Program director Jobs in Kitchener, ON

You will set the technical program agenda across the closed block mainframe and policy administration domain, providing direction for how these critical platforms remain stable, reliable and cost-effective while progressively modernizing the in-force technology landscape. This role balances the operational responsibility of servicing in-force policies without interruption with the strategic mandate to reduce cost and risk and advance modernization over time.

You will lead multiple direct reports and the squads within their organizations, serving as a trusted technology partner to the AVP and business stakeholders. You will provide clear accountability and transparency related to cost, risk, progress and outcomes.

Position Responsibilities:

• Set the technical program direction for the mainframe and policy administration portfolio, defining priorities, sequencing, dependencies and delivery approaches across a multi-year sustainment and modernization agenda.
• Lead multiple direct reports and their squads, with accountability for resourcing, performance, capability development, delivery effectiveness and consistent engineering standards across the portfolio.
• Partner with Business Delivery Leads to prioritize investment and capacity, balancing platform stability and sustainment, regulatory and risk commitments, operational obligations, and incremental growth and modernization opportunities.
• Manage portfolio risks, dependencies and partner delivery across policy administration systems, batch processing, integration layers and downstream systems. Proactively drive mitigation and hold internal and third-party partners accountable for quality, cost and delivery.
• Drive measurable improvements in cost, risk and platform health by advancing run-cost and capacity optimization, decommissioning, reliability, observability and overall stability. Influence business and technology leaders on the investments and decisions required to advance the closed block agenda.
• Champion responsible AI adoption and engineering productivity across the portfolio, enabling leaders and squads to integrate AI into engineering practices and delivery workflows to improve productivity, accelerate delivery and increase value for customers and the business.

Required Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience at the Director level or in a comparable senior technology leadership role.
• 5–10 years of experience leading technology teams, including leaders and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Strong mainframe and policy administration expertise, including experience with or knowledge of COBOL, JCL, DB2, VSAM, RACF, Endevor, CICS and related mainframe tooling, as well as capacity, performance and cost management.
• Strong architecture and modernization experience, with the ability to lead legacy modernization, migration and integration strategies spanning mainframe platforms, APIs and cloud technologies such as Microsoft Azure.
• Insurance policy administration domain knowledge, including experience with new business products and, ideally, in-force or legacy insurance products and the operational complexities associated with these platforms.
• Demonstrated technology and people leadership, including developing talent, establishing engineering practices and influencing senior business and technology stakeholders.
• Strong program and financial management capabilities, with experience leading complex, multi-year programs across multiple squads, including roadmap development, dependency and risk management, budget ownership, resource forecasting and investment prioritization.
• An inclusive leadership approach that supports collaboration, psychological safety, diverse perspectives and equitable opportunities for team members.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with IMS and IBM MQ for z/OS.
• Experience with CA AutoSys, File-AID, Easytrieve, REXX, DFSORT and SAS.
• Experience with test data management and batch regression strategies for legacy systems.
• Experience evaluating, selecting and onboarding delivery partners within a legacy technology environment.

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 .

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 .

Referenced Salary Location

Waterloo, Ontario

Working Arrangement

Hybrid

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 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 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 .