Director, Strategic Partnerships Execution

Manulife • Waterloo, ON

13d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Strategic Partnerships Execution is accountable for managing a team responsible for third party contracting, vendor relationship management, performance oversight, and issue management in alignment with Manulife’s Procurement and Third-Party Risk Management policies. This includes establishing key focuses for partnership contracts that support business objectives, optimize value and strengthen vendor capabilities. This role provides leadership, guidance, and subject matter expertise to ensure outstanding vendor partnerships and plays a central role in overseeing complex negotiations, governance activities, and the effective delivery of external services.

Requirements

• 7–10+ years of progressive experience in insurance, strategic partnerships, sourcing/contracting and vendor management. Procurement experience is an asset.
• Strong understanding of contract law, procurement processes, negotiation strategies, and third party risk management.
• Strong leadership capabilities with proven ability to guide, develop, and enable high-performing teams.
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate across functions, including executive‑level partners.
• Exceptional communication skills with strong presentation and facilitation abilities.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and drive informed decisions.
• Solid understanding of risk governance requirements, vendor oversight frameworks, and operational controls.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver quality results within tight timelines.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Procurement, or related field; advanced degree an asset.
• 2+ years of people leadership or team‑lead experience preferred.
• Experience working in a complex, matrixed enterprise environment.
• 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.

Responsibilities

• Leadership & Team Management Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Strategic Partnership Managers and vendor management professionals, encouraging an environment of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement. Set clear expectations, monitor performance, and ensure successful execution of vendor contracting and management activities. Provide direction and complete complex procurement strategies, contract negotiations, and risk-related decision making. Champion best practices, process consistency, and knowledge sharing across the Strategic Partnerships team.
• Contracting & Oversight Establish strategic partnership contract priorities to ensure consistency with business objectives, emerging needs, risk considerations, and long term vendor strategies. Provide oversight of all procurement initiatives, (including complex and high-value contracts) ensuring alignment with business strategy, sourcing frameworks, and approval requirements. Drive RFIs, RFPs, MSAs, SOWs, NDAs, and contract amendments to ensure completeness, risk mitigation, and adherence to Procurement and Third-Party Risk Management policies. Lead complex vendor negotiations, including high risk, high value, and multi stakeholder agreements, ensuring competitive outcomes and strong contractual protections for Manulife. Act as a senior point of escalation for contracting issues, supporting teams in achieving competitive and sustainable vendor agreements. Partner with Procurement, Legal, and Risk to ensure high-quality contracting outcomes.
• Relationship & Stakeholder Management Build strong, collaborative relationships with Business Units, Procurement, Legal, Risk, Vendor Governance, and other internal partners. Serve as a senior liaison between vendors and Manulife stakeholders, ensuring alignment to business strategies and expectations. Influence and support senior leaders with strategic vendor insights, issue management updates, and performance trends. Provide coaching and support to team members in complex stakeholder situations.
• Vendor Performance & Risk Governance Ensure vendor partnerships align with all Manulife risk and governance requirements, including risk assessments, scorecards, audits, and Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) obligations. Establish, review and validate KPIs, SLAs, and performance reporting to ensure accuracy, completeness, and actionable insights. Lead escalation management and oversee corrective action plans related to vendor performance gaps. Ensure contract compliance, oversight discipline, and effective risk mitigation across vendor portfolios.
• Issue Management & Escalations Lead the resolution of complex or high impact vendor contract and service issues; act as senior escalation point for the team and business partners. Partner with internal teams and vendors to address root causes, implement corrective actions, and ensure timely communication. Oversee trend analysis and process improvements to minimize repeated issues.

Benefits

• 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
• 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.

What This Job Offers

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