Vendor Governance Manager

The Vendor Governance Manager is responsible for overseeing the performance, compliance and relationship with key vendors contracted to Canadian Insurance, Distributor Services, Guaranteed Investments and Affinity Operations. This role ensures that all vendors meet the organizations standards for quality, reliability, and risk management, while continuously improvement service delivery, managing costs and driving efficiencies.

Position Responsibilities:

• Vendor Relationship Management: Build and maintain productive, strategic relationships with key vendors to support business objectives.
• Performance Monitoring: In partnership with the Procurement team, monitor and assess vendor performance against agreed SLAs and KPIs. Participate in regular performance reviews and reporting on vendor performance metrics on behalf of Canadian Retail and Affinity Operations.
• Risk Management, Compliance and Regulatory Adherence: In partnership with the Risk team, identify and mitigate vendor-related risks by conducting regular risk assessments and implementing appropriate controls. Ensure that vendors meet regulatory and compliance requirements, such as data privacy, security standards and ethical guidelines.
• Cost Optimization: Drive cost efficiency by identifying opportunities for cost savings, consolidation, and process improvements in partnership with vendors and process optimization peers. Create and maintain a vendor invoice approval process to ensure AVPs of applicable BU’s have clear understanding of the work being invoiced.
• Issue Resolution: Serve as the escalation point for vendor-related issues. Collaborate with internal teams and vendors to resolve issues promptly and satisfactorily.
• Process Improvement: Implement vendor governance best practices and continuously refine processes to enhance performance and service delivery.
• Data Management and Reporting: In partnership with procurement, maintain accurate and up to date records of vendor performance, contracts, and compliance status. Prepare regular reports for key stakeholders.
• Vendor Onboarding/ Offboarding and RFPs: Participate in the onboarding and offboarding of vendors and RFPs in partnership with procurement, as required.

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of relevant experience in business administration, vendor management, project management etc.
• Exceptional project management and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate with multiple partners and effectively articulate progress, next steps, and challenges/roadblocks.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on process improvement

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to manage multiple projects and vendors simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and align vendor relationships with business objectives.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with internal teams and external vendors.
• Fully bilingual (French/English): The successful candidate will be required to communicate in English and French in order to support clients from various jurisdictions outside of Quebec.

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.

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.