Director, Digital Product Management

Manulife • Waterloo, ON

3d • CA$125,100 - CA$175,100 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced Director of Digital Product Management to lead our digital product strategy and ensure our products exceed customer expectations. In this role, you will champion user-centricity, acting as the voice of both the business and the customer, while guiding the strategy and adoption of our digital products. You will work within a cross-functional team to develop innovative solutions and improve user experiences, making a significant impact on our digital offerings. If you thrive on challenges and are passionate about simplifying consumer journeys, we invite you to join our team and help redefine the future of digital experiences.

Requirements

• 6-10 years of experience in product management with at least 5 years in a leadership role, with a consistent track record of accomplishment of delivering successful digital products.
• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree (e.g., MBA or MS in a technical or business field) is a plus.
• Equivalent experience in digital product leadership may also be considered.
• Certifications in product strategy, agile leadership, or innovation management are beneficial.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Digital Transformation: Proven track record of successfully launching and handling digital products

Nice To Haves

• Domain Expertise Experience in website platform level, reusable services that power multiple products and channels across wealth management, asset management, insurance, retail, advisor, retirement segments.
• Strategic Product Leadership Demonstrated ability to define and drive long-term product vision and strategy, aligning digital initiatives with enterprise goals.
• Skilled in prioritizing high-impact initiatives that balance customer value, business outcomes, and technical feasibility.
• Digital Enablement & Experience Design Experience leading digital transformation across complex servicing workflows (e.g., claims, withdrawals, address changes).
• Proficient in applying design systems to deliver scalable, consistent, and accessible user experiences.
• Familiar with personalization platforms (e.g., Adobe Target, Optimizely) and their strategic use in driving engagement and conversion.
• Platform & Architecture Expertise Deep understanding of enterprise-grade platforms (e.g., Adobe Experience Manager, Sitecore, Salesforce) and their role in digital ecosystems.
• Knowledge of headless architecture, API-first design, and microservices to support modular, scalable product development.
• Data Privacy & Consent Management Experience implementing consent management solutions to ensure compliance with global data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
• Proven collaboration with legal, compliance, and engineering teams to operationalize privacy policies and user data governance.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Influence Proven success in leading cross-functional teams (design, engineering, marketing) to deliver cohesive product strategies.
• Skilled at articulating product vision, aligning stakeholders, and influencing outcomes without direct reporting lines.
• Customer-Centric Innovation Strong grasp of UX principles and behavioral psychology to inform product design and strategy.
• Experienced in synthesizing customer insights (quantitative and qualitative) to drive iterative improvements and innovation.
• Iterative Product Delivery Experienced in enabling iterative delivery models that support continuous feedback and measurable business impact.
• Skilled in coordinating across product, design, and engineering teams to ensure delivery momentum and alignment with strategic goals.
• Familiar with tools like Jira and Rally to support backlog visibility and cross-team collaboration.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Communication Adept at managing diverse stakeholder groups, aligning product strategy across business units, and driving consensus.
• Strong communication skills to translate complex technical concepts into business-relevant narratives.
• Data-Driven Decision Making Expertise in leveraging analytics, tagged user interactions, and behavioral data to guide product decisions.
• Skilled in identifying friction points and optimizing performance through evidence-based experimentation and iteration.
• AI & Emerging Technology Awareness Familiarity with AI trends (e.g., predictive analytics, NLP, generative AI) and their potential to enhance product capabilities.
• Forward-thinking mindset to evaluate and integrate emerging technologies into strategic roadmaps.
• Market & Competitive Intelligence Strong proficiency in conducting comprehensive market analysis and translating insights into actionable product strategies.
• Skilled at identifying emerging trends, evolving customer needs, and competitive dynamics to fuel innovation, maintain market relevance, and sustain competitive advantage.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve product strategy for complex digital platforms or services, grounded in user insights, market dynamics, and competitive intelligence.
• Own the product vision and roadmap, ensuring alignment with enterprise-level goals and long-term business outcomes.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration to translate strategic objectives into actionable product initiatives, fostering alignment across engineering, design, data, and business teams.
• Drive product development across multiple workstreams, ensuring iterative delivery of high-impact features and platform enhancements.
• Prioritize and manage a dynamic backlog, balancing short-term delivery needs with long-term strategic investments.
• Ensure delivery quality through oversight of user acceptance testing, release planning, and continuous improvement practices.
• Leverage product analytics and customer feedback to assess performance, identify opportunities, and guide strategic pivots.
• Partner with data and analytics teams to ensure robust measurement frameworks and actionable insights.
• Apply structured prioritization frameworks (e.g., RICE, MoSCoW, Eisenhower Matrix) to optimize roadmap decisions and resource allocation.
• Partner with global platform teams to ensure modernization initiatives—such as transitions to secure, scalable, headless architectures—are effectively adopted and aligned with product goals.
• Champion the use of global design systems to deliver consistent, accessible, and scalable user experiences across digital properties.
• Drive personalization and experience innovation strategies that enhance engagement and deliver measurable business value.
• Develop and implement change management plans to support smooth rollouts and stakeholder adoption of new capabilities.
• Collaborate with marketing, sales, and support teams to deliver effective enablement, communications, and product demos.
• Monitor adoption metrics and continuously refine go-to-market strategies based on feedback and performance data.
• Communicate product strategy and impact clearly to executive leadership and key stakeholders, influencing enterprise priorities and investment decisions.
• Build and nurture strategic relationships across the organization to foster alignment, collaboration, and shared accountability.
• Manage vendor partnerships to ensure delivery excellence and strategic alignment with product goals.
• Lead and develop a high-performing product team, providing mentorship, coaching, and career development to direct reports.
• Set clear goals and expectations, aligning individual and team objectives with broader business strategy.
• Foster a culture of ownership, innovation, and customer-centricity, empowering team members to make strategic decisions and drive measurable outcomes.
• Optimize team structure and resource allocation to support evolving priorities and maximize business impact across complex digital platforms or services.

Benefits

• 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.
• various retirement savings plans (including pension and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources.
• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director