Legal Operations Director, People Enablement

We are a leading financial services provider committed to making decisions easier and lives better for our customers and colleagues around the world. From our environmental initiatives to our community investments, we lead with values throughout our business. To help us stand out, we help you step up, because when colleagues are healthy, respected and meaningfully challenged, we all thrive. Discover how you can grow your career, make impact and drive real change with our Winning Team today.
Working Arrangement
Hybrid

The Opportunity
This position sits in the Law, Compliance, Government (LCG) function (1,000+ employees across North America, Europe, and Asia) and will report to the Global Head of LCG’s Operations & Strategy, responsible for all aspects of LCG operations, strategy, and initiatives across Manulife.
The LCG Global Operations & Strategy Team (‘LCG Ops’) is structured in Pillars of expertise. The successful candidate will lead the People Enablement Pillar, responsible for supporting LCG people from the most social and human perspective – engagement, diversity, equity and inclusion, communications, learning, career development, to just name a few.
This is a highly visible and collaborative position across LCG, and the successful candidate will be a key and strategic teammate with cross-functional responsibilities.
If you are passionate about people and offering them the best support and experience, if you see technology as an enabler, if you love working with different cultures, if you enjoy leading and groundbreaking, this role is for you!
For this hybrid position, the successful candidate will have to commute to one of the following locations on a weekly basis (2 days a week):

• Toronto, ON, Canada
• Waterloo, ON, Canada

The Responsibilities
Communication & Change Management

• Own, improve and deliver on LCG Communication Plan in alignment with both LCG strategy and Manulife’s Communication Plan globally, in coordination with the Communications Team
• Deploy effective change management practices to support employees through transformation and change, in collaboration with the Change Management Leader

Learning & Professional Development

• Develop clear and important career path for LCG professionals, including revision of the Career Framework(s), as well as talent development strategies, in collaboration with the HR team
• Supervise the development, optimization and globalization of the Knowledge Management and Information Services strategies across LCG (already one direct report in charge of this full time), including but not limited to continuous legal education support, subscriptions management and legal research
• Lead the development of a consistent, global learning and development plan for LCG professionals, in alignment with the revised Career Framework(s), and in collaboration with the LCG Professional Development Team

Engagement & DEI

• Develop and drive a consistent, global employee social engagement strategy, including rewards & recognition approach, team building events and town halls, and support local teams in execution
• Support Engagement & DEI Initiatives, do the liaison between the Engagement & DEI Committee and the Global Head of Operations & Strategy, and assist as needed (including but not limited to reporting)

Strategy

• Work with global partners to identify and use connections ensuring teams and sub-functions are aligned through optimized solutions
• Actively participate in annual and multi-year planning activities, including but not limited to the operational and strategic roadmap (tech and non-tech) for LCG
• Support LCG strategic cost management efforts
• Build and execute against operational and strategic roadmap for the People Enablement Pillar, including but not limited to identifying and collecting business needs, leading out requirements gathering, leading pilots, and supervising implementation of new solutions

Process Documentation & Optimization

• Contribute to identifying transformation opportunities and evolving LCG service delivery model, including but not limited to resource allocation and capacity unlocking strategies and near/offshoring
• Be responsible for the process optimization and simplification agenda for the People Enablement Pillar, identify and champion simplification, optimization opportunities, including but not limited to self-service portals, playbooks and templates in support of LCG service deliver model
• Identify and document processes and associated risks, implement and run associated controls and monitoring, working alongside various controls function subject matter authority teams

Leadership

• Actively collaborate with the other Pillars as well as other functions and teams
• Support the Business Continuity Plan and efforts, in coordination with the BCP Team
• Enlists trust of team, other colleagues and partners, and leaders through clear and transparent communication
• Manage a team of direct and matrix line reports, some located in different time zones
• Advances key risks and issues as appropriate
• Influence key partners

Who You Are
Must Haves

• Minimum 7-8 years of proven professional experience(s) on most of the key responsibilities
• Transformation attitude and critical thinking, curious and asks a lot of questions to unpack historical biases and beliefs in order to drive effective change
• Big picture mentality with the ability to zoom in and out to connect the dots
• Demonstrate personal interest and/or experience of the other key responsibilities
• Excellent interpersonal skills, and ability to develop and maintain strong colleague relationships
• Experience in drafting communications material (Newsletter, announcements,…) involving an excellent written communication skills, with a clear and concise communication style
• Extremely organized and detail oriented
• Flexible schedule to accommodate our Asian users on a case-by-case basis

(Very) Nice To Haves

• Experience developing and growing diverse talent
• Experience impacting and influencing senior leaders and partners
• Prior or current experience with LCG or Manulife
• Experience working cross-functionally, cross-culturally, and globally (multiple time zones)
• Experience leading people, teams and processes through change

What can we offer you?

• A growth trajectory that extends upward and outward, encouraging you to follow your passions and learn new skills.
• Flexible work policies and strong work-life balance.
• A competitive salary and benefits packages.
• Professional development and leadership opportunities.
• A focus on growing your career path with us.

Our commitment to you

• Delivering the promise of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion We foster an inclusive environment where everyone thrives.
• Championing Corporate Citizenship We build a business that benefits all partners and has a positive social and environmental impact.
• Values-first culture We lead with our Values every day and bring them to life together.
• Continuous innovation We invite you to help redefine the future of financial services.
• Boundless opportunity We build opportunities to learn and grow at every stage of your career.

Every career at Manulife/John Hancock provides the opportunity to learn new skills and move your career forward. Ready to make an impact somewhere? What are you waiting for? Apply today.
About John Hancock And Manulife
John Hancock is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services group that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. We operate primarily as John Hancock in the United States, and Manulife globally, including Canada, Asia and Europe. We provide financial advice, insurance and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were CAD$1.3 trillion (US$1.1 trillion) as of June 30, 2021. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com.
One of the largest life insurers in the United States, John Hancock supports more than 10 million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, and education savings plans. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.
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].
Salary & Benefits
The annual base salary for this role is listed below.
Primary Location
Toronto, Ontario
Salary range is expected to be between
$100,500.00 CAD - $180,900.00 CAD
If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact [email protected] for the salary range for your location. 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. Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance.
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.