Manager, GWAM Strategy & Transformation

Manulife•Waterloo, ON

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The GWAM Strategy & Transformation Office is recruiting a Manager (Strategy & Transformation) to assist in driving the transformation initiatives at Manulife Global Wealth and Asset Management. The transformation project team is accountable for driving major transformation projects that span multiple areas of our segment. 50% of the role will be on projects that sit at the intersection of finance and strategy, requiring deep expertise in both. Sample projects include GenAI opportunity identification and business cases for finance teams, designing the finance operating model for a new subsidiary, capital allocation & seed capital strategy and platform profitability and cost-to-serve assessments. The remaining 50% of scope will be pure strategy & transformation projects (e.g. supporting/ leading M&A integrations, offshoring/ outsourcing initiatives). You’ll work in a dynamic environment with regular exposure to senior leaders (VP/SVP and above) on initiatives that are strategically important to the business. You’ll collaborate closely with a team of former consultants, where the pace is quick and the learning curve is meaningful—but the impact and professional growth can be very rewarding. The successful candidate will be expected to support and eventually own transformation projects, which entail: Framing key issues & problem solving through first principle thinking Developing initial hypotheses and structuring data analysis Conducting stakeholder interviews to understand business problems Drawing meaningful insights from data analysis and external research/ industry trends Developing actionable recommendations and articulating them through executive presentations

Requirements

University degree in business management, economics or finance
5 - 7 years of experience, preferably 2-3 years in top tier management consulting or similar strategy roles preferred
Finance and accounting certifications (e.g., CPA or CFA) are strongly preferred
Strong numerical aptitude, MS Excel proficiency and experience with analyzing large data sets
Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to apply structured thinking process to solve complex problems independently
Strong storytelling skills and the ability to craft clear, compelling recommendations using Microsoft PowerPoint
Self-awareness and the ability to use a variety of methods and techniques to achieve goals.
Ability to identify the "what" and "why” while considering diverse perspectives to build support for ideas.
Ability to operate comfortably at both levels—diving deep into details when needed while also stepping back to assess the broader context and maintain a clear, strategic perspective

Nice To Haves

Bilingualism (English and French) is an asset. If the successful candidate is in Quebec, proficiency in both languages will be required to support clients from various provinces outside of Quebec

Responsibilities

Think analytically to break down moderately complex issues into smaller, manageable components.
Frame hypotheses for subcomponents, identify data analysis required, source data
Analyze large datasets to identify patterns, trends, and insights that inform strategic recommendations
Maintain a basic understanding of the business, value chain, financial acumen, and customer lifecycle for the strategy being supported
Conduct market research and use external data, benchmarks, industry trends to inform recommendations
Articulate output of the data analysis and resulting recommendations to team members and cross functional stakeholders
Prepare presentations, dashboards, etc. to share insights and recommendations with senior stakeholders (e.g. AVPs and VPs)
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to leverage insights and recommendations for successful project outcome
Participate in day-to-day operational decision-making and support project management and reporting/ monitoring project performance