior leadership team to ensure cohesive, aligned actions and delivery of key business objectives. A key near-term focus is to strengthen core operations and digital customer leadership. The role leads enabling capabilities to manage the complexity of multiple business lines in one geography. If you want to be at the heart of change and transformation and enable Operations to execute with excellence, this role is an opportunity for you. Position Responsibilities Create and embed a consolidated Canada Ops approach touching the customer and employee, with opportunities to create enabling capabilities to improve execution. Drive increased focus on shareholder commitments by improving financial acumen, benefits realization on business cases, and forecasting capabilities to manage the expense line. Define and execute key segment and global Ops strategic initiatives (workforce strategy, operating & service model reviews) to drive efficiency and improve customer experience. Champion the adoption and integration of AI and automation across all of Canada Ops, with a focus on upskilling, end-to-end process design, and evolving automation roadmaps. Detailed Accountabilities Lead critical initiatives related to strategy implementation, including enterprise-focused mergers and acquisitions, R&D, multi-business-unit initiatives, and large-scale transformation and change efforts. Provide governance and counsel for Operations leadership to enable execution of key initiatives and ensure cohesive action across all business lines. Lead and leverage internal support partners (Finance, Risk, Compliance, Technology, HR) to enable collaboration in achieving Canada and Global Operations goals. Oversee the Canada Ops portfolio of initiatives, governance, decision-making, and benefits realization, engaging with executive leaders to build understanding and commitment. Serve in a business advisory/value enhancement role to align Ops strategy with Segment and Global Function strategy and drive profitability across segments. Lead the low code/no code center of expertise, drive AI implementation, and invest in employee upskilling and change management as the Ops landscape evolves. Embed the customer experience at the heart of Operations. Own the Canada Ops narrative for venues (MOR, business reviews, strategic updates) and develop ongoing reporting to communicate key messages with a Canada segment Ops view across all business lines. Build, deploy, and evolve Ops capabilities related to customer/employee experience, financial acumen, and strategic execution. Coordinate and execute the Ops Senior Leadership Engagement strategy across forums (town halls, leadership meetings, Director Forums, etc.). Provide support to the COO on non-day-to-day production issues and initiatives. Required Qualifications Demonstrated passion about both the customer and employee experience. At least 10 years of related business experience in financial institutions, strategic consulting, risk management, or similar fields. Background in operations leadership and/or execution with interest in continuing a career in Operations. Ability to build a leading-edge team, curious about technology advancements (AI, Agentic AI), and the role of Data in reimagining Operations. Experience with agile, waterfall, project management principles and lean/six sigma. Ability to lead complex initiatives and drive organizational change management. Strong analytical, problem-solving, influencing, and negotiating skills. Discretion and ability to navigate evolving stakeholder priorities. Strong verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills; ability to connect with executives and diverse partners; proficient communications judgment. Ability to operate within a matrixed, geographically dispersed team with cross-organizational knowledge. About Manulife And John Hancock Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider. To learn more, visit our site. Equal Opportunity Employer Manulife/John Hancock embraces diversity and is committed to fair recruitment, retention, advancement and compensation without discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or 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 law. Reasonable accommodation during the application process is available upon request. To request accommodation, contact Other Details Location: Toronto, Ontario (Hybrid). Salary range is CAD 175,700 to CAD 326,000; actual salary depends on market conditions and experience. Eligible employees may participate in incentive programs. Benefits include health, dental, vision, disability, life, retirement plans, and more. This description is not an offer of a contract and is subject to change. Reference Salary Location: Toronto, Ontario Working Arrangement: Hybrid Seniority level: Executive Employment type: Full-time Job function: Management and Operations Industries: Insurance #J-18808-Ljbffr