AVP, Global People Services (Readiness & Innovation)

The AVP, Global People Services (GPS) - Service Readiness & Innovation ensures the GPS strategy and operating model translate into coordinated, launch-ready, scalable services. This leader integrates service readiness, product enablement, knowledge, training, regional execution, and innovation so delivery teams can provide consistent, compliant, and experience-led service.

The role monitors operating-model effectiveness, closes service alignment and enablement gaps, and coordinates new or changed services. It confirms impacts, requirements, team readiness, and risks before launch.

Key Accountabilities

Enable the GPS strategy and operating model

• Translate GPS strategy into practical readiness, product, knowledge, training, and innovation priorities.
• Assess operating-model effectiveness and address gaps, duplication, handoffs, and capability needs.
• Align service scope, ownership, channels, and enabling capabilities; recommend improvements that strengthen scale and colleague experience.

Lead end-to-end service readiness and launch coordination

• Lead intake, impact assessment, planning, validation, cutover, hypercare, and post-launch review for changes entering GPS.
• Confirm ownership, process, controls, capacity, technology, data, knowledge, training, communications, escalation paths, and success measures before services go-live.
• Manage cross-service dependencies, resource constraints, sequencing, and launch risks; escalate unresolved issues through GPS governance.

Lead service design, product ownership, and innovation for GPS

• Translate colleague and stakeholder needs into scalable service models, journeys, workflows, requirements, and product roadmaps.
• Lead GPS product ownership, balancing business value, experience, operational needs, controls, and technical feasibility.
• Build and scale an innovation pipeline spanning automation, AI, self-service, workflow, and knowledge, with clear adoption and benefit measures.

Build GPS knowledge, training, and change readiness

• Set standards for operational knowledge, procedures, playbooks, learning content, and readiness evidence.
• Ensure accurate, approved knowledge, role-based training, communications, and adoption support are available before launch.
• Use quality, search, case, and experience insights to improve effectiveness and reduce avoidable contacts and errors.

Lead regional service readiness orchestration

• Lead regional Service Delivery Managers for International, North America, and Asia, balancing global consistency with local requirements.
• Coordinate readiness across COEs, People Partners, Technology, Operations, and delivery teams using common routines, tools, and reporting.
• Build regional accountability for stakeholder engagement, launch preparation, risk management, adoption, and stabilization.

Create executive visibility and performance accountability

• Provide dashboards and readiness reviews covering demand, status, dependencies, decisions, adoption, and benefits.
• Track launch quality, disruption, knowledge effectiveness, training, adoption, automation, and stakeholder confidence.
• Recommend what to start, stop, sequence, defer, or remediate, using post-launch insights to prevent recurring failures.

Leadership Scope

• Leads the GPS Innovation Leader, GPS Product Owner, Knowledge Readiness and Training Analyst, and three regional GPS Service Delivery Managers.
• Builds an integrated, high-performing team connecting strategy, design, technology, knowledge, training, regional readiness, and adoption.

Leadership Expectations

• Balance colleague experience, operational stability, risk, speed, and business value across a complex global matrix.
• Create clarity and accountability, influence senior stakeholders, and champion simplification, standardization, automation, AI, and digital-first design.
• Use sound judgment and evidence to communicate readiness recommendations, including when launches should pause or be remediated.

Key Outcomes / Measures of Success

• Consistent readiness disciplines, clear service ownership, trained teams, accurate knowledge, and effective controls.
• More predictable launches, faster adoption and value realization, and fewer defects, escalations, and downstream impacts.
• A prioritized product and innovation roadmap that improves colleague experience, quality, efficiency, scale, and global consistency.

Key Partnerships

Global Head of People Operations; GPS Assistance, Pathways, Rewards, and Governance & Assurance leaders; People & Comms COEs; People Partner Teams; People Technology; Product and Digital teams; Risk, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, and Information Security; Communications; Change Management; Finance; Procurement; PMO; vendors and implementation partners.

Experience and Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in global HR operations, shared services, service design, readiness, product management, transformation, or innovation.
• Proven success establishing operating models, governance, service standards, and launch disciplines across global and regional teams.
• Experience translating policy, process, technology, data, and organizational change into sustainable operations.
• Strong knowledge of HR service delivery, employee experience, knowledge and learning, digital products, workflow, automation, and AI-enabled operations.
• Executive presence, analytical judgment, stakeholder influence, and experience leading geographically distributed teams.

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 hr@manulife.com.

Referenced Salary Location

Waterloo, OntarioHybrid

Salary range is expected to be between

$129,800.00 CAD - $241,200.00 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.

About Us

We're Manulife. And we’re on a mission to make decisions easier and lives better.

Better is what drives us. It’s what inspires us to find new ways to support customers and colleagues in living longer and healthier lives. It’s the reason we’re dedicated to investing in digital innovation and industry-leading AI, and accelerating a sustainable and economically inclusive future.

Joining us means you’ll be empowered to learn and grow your career. We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words. And as part of our global team, you’ll help shape the future you want to see – and discover that better can take you anywhere you want to go.

We’re proud of our accomplishments and recognition. Recent awards include:

• 2026 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award Winner
• Manulife Named one of Forbes World’s Best Employers 2025
• Financial Times World’s Best Employers Asia-Pacific 2026
• We’ve been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers 2026
• #1 Life Insurer for AI Maturity by Evident 2026

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Our ambition is to be the number one choice for customers. Learn more at https://www.manulife.com/.