Director, IT Finance

Manulife • Waterloo, ON

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting into Global Head of IT Finance, the Director IT Finance is a senior finance leader responsible for providing strategic financial leadership, advisory, and oversight to Enterprise and Global Data Technology. This role leads the FP&A function supporting Enterprise Technology (ETS) Infrastructure & Operations (I&O) and Global Data, acting as the primary finance partner to Corporate IT CIOs and their leadership teams. The role is equally focused on financial predictability, advisory excellence, and transformation, balancing near‑term forecasting and decision support with longer‑term process automation and operating model modernization. The successful candidate will build and lead a high‑performing FP&A organization while partnering closely with Technology and Finance leadership to enable AI‑driven productivity, cost optimization, and disciplined investment decisions. Why This Role This is a highly visible leadership opportunity to shape the future of IT FP&A, influence enterprise‑wide investment and cost decisions, and help modernize how Finance partners with Technology in a rapidly evolving, AI‑enabled environment.

Requirements

• Over 10 years of progressive finance experience, with deep expertise in FP&A, financial advisory, and executive stakeholder management.
• Proven track record of partnering with senior executives and influencing decisions through insight and credibility.
• Demonstrated experience leading process transformation, automation, and change management initiatives within Finance.
• Strong people‑leadership capability, with experience building and leading high‑performing, engaged teams.
• Undergraduate degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field; MBA and/or professional designation (CPA, CFA) preferred.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience supporting Technology preferred, not required.
• Bilingualism (English and French) is an asset. If the successful candidate is in Québec, proficiency in both languages will be required to support clients from various provinces outside of Quebec.
• Strategic and commercial mindset with the ability to balance near‑term execution and long‑term transformation.
• Exceptional communication and financial storytelling skills; able to translate complexity into clear, actionable insights.
• Strong judgment, governance orientation, and comfort operating in a highly visible, enterprise‑wide role.
• Passion for modern FP&A, analytics, and technology‑enabled finance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end‑to‑end FP&A agenda for Enterprise Technology and Global Data IT, covering expense forecasting, outlooks, risks & opportunities, and leadership reporting.
• Serve as the primary business partner to ETS and Data CIOs, providing proactive financial guidance, insights, and recommendations to support strategic and operational decisions.
• Improve the accuracy, predictability, and transparency of forecasts through strong financial storytelling, materiality discipline, and alignment to delivery and capacity plans.
• Provide financial leadership on enterprise‑wide Technology initiatives, including AI‑driven productivity, automation, and cost optimization programs.
• Partner across Finance, Technology, and Strategy to ensure aligned messaging, expectations, and outcomes.
• Provide financial review and oversight of major enterprise Technology contracts, procurement renewals, and vendor engagements, including value realization and affordability assessments.
• Ensure strong financial governance, controls, and accountability across Technology spend, consistent with enterprise finance standards and policies.
• Advance the FP&A agenda through process automation, self‑serve insights, and standardized ways of working.
• Drive simplification and scalability of planning, forecasting, and reporting processes, reducing manual effort and increasing insight quality.
• Lead change management efforts to embed new tools, processes, and behaviors across FP&A and Technology stakeholders.
• Play a leadership role in Finance Transformation initiatives, including evolution of the FP&A operating model, role clarity, and transfers with adjacent finance teams (e.g., FinOps, Accounting).
• Help shape and implement the future‑state operating model, ensuring FP&A remains forward‑looking, advisory‑focused, and insight‑driven.
• Act as a thought partner to senior Finance leadership on modern FP&A capabilities, talent, and technology enablement.
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of approximately 5 FP&A professionals, fostering a high‑performance, inclusive, and growth‑oriented culture.
• Build strong succession, capability, and talent pipelines aligned to future FP&A skill requirements.

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