Product Director - Residential Lending Acquisition

Manulife • Toronto, ON

10d • $145,130 - $195,130 • Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Head of Product, Residential Lending, the Product Director - Residential Lending Acquisition, is a strategic, consultant-minded professional who is accountable for driving net new acquisition growth and shaping the end‑to‑end value proposition for Residential Secured Lending (RESL) products across advisor, broker, and direct channels. The role owns acquisition strategy, product positioning, and offer design, ensuring RESL products are compelling, competitive, and differentiated while meeting margin, risk, funding objectives and regulatory guidelines. As the senior product authority for acquisition‑led initiatives, the Director leads the product management team to deliver end‑to‑end product management—from discovery and design through delivery, launch, and ongoing optimization. With a strong focus on advisor, broker, and customer outcomes, the Director partners closely with internal and external stakeholders and uses market insight, analytics, and customer feedback to deliver customer‑centric, market‑relevant lending solutions aligned with Manulife Bank’s strategy.

Requirements

• Strategic thinker with at least 10-12+ years of experience in Product Management, Product Development, or Financial Services roles
• University degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, or a related field (MBA preferred or equivalent experience considered)
• Residential lending and mortgage experience strongly preferred
• Advisor channel experience is a significant asset
• Proven ability to develop compelling business cases and influence decisions across cross‑functional teams
• Experience working across multi-channel distribution and multiple product lines in a matrixed environment
• Strong product execution skills, including requirements definition, stakeholder coordination, and delivery oversight
• Strategic thinker with strong conceptual, storytelling, and end‑to‑end process orientation

Nice To Haves

• MBA preferred or equivalent experience considered

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, refinement, and execution of the Residential Lending value proposition, with a focus on relevance, simplicity, and competitive differentiation across channels.
• Design and evolve acquisition offers, including pricing constructs, features, benefits, and packaging.
• Ensure value propositions balance customer appeal, advisor enablement, and financial performance.
• Develop short‑ and long‑term product roadmaps aligned to business objectives, channel strategy, customer outcomes, and the Residential Lending target operating model.
• Own the RESL acquisition strategy across advisor, broker, and direct‑to‑consumer channels, including target segments and growth levers.
• Define and prioritize acquisition initiatives aligned to channel strategies and business objectives.
• Translate growth ambitions into clear product, pricing, and offer strategies.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Digital, Operations, Technology, and Go‑to‑Market teams to drive acquisition outcomes and portfolio growth.
• Drive improvements in acquisition, adoption, retention, and advisor experience through simplified products, processes, and data‑driven optimization.
• Own the full product lifecycle for Residential Lending products, from discovery through implementation and ongoing management.
• Design and deliver customer‑centric lending solutions through active engagement with advisors, customers, and internal partners.
• Lead the delivery of product enhancements, including features, pricing, benefits, and policy changes.
• Define and document product specifications, business and user requirements, and support testing to ensure solutions meet intended outcomes.
• Partner with Finance and Pricing to shape acquisition‑focused pricing strategies and assess NIM, funding, and balance‑sheet impacts.
• Own the acquisition performance outcomes, including volumes, mix, margin, and cost‑to‑acquire.
• Use performance insights and market data to continuously refine offers, channel tactics, and positioning.
• Translate insights into clear, actionable product and offer recommendations.
• Lead market and competitive analysis to inform acquisition strategy and value proposition design.
• Lead with example and develop product managers accountable for driving acquisition outcomes, building strong capability across strategy, commercial thinking, and execution.
• Set clear goals, provide coaching, and establish succession plans.
• Lead cross‑enterprise initiatives through influence, aligning stakeholders across complex initiatives.
• Represent the product and advisor‑channel perspective in cross‑functional forums and partner with Risk and Compliance on regulatory and policy updates.
• Ensure initiatives are delivered on time, within budget and in line with our strategic goals.
• Support successful releases of the product illustration system, including defining illustration requirements to ensure effective market presentation.
• Partner with Sales Enablement, Product, Marketing, and Credit teams to develop enhancements that resonate with the market while preserving required financial characteristics.
• Work closely with Credit and Underwriting to ensure product risks are clearly understood and appropriately managed.

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)
• financial education and counseling resources.
• generous paid time off program in Canada includes holidays, vacation, personal, and sick days
• full range of statutory leaves of absence.

What This Job Offers

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