Product Owner

Join Manulife, a leading international financial & insurance services provider, helping people make decisions easier and lives better.

Manulife is on a journey to become a customer obsessed, digital leader; we’re transforming, and we need you! Individual Insurance Canada (IIC) & Guaranteed Wealth Solutions (GWS) has designed the broadest product shelf and offer the most innovative tools to help our customers every step of the way. We have a clear vision of our strategy, and the result will be exceptional experiences for our customers.

The IIC & GWS Product Owners are part of the Digital Delivery & Go-To-Market team responsible to establish our go-forward Agile organization on our quest to achieve our Mission: “Decisions made easier. Lives made better”.

Within our division, we are seeking a highly motivated Product Owner who will work closely with our business functional areas to dig deep into the products we offer, would like to offer and everything in between. This is a fast paced, changing environment where every day brings something new, and innovative ideas are encouraged. You will be partnering closely with our development squads to evolve the digital experiences through simplified and intuitive design; putting Canadians needs first by providing the right tools and solutions to facilitate positive digital experiences. As part of the Digital Delivery team, you deeply understand our customers and are the bridge between business and technology to design experiences our customers will love.

Position Responsibilities:

What will you do as a Product Owner?

• Own the product backlog and feature prioritization
• Provide clarity on what and why of customer / business needs
• Drive the product strategy, planning, and delivery of key capabilities for features
• Ensure progress against important milestones
• Act as the voice of the customer in the definition of product; incorporate feedback from customer insights and research
• Work in collaboration with internal and external key stakeholders to ensure successful development and implementation of features
• Ability to determine solutions and opportunities that will close gaps in product/service
• Launch new digital transactions
• Monitor the outcomes and experience of launched features and iterate where required
• Enhance and manage existing digital properties

How you will be spending your time?

• 10% Discovery with a key focus on refining scope, high level solution and technology feasibility.
  • Contribute to vision and roadmap supporting at the Epic Portfolio level / client facing application level - Brain Storm, protype and test solutions.
• 15% Planning where you will define and decompose work that delivers value on a sprint-by-sprint cadence.
  • Participate in defining Features and provide recommendations related to MVP and releasable functionality. Participate in or run internal/external interviews with end-users to gain feedback; act as the voice of the customer; review ‘always-on’ feedback.
  • Document business requirements and review with stakeholders. Coordinate with stakeholders for the definition of acceptance, test plans, execution and approval of business results. Ensure ongoing monitoring requirements are defined. Create and manage risk register.
  • Define the priority of the deliverables and order of build in partnership with the Manager of Engineering (MoE).
• 70% Executing through the development life-cycle phase; story boarding, agile ceremonies and seeking continues feedback.
• 5% Monitor: Report weekly (first month)/monthly on OKR outcomes at portfolio sync, feature usage, adoption, other KRI’s as defined throughout the project.

Required Qualifications:

What experience you bring to the role?

• 3 – 5 years of relevant work experience.
• Experience working in the financial services and/or insurance industry.
• Understanding and/or past interaction with financial advisors/consultants, managing agencies, institutional administration, etc.
• In-depth knowledge of Scrum and Agile Software Development Methodology and working knowledge of product development architecture
• Proficiency in the use of analytic and agile tools like Confluence, JIRA, etc.
• Working knowledge of how Advisors and Consultants grow and manage their business.
• Prior track record of delivering digital projects, working within innovative environments, and leading execution across functional teams and business units.
• Highly effective communicator who can clearly articulate business needs between technical and non-technical resources as well as present strategy and vision to senior management.
• Strong relationship development and management skills.
• Entrepreneurial drive and demonstrated ability to achieve stretch goals in an innovative and fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Product management or design experience with a focus on Digital.
• Experience defining and tracking key digital performance indicators.
• Ability to take initiatives, work with minimal supervision and passion to solve problems.

Preferred Qualifications:

You are the Product Owner we are looking for if:

• You are a tactical strategist
• You are business savvy and have a love for technology
• You feel empowered to make decisions, yet are collaborative in your approach
• You are passionate and engaged
• You are a change champion
• You believe no idea is a bad idea if it is analyzed thoroughly
• You dig deep into the ‘why’ and ‘why not’
• You thrive on documentation, simplifying the complex

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

The role being advertised is an existing vacancy.

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 hr@manulife.com.

Referenced Salary Location

Waterloo, Ontario

Working Arrangement

Hybrid

Salary range is expected to be between

$70,500.00 CAD - $117,500.00 CAD

Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance. 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. If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact hr@manulife.com for the salary range for your location.

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 hr@manulife.com for more information about U.S.-specific paid time off provisions.

We use data and analytics technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and automated processing tools, to analyze and process the information you provide to us or third parties in the application process. For more information, please refer to our personal information collection statement.