AVP, Governance and Strategy – Global Risk Transformation Office

The AVP, Governance and Strategy - Global Risk Transformation Office will be reporting to the Vice President of Global Risk Intelligence and Technology (GRIT) and plays a pivotal role in overseeing and supporting the Future Ready Risk transformation and digitization efforts. This senior-level position focuses on the governance and strategic oversight of risk initiatives as set forth by the VP of GRIT in collaboration with the Global CRO and Global Risk Management Leadership Team (GRMLT), ensuring that all value stream leads are achieving the desired outcomes aligned with the organizational goals.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Initiatives

• Support the growth and transformation of Global Risk responsible for high-level strategies and supporting business cases that articulates clearly the vision of the future considering segments and all risk domains. Where we want to be and how we are going to get there, from point of departure to point of arrival, via detailed roadmaps.
• Create and be accountable for KPIs identified by monitoring execution, identifying “hot spots” and addressing gaps by leveraging expertise and best practices. This could involve assembling working teams of experts or hi-pos from anywhere in the risk organization to solve problems.
• Identifies and develops external and internal best practices, documenting them in a to ensure replication of improvements, including capabilities, tools, and processes
• Leads the development of roadmaps and supporting business cases to achieve the Global Risk Transformation office and GRIT vision (prioritizes and sequences initiatives to get to the Point of Arrival), and ensures that corresponding roadmaps ladders up to the Global Risk strategic priorities to deliver on Functional KPIs
• Identify, prioritize and proliferate capabilities required to close gaps and accelerate delivery to the organization and customers
• To refine/adapt strategic objectives, translate strategies into discrete priorities, drive quality execution of initiatives, and monitor, measure and communicate results both internally, and externally to senior audience and leaders
• Responsible for the transformation office and GRIT Partner Management oversight, governance framework and execution as well as ongoing KPI/Metrics reporting for both transitions and steady state operations against obligations
• Responsible for maintaining relationships with business partners, enhancing the quality of customer experience, identifying opportunities for new alliances and developing strategies for expanding the organizations market reach and improving business performance
• Ensure portfolio of Global Risk initiatives achieves the ‘right balance’ based on business needs; provides thought leadership on site selection, build-out and rationalization.

Business Management

• Develop with the VP of GRIT, the overall transformation office strategy, goals and objectives that are aligned to overall Manulife strategy.
• Design and implement business plans and strategies to promote the attainment of goals.
• Develop Transformation office packs and reports for executive purposes such as GRMLT meetings, ELT Risk Committees or Board forums.
• Implement an overall Global Risk Transformation Office performance governance framework; work with the VP of GRIT and GRMLT in developing key success indicators and measures for each of the strategic initiatives.
• Develop, support, and collaborate with GRMLTs to create supporting procedures and documentations as necessary in relation to achieve Global risk business outcomes.
• Monitor and report on transformation office key performance indicators and support the VP of GRIT in making the required changes and decisions for the business based on trend and performance level.
• Translates overall function or segment priorities and business plans into tangible program and operating standard priorities within context of transformation office priorities.
• Assist the VP of GRIT in the coordination and execution of key Global CRO adhoc priorities and asks.

Business Relationship Management

• Develop and nurture strong, collaborative relationships with key business partners and stakeholders to understand their needs and objectives
• Serve as the liaison between the transformation office and its business partners, ensuring effective communication and alignment of goals
• Identify and pursue strategic partnerships and alliances to support the company's growth and expansion
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive successful business relationships and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes
• Lead the development and execution of business relationship management plans
• Provide regular reporting and updates on business relationship activities, performance metrics, and key milestones to VP of GRIT.

Accountabilities:

• Governance and Execution Oversight: Maintain comprehensive oversight of all value stream leads within the Future Ready Risk transformation office. Ensure that each lead is progressing according to the established goals and timelines. Support in creating all required governance templates and execution oversight to ensure successful execution.
• Strategic Direction: Develop and implement strategic plans that align with the organization's risk transformation objectives. Collaborate with senior leadership to ensure these plans meet the overall business goals.
• Performance Monitoring: Continuously monitor the performance of the risk transformation initiatives. Implement mechanisms to track progress and identify areas needing improvement or intervention.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Engage with key stakeholders across the organization to communicate progress, challenges, and successes of the transformation efforts. Foster a collaborative environment to drive risk strategy forward.
• Reporting and Documentation: Provide detailed reports and documentation on the status of the transformation initiatives. Ensure transparency and accountability in all activities.
• Change Management: Work with the director of change enablement to ensure smooth implementation and adoption of risk transformation strategies and efforts across the organization.
• Leadership and Development: Provide leadership and mentorship to value stream leads and other team members. Promote professional growth and development within the transformation office.
• Engage the leadership team in effective strategic discussions, decision-making and planning around annual strategic plan
• Leverage competitive intelligence generated by the GRIT team to develop probing questions about strategy and value streams setup
• Monitor progress on execution to ensure on track to achieve medium and long-term objectives with flex to take advantage of emerging opportunities
• Establish and drive cross-functional leadership communities focused on execution and business readiness in support of the GBS strategy and Manulife goals
• Engage teams in transparent discussions around progress against strategy, ensure awareness and understanding via strong relationships enabled by trust
• Coach and guide strategy & planning professionals embedded within business teams

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies/Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in the areas of business administration, management, risk management, actuarial, engineering or finance. MBA or master’s degrees are assets.
• Minimum 15 years of relevant work experience with at least 10 recent years in relevant areas of risk management, transformation and technology.
• Experience in executing complex, multi-year programs with multiple variables and senior stakeholders, preferably with exposure to global operations and/or financial services
• Execution-oriented with strong focus to deliver targeted outcomes
• Growth mindset and good understanding of technological advancements
• Demonstrated ability to create a compelling vision for the future and inspire commitment
• Ability to work in ambiguous environment and adapt to change while managing time and workload with aggressive timelines.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively across cultures being able to influence and drive strategic initiatives across large span of operations. Excellent written and oral communication, interpersonal skills and executive presence
• Translates functional and business unit priorities into clear execution strategies and action plans
• Excellent people leadership ability with passion for driving teams towards high performance
• Assesses possible solutions using deep process and technical experience and uses judgement in handling escalated exceptions
• Applies industry best practices within daily work and continues to participate in professional development by reading publications, networking and participating in professional organizations.

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 recruitment@manulife.com.

Salary range is expected to be between

If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact recruitment@manulife.com 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 recruitment@manulife.com for more information about U.S.-specific paid time off provisions.