Project Manager, Group Benefits Operations

Project Manager, Group

Benefits

• Operations

• The Project Manager, Group

Benefits

• Operations leads cross-functional Group Benefits initiatives that aim to improve plan sponsor and plan member outcomes, service performance, operational effectiveness, risk management, workforce readiness, and financial results. The role applies governance, produces decision-ready insights, and coordinates delivery across Operations, Product, Technology, Finance, Risk, Compliance, Procurement, and external partners.

Position Responsibilities:

• Lead moderate-to-large Group Benefits initiatives through intake, prioritization, planning, implementation, stabilization, and benefits realization.
• Partner with operational leaders across Group Benefits to define problems, requirements, outcomes, operational impacts, and sustainable solutions.
• Maintain an integrated view of active and pipeline initiatives, including ownership, milestones, dependencies, risks, costs, benefits, and leadership decisions.
• Establish project governance and operating rhythms, including integrated plans, decision logs, risk and issue registers, change control, executive reporting, forums, escalations, and action follow-through.
• Lead initiatives that improve plan sponsor and plan member experiences, service performance, quality, capacity, and end-to-end operational processes.
• Identify and implement process improvement, digitization, automation, data, and AI opportunities that simplify work, strengthen controls, improve scalability, and deliver measurable benefits.
• Partner with Product and Technology to translate operational needs into requirements and coordinate testing, change management, training, communications, cutover, and post-implementation stabilization.
• Support service recovery, workforce, and capacity initiatives by validating data, identifying root causes, assessing resource impacts, coordinating remediation, and escalating material risks or delays.
• Support business cases, budgets, forecasts, resource plans, and benefit measures; monitor financial performance and expected value.
• Coordinate external partner and vendor deliverables, performance, risks, dependencies, and contractual obligations with business and control functions.
• Ensure projects meet legal, regulatory, operational risk, privacy, information-security, records-management, accessibility, and Company requirements; track corrective actions, control remediation, evidence, approvals, and commitments through closure.
• Handle highly sensitive, confidential information with discretion and sound judgement.
• Build collaborative relationships, clarify roles and decision rights, resolve competing priorities, and drive accountability across Group Benefits and enterprise functions.

Required Qualifications:

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in business, operations, finance, technology, project management, or a related discipline; an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Five or more years of progressive experience leading complex projects, operational improvement, or transformation initiatives in financial services, insurance, benefits administration, or another regulated environment.
• Experience in Group Benefits operations, products, claims, benefits administration, plan sponsor servicing, plan member servicing, billing, eligibility, or plan design.
• PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, Lean Six Sigma, or an equivalent project management or process-improvement certification.
• Experience with Microsoft Project, Planner, Visio, Power BI, SharePoint, Jira, or equivalent project and reporting platforms.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated full-lifecycle delivery experience, including scope, requirements, schedules, budgets, resources, dependencies, risks, issues, change control, implementation, stabilization, and benefits realization.
• Strong understanding of operations and service delivery, including customer journeys, transaction processing, service levels, quality, workflows, capacity, backlogs, and operational readiness.
• Proven ability to apply portfolio and project governance, support integrated plans, manage risks and issues, define measures, and produce concise executive reporting and recommendations.
• Experience contributing process redesign, automation, digitization, data, workflow, system implementation, or AI-enabled change in an operational environment.
• Strong business and financial acumen, including business cases, cost-benefit analysis, budgeting, forecasting, resource planning, vendor assessment, and benefits measurement.
• Working knowledge of operational risk, compliance, privacy, information security, records management, accessibility, third-party risk, and controls in a regulated environment.
• Strong analytical, communication, facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder-influence skills, including the ability to engage senior leaders and cross-functional partners without direct authority.
• High degree of integrity, professionalism, and discretion when handling highly sensitive, confidential information.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365 and project, collaboration, reporting, and data-visualization tools.

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 valued.

• As part of our global team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see.

• Location: Waterloo, Ontario

• Working Arrangement: Hybrid

• Salary: CAD 85,300 to CAD 135,300

• Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs. The actual salary will vary depending on local market conditions and experience.

• Manulife offers eligible employees a wide array of customizable benefits and retirement savings plans. We strive to attract, develop and retain a diverse workforce and foster an inclusive work environment. We support reasonable accommodations in the application process.

• Note: This role is advertised for an existing vacancy.