Lead Solution Architect - GWAM Institutional and General Accounts Investments Technology

Are you looking for unlimited opportunities to develop and succeed? Do you want to be part of our mission to make decisions easier and lives better for our customers and employees?  With work that challenges and makes a difference, within a flexible and supportive environment, we can help our customers achieve their dreams and aspirations!

We are looking for an experienced and highly motivated Lead Solution Architect to join Manulife’s Global Wealth and Asset Management (GWAM) Enterprise Architecture team. The role will push forward GWAMs Institutional and General Accounts Investments Management Enterprise architecture strategy and vision by creating and delivering solutions that enable the company to produce Global-Scale capabilities in supporting our Institutional – Public, Private and General Accounts Investment Management businesses. You will provide business context, direction and facilitate the development of technology architecture required to align and meet the business need. You'll work closely with the Principal Architect, business, product, data office and technology partners to translate long-term objectives into designs that fuel firm-wide reuse and convergence.

Our Manulife / John Hancock family is going through an exciting, yet challenging metamorphosis. We are transforming from a wise 135-year-old company into an agile 135-year-young company. This is a journey, and to quote T.S. Elliot; “The journey, Not the destination matters...”. On this journey, we expect all to bring their knowledge, skills and experience as a team and, when we don’t know, we will learn.

Within the Manulife family, our team is within Global Wealth and Asset Management and as a division we believe the truth is in the numbers. We believe it’s time to change the investment game. To do it differently by focusing on the value we bring our clients, rather than on the usual topics of performance and fees. We have surpassed $1 trillion in assets under management with a diverse range of both public and private asset classes. Our division is global and have operations in North America, Asia and Europe and we serve a diverse range of clients from our own on-balance general account assets to institutional, retail and wealth.

The right individual will be a proactive, self-starter that enjoys and thrives when connecting people and technology to solve complex problems at-scale. You will analyze, model, and develop complex and high-level architecture solutions that require the integration of multiple technologies and coordination of functional areas across the organization. If you have a passion and skill for long-term end-to-end thinking balanced with crafting architecture increments that enable value for customers now, this opportunity is for you!

The Architecture team within the Enterprise Architecture organization is responsible for defining the building blocks and target-state cross-enterprise vision that helps GWAM avoid duplication and optimize architecture. We are an organization that values diverse and big thinking, rewards both beaviors and delivery, and focuses on growth and continuous improvement – all in support of Manulife’s mission to help clients and one another succeed. This role is a unique opportunity to join a team and company at the beginning of a multi-year platform transformation whose work will have direct impact on company direction, our customers, and our industry.

Position Responsibilities:

• Partner with business and technology stakeholders to translate business needs into practical, scalable, and secure solution architectures.

• Own the end-to-end development and maintenance of initiative or domain specific solution architectures.

• Assess current architecture, platforms, and capabilities; identify gaps; and recommend fit-for-purpose solutions that may include custom development, third-party products, and integration with internal and external systems.

• Apply industry best practices, design patterns, and architecture standards to deliver resilient, high-performing, cost-effective, and sustainable solutions.

• Support business planning, initiative scoping, and roadmap development by providing architecture guidance, technical direction, and cost considerations.

• Lead or contribute to conceptual, solution, and component-level architecture artifacts, including diagrams, design specifications, implementation guidelines, and related documentation.

• Oversee solution implementation planning across the delivery lifecycle, including development, integration, testing, launch, and continuous improvement within Agile delivery models.

• Review and provide guidance on architectures produced within and outside the team to ensure alignment with enterprise direction, domain integrity, and quality expectations.

• Maintain a coordinated view of shared capabilities, application portfolios, and cross-functional or cross-region dependencies to support strategic decision-making.

• Evaluate third-party vendors, products, frameworks, and emerging technologies to identify opportunities that strengthen business capabilities and improve platform effectiveness.

• Identify architectural risks, compliance considerations, and data governance requirements, and define mitigation strategies to ensure adherence to regulatory and organizational standards.

• Collaborate with engineering, data, and functional teams to resolve complex issues, maintain architecture integrity, and enable informed technical and business decisions.

• Present architecture recommendations, innovative ideas, and trade-off decisions to leadership and peer groups to support alignment, governance, and key decision-making.

• Contribute to architecture standards, continuous improvement initiatives, and the development of team capability through collaboration, coaching, and knowledge sharing.

Required Qualifications:

• Proven ability to own solution architecture and influence strategic technology direction and future-state vision.

• Strong ability to understand diverse business domains and design architectures that address current and emerging business needs across a broad stakeholder group

• Expert knowledge and hands-on experience in applying industry-recognized architecture frameworks and methodologies to develop solution architectures. Applied knowledge of architecture domains, perspectives and viewpoints is essential.

• Strong software engineering and architecture foundation, with experience assessing, designing, and implementing complex enterprise solutions.

• Experience delivering large and complex system integration initiatives and developing software, platform, and infrastructure architecture plans that support business outcomes.

• Strong knowledge and experience in investment and financial systems, including a strong understanding of end-to-end investment or asset management processes, industry trends, regulatory requirements, and front-, middle-, and back-office functions across asset classes and markets.

• Strong understanding of integration technologies, API design principles, integration patterns, and cloud-based or cloud-native architecture approaches.

• Understanding and experience in operationalizing application portfolio and architecture governance frameworks.

• Experience with domain-driven design, particularly in API- and integration-intensive data programs or projects.

• Broad knowledge of enterprise technology, including languages, frameworks, architecture techniques, and relevant industry and financial technology trends.

• Experience addressing operational and non-functional requirements such as scalability, performance, maintainability, resiliency, recovery, security, privacy, and load distribution.

• Ability and preference to work effectively in Agile delivery environments.

• Strong presentation, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to engage effectively with both technical teams and executive stakeholders.

Exposure to some or all of the following experiences is desired:

• Domain Knowledge of Business Capabilities: Distribution, End-to-End investment lifecycle for alternative and private markets assets, Investment Portfolio Management, Investment Finance and Fund Administration.

• Investment Management platforms and technologies such as Bloomberg, Blackrock Alladin, SimCorp, Appway, Findur, APEX, Vermillion, SS&C Sylvan or equivalent

• Cloud Services and Big Data Platforms

• Agile methodologies (Scrum) and iterative development

• Architecture Governance, Design Principles and Integration Frameworks & Patterns

When you join our team:

• We will empower you to learn and grow the career you want.

• We will 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

Toronto, OntarioHybrid

Salary range is expected to be between

$113,260.00 CAD - $210,340.00 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.