Technical Program Manager-Health & Wellness

Manulife•Boston, MA

6d•$107,450 - $199,550•Hybrid

About The Position

The Technical Program Manager will lead strategic technology initiatives that use customer insight and behavioral science to create engaging health and wellness experiences for John Hancock Insurance. Working with Marketing, Distribution, product owners, experience teams, and technology leaders, the role translates business goals and customer needs into coordinated delivery plans across the life insurance value chain. The TPM connects campaign, engagement, product, and platform capabilities; guides development, testing, implementation, and business readiness; and ensures solutions deliver measurable customer and business outcomes on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with regulatory and risk commitments. The role oversees the full software development lifecycle, from initiative initiation and delivery through implementation, stabilization, and post-launch support across policyholder, producer, and operations journeys. It is accountable for technology delivery across planning, execution, monitoring, control, closure, and post-initiative evaluation. The TPM applies software engineering and technology knowledge, leads cross-functional alignment, coordinates technology services and product architecture, identifies and mitigates technical risks, and works with business initiative leads to define scope, schedules, milestones, and goals. The role also fosters innovation, collaboration, alignment, and productivity within the aligned team. The position is based in Boston, Massachusetts, with a hybrid working arrangement. The advertised role is an existing vacancy.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, information systems, business administration, or a related field.
3–5 years of technical program management expertise in a related field.
3 or more years delivering technology solutions in the life insurance industry; direct exposure to Marketing and Distribution areas and downstream capabilities is preferred.
3 or more years of experience in health, wellness, and/or behavioral insurance markets and related product development, distribution, or marketing.
Familiarity with life, annuity, or health insurance regulatory and business concepts and the operational cadence of product changes and partnerships.
Project management skills and proficiency with project or initiative management software tools and methodologies, including Agile and the software development lifecycle.
Understanding of Agile metrics, Scrum, and similar methodologies for tracking progress, measuring team performance, and identifying improvement areas.
Working knowledge of data, integration, and platform capabilities required for AI solutions, including secure access to approved enterprise data, data quality and lineage, retrieval-augmented generation, API integration, prompt and model versioning, evaluation frameworks, observability, and production monitoring.
Proven track record delivering complex, large-scale IT solutions, including modernization and integration work such as APIs and data pipelines in regulated environments.
Working knowledge of insurance regulatory and compliance considerations, with the ability to partner with Compliance and Legal to ensure controls and evidence are in place.
Experience with test governance, including test-driven development, parallel testing, defect triage with business SMEs, and sign-off processes.
Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, including the ability to influence and negotiate with peers and leaders.
Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to balance short- and long-term objectives and trade-offs.
Adaptability, flexibility, and resilience in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

Excellent organizational and problem-solving abilities to manage creative tension.
Ability to influence and execute work without directly managing resources.
Strong verbal communication skills and the ability to articulate technical vision and translate outcomes into possibilities, options, and execution.
Comfort leading communications and presentations to senior leadership, sponsors, and stakeholders on business cases and roadmaps.
Commitment to continuous learning and improvement, learning from both success and failure and remaining open to change.
Ability to respond well to ambiguity and work efficiently to clarify situations and outcomes.
Experience partnering with Marketing and Distribution to translate product and regulatory requirements into technology deliverables with clear acceptance criteria and traceability.
Ability to design and manage integrations across technology ecosystems, including product and rate data sources, rules engines, document generation, e-signature, CRM or portals, and case management, including API contracts, versioning, and backward compatibility.
Ability to drive non-functional requirements for platform specifications, including user experience, high availability, resiliency, observability, and data privacy and security for producer and customer data.
Excellent problem-solving, organizational, analytical, and critical-thinking skills, including discretion and judgment in decision-making.
Excellent documentation, communication, and interpersonal relationship skills, including negotiation and relationship management skills to drive achievement of objectives.
Recognized expertise within an IT specialty and/or business and the broader organization, with broad-based expertise across the area and related functions.
Ability to interact professionally with all organizational levels.
Ability to partner with business and technology leaders to identify and prioritize AI opportunities across quoting and illustration, application intake, underwriting and new business, policy issue and delivery, in-force servicing, producer support, customer service, claims, and operations, while defining success measures, controls, and adoption plans.
Ability to develop and integrate metrics that demonstrate IT value, such as illustration turnaround time, quote-to-apply conversion, and straight-through processing.
The role's required qualifications also state that direct exposure to Marketing and Distribution areas and downstream capabilities is preferred.

Responsibilities

Oversee the full software development lifecycle for initiatives supporting John Hancock Insurance priorities, from initiation and delivery through implementation, stabilization, and post-launch support across policyholder, producer, and operations journeys.
Lead and be accountable for technology delivery, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, closure, and post-initiative evaluation, meeting scope, budget, schedule, regulatory, operational-readiness, and customer commitments.
Apply knowledge of software engineering and technology to implement technology strategies and ensure effective software delivery.
Provide cross-functional leadership and build alignment on product architecture and coordination with IT organization service areas.
Identify and mitigate technical risks that could affect initiative success.
Work with business initiative leads to establish schedules, milestones, goals, and scope, incorporating technology components, solutions, feasibility, and delivery considerations.
Foster innovation and collaboration while driving alignment and productivity for the aligned team.
Partner with business and technology leaders to identify and prioritize AI opportunities, define success measures and controls, and develop adoption plans.
Manage execution plans to budget and provide updated financial forecasts for labor and non-labor expenses.
Develop and integrate project and operational metrics that demonstrate IT value to the business.
Manage risks associated with initiative delivery and team dynamics, including launch timelines, regulatory deadlines, and producer-impacting changes.

Benefits

Customizable health, dental, mental health, vision, short- and long-term disability, life, and AD&D insurance coverage.
Adoption, surrogacy, and wellness benefits.
Employee and family assistance plans.
Retirement savings plans, including pension and 401(k) savings plans, and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions.
Financial education and counseling resources.
Paid time off in the U.S., including up to 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days, 150 hours of vacation, and 40 hours of sick time each year, or more where required by law.
Statutory leaves of absence.
Incentive programs and incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance for eligible employees.
A flexible environment that supports well-being and inclusion.
Learning and career growth support.