Operational Excellence Director

The opportunity

• Bring strategic insights to the table (leveraging from outside experience and industry benchmarks).
• Facilitate forums at a functional level and between Onshore and Offshore.

Responsibilities

Project / Service Delivery

• Partner with assigned Function Lead in planning and developing the business case for proposed OE initiatives and programs that aim to enable and/or support the business in achieving its goals.

• Accountable for ensuring that all projects and services delivered by the squad are of high quality and delivers the expected ¾nefits / impact and that projects are delivered on time and within budget.
• Lead complex high-risk and/or organization-wide transformation and/or process and performance improvement initiatives.
• Provide strategic direction & guidance to project delivery team.

People Leader

• Lead and Mentor direct reports to ensure team and individual objectives and business deliverables are met.
• Identify performance improvement opportunities of direct reports and support their professional development through a combination of structured formal learning and/or certification and on the job mentoring.
• Accountable for building high performing engaged teams.
• Model the MBPS Values in Action as well as other corporate governance & compliance policies such as but not limited to: Code of Employee Discipline Data Privacy Information Security Risk Management etc.

Operational Excellence Champion

• Cultivate a continuous improvement culture and critical thinking in the organization by leading OE Forums with offshore and on shore Business Partners establishing the GBS Operational Excellence Community of Practice and sharing industry best practices case studies implementation tips new trends and tools in Operational Excellence etc.
• Involvement in relevant committees and change management programs. Develop & facilitate management trainings and awareness sessions to educate leaders on Operational Excellence concepts frameworks and tools.
• Conduct LEAN Sigma workshops and provide mentorship to operations leaders and/or process experts. Coach leaders (Function Heads) in running mature operations

Stakeholder Management

• Alignment with GBS SLT function and segment stakeholders to ensure that on-going initiatives are prioritized and aligned based on the set strategic targets.
• Build strong relationships with offshore and onshore business partners.
• Collaborate with other GBS support functions to deliver successful business transformation initiatives.
• Negotiate and manage conflicts with other functions through transparent and authentic conversations in order to address project issues.

How will you create impact

• The role reports in to the Head of Transformation and Operational Excellence and is expected to bring strategic insights to the table.

What motivates you

• You obsess about customers listen engage and act for their benefit.
• You think big with curiosity to discover ways to use your agile approach and enable business outcomes.
• You thrive in teams and enjoy getting things done together.
• You take ownership and build solutions focusing on what matters.
• You do what is right work with integrity and speak up.
• You share your humanity helping us build a diverse and inclusive work environment for everyone.

What we are looking for

Minimum Hiring Requirements Experience

• 10 years combined experience in operational management management of key support functions and leading process & performance improvement projects in the insurance and/or BPO industry.
• At least 5 years experience in leading process & performance improvement projects for customer service operations in the insurance BPO and/or shared services industry (i.e. call center emails chats back office etc.)
• Experience in leading process & performance improvement projects for key support functions such as: recruitment training quality customer experience management forecasting capacity planning scheduling real-time management transitions SLA Management Client Management Reporting etc.
• Experience leading large cross-functional organization-wide multi-site transformation and/or process and performance improvement initiatives
• At least 2 years experience in managing stakeholders in Executive Leadership roles i.e. delivering formal presentations developing executive reports facilitating executive-level meetings etc.
• Experience working with stakeholders across different geos i.e. North America Canada Asia
• At least 2 years experience in developing and facilitating management trainings and workshops on various Operational Excellence Problem Solving and Project Management frameworks methodologies and tools (LEAN DMAIC Data Analysis HCD Design Thinking Agile Scrum etc.)
• Demonstrated strong passion for continuous learning At least 5 years experience as People Leader for OE teams Alignment with Manulife Values & Culture

Desired:

• Management consulting experience Experience leading process & performance improvement projects across multiple geos i.e. North America Canada Asia
• Familiarity with commonly used BPO tools and systems (i.e. Nice Verint IEX ACD CRM Ticketing Systems Knowledgebase Learning Management Systems Power BI etc.)
• Builds and leverages on network of OE professionals and or organizations in the industry and/or academe to keep abreast of best practices industry developments trends issues etc.
• Experience in leading OE teams remotely i.e. staff working from home or at other geo locations

Minimum Hiring Requirements - Knowledge & Skills

• Knowledge of Insurance operations
• Knowledge of and hands-on application of Operational Excellence Problem Solving and Project Management frameworks methodologies and tools (LEAN DMAIC Data Analysis HCD Design Thinking Agile Scrum etc.)
• Knowledge of BPO Industry
• Knowledge of Contact Center and Back-Office Operations
• Certified LEAN Six Sigma Blackbelt
• Knowledge of operations management and with strong business acumen
• Project management skills
• Advanced MS Excel skills
• Advanced PowerPoint skills
• Use of statistical tools for data analysis i.e. Minitab SPC Excel etc.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
• Good interpersonal skills
• Strong negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Ability to influence & lead executive leaders in decision-making through insightful data-driven and value-added recommendations.
• Client management skills
• Ability to develop and facilitate management trainings and workshops geared towards mid-level senior-level and executive leaders.
• Excellent leadership skills

Desired:

• Certified COPC Implementation Leader
• PMP Certified
• Agile Certification
• Scrum Certification

What can we offer you

• A competitive salary and benefits packages.
• A growth trajectory that extends upward and outward encouraging you to follow your passions and learn new skills.
• A focus on growing your career path with us.
• Flexible work policies and strong work-life balance.
• Professional development and leadership opportunities.

Our commitment to you

• Values-first culture
  We lead with our Values every day and bring them to life together.
• Boundless opportunity
  We create opportunities to learn and grow at every stage of your career.
• Continuous innovation
  We invite you to help redefine the future of financial services.
• Delivering the promise of Diversity Equity and Inclusion
  We foster an inclusive workplace where everyone thrives.
• Championing Corporate Citizenship
  We build a business that benefits all stakeholders and has a positive social and environmental impact.

About Manulife and John Hancock

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. To learn more about us visit is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At Manulife/John Hancock we embrace our diversity. We strive to attract develop and retain a workforce that is as diverse as the customers we serve and to foster an inclusive work environment that embraces the strength of cultures and individuals. We are committed to fair recruitment retention advancement and compensation and we administer all of our practices and programs without discrimination on the basis of race ancestry place of origin colour ethnic origin citizenship religion or religious beliefs creed sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions) sexual orientation genetic characteristics veteran status gender identity gender expression age marital status family status disability or any other ground protected by applicable law.

It is our priority to remove barriers to provide equal access to employment. A Human Resources representative will work with applicants who request a reasonable accommodation during the application process. All information shared during the accommodation request process will be stored and used in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and Manulife/John Hancock policies. To request a reasonable accommodation in the application process contact .