Technology Strategy Lead, Banking

We are seeking a transformative Technology Strategy Lead to contribute to the development and execution of our banking technology vision. This role will drive the modernization of systems and ensure alignment between technology initiatives and organizational goals.

This is a pivotal leadership opportunity for someone who thrives in shaping and executing technology strategy roadmaps. You will help ensure systems are secure, scalable, and aligned with industry standards while maximizing the value of technology investments. Reporting to the Director of Technology Strategy, you will collaborate with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to identify opportunities for growth, efficiency optimization, and AI enablement.

Position Responsibilities:

• Partner to define, deliver, implement, and maintain the banking technology strategy and portfolio planning, with a focus on simplification and modernization.
• Collaborate with Bank Delivery, intake teams, segment strategy leads, finance, risk, compliance, cybersecurity, and AI teams to influence processes, policies, and systems that drive transparency and efficiency.
• Manage budgets, vendor relationships, and vendor delivery to support the Bank Technology team’s objectives.
• Engage with senior leadership to develop and review initiative priorities and assess quarterly financial performance and outcomes.
• Support the CTO with employee engagement initiatives, including town halls, team events, and talent management activities.
• Contribute to internal communications, including videos, newsletters, and leadership Q&A sessions.
• Support Strategy and Project Management teams by providing advisory input on business cases and ensuring quality in deliverables.
• Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs/OKRs) to measure the success of technology initiatives.
• Provide regular, clear updates to senior leadership on the progress and impact of technology initiatives.
• Communicate effectively across all levels of the organization, translating technical concepts into clear business outcomes.
• Foster strong collaboration with business and technology partners to align technology strategy with business objectives.

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in strategy, technology consulting, product management, or a hybrid analytical role, with direct collaboration alongside Product and Engineering teams.
• Demonstrated ability to act as a trusted advisor to senior technology leaders, supporting decision-making and strategic planning.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, including the ability to surface risks early, resolve disagreements, and align diverse stakeholder groups.
• Experience integrating perspectives across product, delivery, resourcing, vendor management, financial performance, and market dynamics.
• Expertise in modern engineering practices, growth experimentation, analytics, and financial or operational reporting.
• Ability to engage credibly across technical and business domains, including architecture discussions and financial or compliance considerations.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders (Director level and above).
• Experience with enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF) and modern technologies such as cloud platforms (e.g., AWS), SaaS solutions (e.g., Salesforce, Databricks), and microservices architectures.
• Proven experience supporting or leading digital transformation initiatives in complex environments.
• Demonstrated growth mindset, adaptability, and comfort working in ambiguous or evolving environments.
• Ability to build structure, drive clarity, and make decisions without formal authority.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including experience with economic modeling and data analysis.
• Clear and concise communication style, delivering actionable and executive-ready recommendations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Technical Roadmap Development: Ability to translate business goals into actionable and phased technical roadmaps.
• Vendor Management & Evaluation: Experience assessing and integrating third-party SaaS solutions and technologies.
• Performance Metrics & Monitoring: Familiarity with observability tools (e.g., Datadog, Splunk) to monitor system health across complex environments.
• AI/ML Application: Hands-on experience with AI tools, automation, or advanced analytics to improve operational and analytical outcomes.

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 distributed 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

$113,000.00 CAD - $163,000.00 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.