Global Head of Underwriting Innovation and Research

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto Canada we provide financial advice and insurance operating as Manulife across Canada Asia and Europe and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management the global brand for our global wealth and asset management segment we serve individuals institutions and retirement plan members worldwide. Our principal operations are in Asia and Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 155 years. We trade as MFC on the Toronto New York and the Philippine stock exchanges and under 945 in Hong Kong.

The Global Head of Underwriting Innovation and Research is a senior strategic leader who will play a key part in shaping the future of underwriting and claims across the enterprise. This role partners closely with senior executives and crossfunctional teams to drive thought leadership accelerate disruptive innovation in the health and protection space and introduce new tools methodologies and technologies that transform underwriting and claims experiences for customers distribution partners and internal teams.

In partnership with segment leads this executive will lead the research and practical application of emerging medical technological and AI advancementsassessing their implications on risk selection business models and operational processes. This role is accountable for converting insights into actionable recommendations and worldleading capabilities.

Position Responsibilities:

Vision & Strategic Leadership

• Actively monitor global trendstechnological medical behavioral and societalto anticipate and interpret industry disruptions.

• Translate insights into strategic opportunities that reshape underwriting models and elevate competitive positioning.

• Continually evolve the enterprise-wide vision for disruptive advancement in underwriting and claims.

• Partner with markets and business leaders to shape a multiyear transformation roadmap.

• Ensure the organization is not simply keeping pace with industry change but helping define it.

Operational Excellence

• Partners with the business to enable strategic underwriting changes that improve operational efficiency underwriting accuracy and customer insurability.

• Implement advanced analytics automation and emerging technologies that enhance customer experience and risk selection.

• Lead global research and continuous improvements to the underwriting algorithm to stay ahead of medical and technological advancements.

• Promote a culture of underwriting excellence that enables strong business results and sustained leadership.

Ecosystem Engagement

• Engage ecosystems including insurtechs health networks academic labs data platforms design studios and earlystage innovators.

• Harness external intelligence to identify breakthrough opportunities and accelerate marketready innovation.

• Position the company externally as a collaborator of choice for industryshaping partnerships.

• Represent the organization at strategic forums innovation networks and thoughtleadership events.

Experimentation & Pilot Acceleration

• Support the design and delivery of pilots across marketsfrom discovery to testing to validationwith speed rigor and discipline.

• Ensure pilots are humancentered meaningful and designed to scale (not stall).

• Support markets in derisking experimentation while enabling bold innovation.

Global Collaboration & Adoption Enablement

• Work shouldertoshoulder with underwriting and claims teams globally to drive solution adoption.

• Remove barriers simplify complexity and create conditions that allow new ideas to take root and grow across diverse markets.

• Build global communities of practice that share insights accelerate learning and strengthen capability maturity.

Stakeholder Leadership

• Build strong alignment across Underwriting Operations Technology Risk Distribution and Product functions.

• Communicate complex concepts progress and insights with clarity conviction and strategic framing.

• Foster enterprisewide engagement and sponsorship for underwriting and claims innovation.

Team Growth & Culture Shaping

• Cultivate a team mindset rooted in curiosity courage patternspotting and interdisciplinary thinking.

• Bring together and develop global talent across underwriting claims technology behavioral science design and adjacent fields.

• Create a broader organizational culture where What if becomes the default mindset.

• Empower teams to think differently challenge conventions and pursue bold ideas responsibly.

Required Qualifications:

• Ideally has worked in transformative and disruptive environments scaling data-driven Health capabilities with AI (e.g: Google Health Whoop etc).

• Technological proficiency experience with digital tools data-driven decisioning automation and emerging AI technologies.

• A deep understanding of AI data analysis predictive analytics and the ability to apply these skills to predict longevity and health outcomes based on individual health profiles

• Experience applying AI/ML automation digital health intelligence and advanced analytics within complex organizations.

• Exceptional strategic thinking and change management skills.

• Effective communication with/influence of stakeholders strong negotiation skills and ability to build and maintain trust.

• Ability to guide crossfunctional team through ambiguity and experimentation.

• Extensive leadership experience in underwriting innovation risk assessment insurance transformation health technology or related fields.

• Demonstrated ability to lead in a global matrixed environment and deliver impact across diverse markets.

• An understanding of competitive dynamics customer experience and needs and emerging risks would be an asset.

• Experience in life underwriting & claims management would be an asset.

This posting supports an ongoing hiring initiative for existing and/or future vacancies.

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 .

Salary & Benefits

Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance. The actual salary will vary depending on local market conditions geography and relevant job-related factors such as knowledge skills qualifications experience and education/training. If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location please contact for the salary range for your location.

Manulife offers eligible employees a wide array of customizable benefits including 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. We also offer eligible employees various retirement savings plans (including pension and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources. Our generous paid time off program in Canada includes holidays vacation personal and sick days and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence. If you are applying for this role in the U.S. please contact for more information about U.S.-specific paid time off provisions.

We use data and analytics technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automated processing tools to analyze and process the information you provide to us or third parties in the application process. For more information please refer to our personal information collection statement.