Senior Specialist - Partner Rewards and Strategic Initiatives

The Sr. Specialist, Partner Rewards and Strategic Initiatives is responsible for the end-to-end management of the Partner Rewards Program and provides analytical, reporting and execution support for key strategic initiatives such as CX reporting, Monthly Business Reviews and Product Offsites.

The role partners across Product, Sales, CX, Communications and external stakeholders to deliver program administration, communications, insights and process improvements that enhance the Broker and Advisor experience. Leveraging strong analytical, organizational and stakeholder management skills, the incumbent supports executive reporting, business reviews, product launches, strategic planning and team offsites, while ensuring the successful execution of key initiatives and ongoing business operations.

This role is ideal for a highly analytical, detail-oriented and consultative professional who is comfortable working across data, systems and stakeholders, and who takes pride in managing large-scale rewards programs, supporting customer experience improvements and delivering actionable business insights.

Position Responsibilities

Partner Rewards Program Ownership and Execution (60%)

• Own the end-to-end administration and execution of the Partner Rewards Program for Brokers and Advisors, including enrolment, onboarding, membership management, eligibility tracking, reward fulfilment and promotional initiatives.
• Deliver accurate and timely sales tracking, production reporting and program analytics, ensuring data integrity and effective support for business decision-making.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for Partner Rewards inquiries, resolving issues and responding to stakeholder requests in a professional, timely and customer-focused manner.
• Coordinate program communications and engagement activities with Sales, Communications, Distribution and other business partners to support recognition programs, conferences and related initiatives.
• Monitor program performance, maintain supporting systems, processes and documentation, and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, controls and the overall Broker and Advisor experience.
• Collaborate across business partners to manage operational issues, implement enhancements and support the successful delivery of Partner Rewards and recognition-related initiatives.

Strategy (30%)

• Act as a strategy support to the Head of Product, supporting the planning, coordination and execution of key business priorities, strategic initiatives and transformation activities.
• Develop executive-ready reporting, presentations and insights for Monthly / Quarterly Business Reviews, Board Reviews, leadership updates and governance forums.
• Support the identification, and tracking Customer Experience (CX) opportunities and irritants through stakeholder engagement and progress monitoring.
• Prepare business cases, briefing materials, strategic communications and decision-support content to enable effective planning and leadership decision-making.
• Support the planning and delivery of product offsites, strategy sessions and workshops, including agenda development, pre-read preparation, facilitation materials, outcome documentation and follow-up actions.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) & Launch Support (10%)

• Support User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for product launches, pricing changes, campaigns, and enhancements
• Develop UAT plans, test cases, and scenarios in partnership with Product Managers, Technology, Operations, and business stakeholders
• Coordinate test execution, defect tracking, triage, and resolution to ensure solutions meet business requirements
• Support launch readiness by validating business rules, operational processes, advisor impacts, and downstream dependencies

Required Qualifications:

• Good understanding of Advisor and Broker distribution channels, sales practices, channel hierarchies and relationship management within a banking environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to investigate issues, identify root causes, analyze data and support business recommendations.
• Strong planning, organization and execution skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, recurring processes and cross-functional deliverables.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build relationships and communicate effectively across all levels.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, and attention to detail, including data analysis, reporting and dashboard development.
• Strong PowerPoint skills, with the ability to create clean, visually appealing, executive‑ready presentations
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Working knowledge of Salesforce, Repsource and FLOW, including support for web content updates, linguistic service requests, stakeholder communications and program administration activities.
• 3-5 years experience supporting partner rewards, recognition, incentive or loyalty programs.
• 3-5 years experience supporting executive reporting, business reviews, CX initiatives, strategic projects, business events or leadership offsites is an asset.
• Bilingualism (English and French) is considered an asset.
• University degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field (MBA preferred or equivalent experience considered).

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 [email protected].

Referenced Salary Location

Toronto, OntarioHybrid

Salary range is expected to be between

$73,725.00 CAD - $122,875.00 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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.