Product Owner - Canada Retirement Products

Manulife•Waterloo, ON

1d•CA$85,300 - CA$135,300•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced Product Owner to drive strategy, delivery, and continuous innovation across our Canadian Retirement products, with a focus on our specialty and ancillary offerings. This role requires a strong foundation in the Canadian retirement and savings industry and a passion for creating solutions that address the needs of advisors, plan sponsors, and members. As a key member of the Product team, you will champion the advisor and sponsor experience, translating industry insights, regulatory requirements, and customer feedback into product strategies that deliver meaningful value. The successful candidate will bring deep knowledge of group retirement and savings programs, pension products, advisor distribution channels, and the evolving retirement landscape. You will prioritize the product backlog, deliver iterative value, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop innovative solutions that enhance digital experiences, strengthen advisor and sponsor engagement, and leverage AI where appropriate to improve outcomes for all stakeholders.

Requirements

3–5 years in product ownership / product management
Proven delivery of successful products end-to-end
Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills
Experience in agile (Scrum/Kanban) environments
Experience working within the Canadian Retirement industry, including Group Retirement Services, pension, savings, or wealth solutions.
Knowledge of Canadian retirement products, regulations, and industry practices, including defined contribution (DC), defined benefit (DB), Group RRSP, DPSP, TFSA, and decumulation solutions.
Understanding of the retirement ecosystem, including plan sponsors, advisors, and plan members.

Nice To Haves

Experience in Group Retirement Services
Expertise in digital platforms (e.g., websites, mobile apps)
Familiarity with AI technologies and trends
Experience with personalization tools (Adobe Target)
Understanding of consent and compliance (PIPEDA)
Strong UX and data-driven decision-making capabilities

Responsibilities

Define and evolve product vision, roadmap, and priorities aligned to the product strategy
Use customer feedback, data, and market insights to inform decisions
Act as the voice of the customer and business across the product lifecycle
Own backlog prioritization, user stories, and sprint outcomes
Lead agile ceremonies and ensure consistent, iterative delivery
Oversee UAT and ensure quality, usability, and value delivery
Leverage product analytics and data driven insights to optimize experience and decision-making
Apply structured prioritization methods (e.g., MoSCoW)
Partner with data teams to enable accurate, actionable insights
Drive modernization of digital platforms with API-first mentality that allows those systems to be flexible and support more than one experience
Implement design systems for consistent, accessible UX
Enable strategies to improve engagement and outcomes
Lead go-to-market and adoption strategies for new features
Partner across operations, marketing, and technology teams
Monitor adoption metrics and refine rollout approaches
Build strong relationships and align priorities across teams
Communicate product vision, progress, and outcomes clearly
Use frameworks (OKRs, RACI) to support execution and alignment

Benefits

health
dental
mental health
vision
short- and long-term disability
life and AD&D insurance coverage
adoption/surrogacy
wellness benefits
employee/family assistance plans
retirement savings plans (including pension and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions)
financial education and counseling resources
holidays
vacation
personal
sick days
full range of statutory leaves of absence