Product Owner - Canada Retirement Products

We are seeking an experienced Product Owner to drive strategy, delivery, and continuous innovation across our Canadian Retirement products, with a focus on our specialty and ancillary offerings. This role requires a strong foundation in the Canadian retirement and savings industry and a passion for creating solutions that address the needs of advisors, plan sponsors, and members. As a key member of the Product team, you will champion the advisor and sponsor experience, translating industry insights, regulatory requirements, and customer feedback into product strategies that deliver meaningful value. The successful candidate will bring deep knowledge of group retirement and savings programs, pension products, advisor distribution channels, and the evolving retirement landscape.

You will prioritize the product backlog, deliver iterative value, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop innovative solutions that enhance digital experiences, strengthen advisor and sponsor engagement, and leverage AI where appropriate to improve outcomes for all stakeholders.

Position Responsibilities:

Product Strategy & Ownership 

• Define and evolve product vision, roadmap, and priorities aligned to the product strategy 

• Use customer feedback, data, and market insights to inform decisions 

• Act as the voice of the customer and business across the product lifecycle 

Delivery & Execution 

• Own backlog prioritization, user stories, and sprint outcomes 

• Lead agile ceremonies and ensure consistent, iterative delivery 

• Oversee UAT and ensure quality, usability, and value delivery

Data, AI & Insights 

• Leverage product analytics and data driven insights to optimize experience and decision-making 

• Apply structured prioritization methods (e.g., MoSCoW) 

• Partner with data teams to enable accurate, actionable insights 

Digital Experience & Platform Evolution 

• Drive modernization of digital platforms with API-first mentality that allows those systems to be flexible and support more than one experience 

• Implement design systems for consistent, accessible UX 

• Enable strategies to improve engagement and outcomes 

Adoption & Change Management 

• Lead go-to-market and adoption strategies for new features 

• Partner across operations, marketing, and technology teams 

• Monitor adoption metrics and refine rollout approaches 

Stakeholder Alignment 

• Build strong relationships and align priorities across teams 

• Communicate product vision, progress, and outcomes clearly 

• Use frameworks (OKRs, RACI) to support execution and alignment 

Required Qualifications: 

• 3–5 years in product ownership / product management 

• Proven delivery of successful products end-to-end 

• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills 

• Experience in agile (Scrum/Kanban) environments 

• Experience working within the Canadian Retirement industry, including Group Retirement Services, pension, savings, or wealth solutions.

• Knowledge of Canadian retirement products, regulations, and industry practices, including defined contribution (DC), defined benefit (DB), Group RRSP, DPSP, TFSA, and decumulation solutions.

• Understanding of the retirement ecosystem, including plan sponsors, advisors, and plan members.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in Group Retirement Services 

• Expertise in digital platforms (e.g., websites, mobile apps) 

• Familiarity with AI technologies and trends 

• Experience with personalization tools (Adobe Target) 

• Understanding of consent and compliance (PIPEDA) 

• Strong UX and data-driven decision-making capabilities 

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, OntarioHybrid

Salary range is expected to be between

$85,300.00 CAD - $135,300.00 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.