Life Underwriting Trainee

Build your underwriting career with Manulife’s Individual Insurance team, a leading provider of insurance for Canadian families, individuals, and businesses, recognized for innovative products, service, and professional advice.

As a Junior Life Underwriter, you’ll develop the knowledge and skills to assess life insurance applications with guidance from experienced underwriters. No prior underwriting signing authority is required. You’ll learn how to support cases involving National Accounts, Managing General Agencies (MGAs), and Traditional Producers.

Bring your curiosity, critical-thinking skills, and enthusiasm for learning. You’ll ask questions, explore information, and build sound judgment while contributing to a positive experience for customers, advisors, and internal partners.

Why Underwriting at Manulife

At Manulife, underwriting is where expertise, trust, and impact come together. In this role, you won’t just review files — you’ll own complex, meaningful decisions that help individuals and families secure their financial futures with confidence.

You’ll work with innovative underwriting tools and technologies that support strong judgment and better customer outcomes, allowing you to focus on the higher‑value work your expertise is built for.

We’re equally invested in your growth. With clear career progression, hands‑on learning alongside experienced peers, and strong support for professional development, Manulife offers an environment where underwriting careers are built for the long term — supported by flexible ways of working and a collaborative, people‑first culture.

Position Responsibilities

• Learn to assess and classify life insurance risks with guidance from experienced underwriters, following Manulife’s underwriting philosophy, guidelines, and standards.
• Review medical, financial, occupational, avocational, travel, and lifestyle information, building your understanding of how these factors affect risk.
• Use critical thinking to identify missing or unclear information, ask thoughtful questions, and document your findings and rationale for review.
• Organize your case workload with support, developing the ability to balance thorough reviews with quality, productivity, and service expectations.
• Develop clear, professional communication skills to explain requirements and support communication of underwriting decisions with guidance.
• Build positive working relationships, follow up on your cases, and seek support when questions or service concerns arise.
• Follow applicable legislation, consumer regulations, privacy requirements, and disclosure standards.
• Participate actively in training, apply feedback, and share questions and ideas that support learning, teamwork, and better ways of working.

Required Qualifications

• A genuine interest in life insurance underwriting and enthusiasm for building new knowledge and skills.
• Critical-thinking skills: the ability to look beyond the surface, connect information, and consider why something matters.
• Curiosity and a willingness to ask thoughtful questions, clarify your understanding, and seek guidance rather than make assumptions.
• An eagerness to learn medical terminology, financial concepts, and the other factors involved in assessing life insurance risk.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail when reviewing information and identifying gaps or inconsistencies.
• Openness to feedback and the ability to apply what you learn to new situations.
• Clear written and verbal communication, strong listening skills, and a willingness to explain your thinking.
• A customer-service mindset and the ability to build credibility and positive relationships with advisors and internal partners.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, and ownership of priorities and turnaround times.
• Comfort using digital tools, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and internet-based applications, and a willingness to learn underwriting systems and new business processes.
• Adaptability, a collaborative approach, and a commitment to taking an active role in your learning and development.
• The successful candidate will be required to communicate in English and French to support clients from various provinces outside of Québec.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous exposure to insurance, underwriting, or a related customer-service or administrative role.
• Enrollment in or completion of LOMA, ALU, or other insurance-related courses.
• A university or college degree in a related discipline.
• Medical education, training, or experience.
• Participation in industry meetings, seminars, or conferences.

If the successful candidate is in Québec, proficiency in both languages will be required to support clients from various provinces outside of Quebec.

Career Growth

Through training, case exposure, guidance from experienced underwriters, and regular feedback, you’ll build a foundation in risk assessment, develop your judgment, and gain confidence in explaining your thinking and managing cases.

As your knowledge and confidence grow, you’ll work toward greater independence and readiness for an Intermediate Life Underwriter role. Development will focus on applying what you learn, sound reasoning, case quality, clear communication, and knowing when to seek guidance. Progression will depend on demonstrated readiness and business needs, rather than time in role alone.

What Matters to You

• Putting customers first by listening, engaging, and acting for their benefit.
• Learning continuously and finding better ways to work.
• Taking ownership and achieving results together.
• Acting with integrity, doing what is right, and speaking up.
• Supporting a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace.

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

Canada, Full Time RemoteRemote

Salary range is expected to be between

$70,500.00 CAD - $117,500.00 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.