Senior IT Project Manager - Legal, Compliance, Audit, Government Relations

The Senior IT Project Manager - Legal, Compliance, Audit, Government Relations position at Manulife, offers the opportunity to lead complex, cross-functional technology initiatives within regulated domains across Legal, Compliance, Government, and Audit functions. You will drive digitization, automation, cost optimization, and process improvement initiatives that support business efficiency and risk management. Partnering with global stakeholders, you will deliver high-impact projects with strong visibility to senior leadership. This role provides exposure to enterprise transformation initiatives and the opportunity to develop and lead large-scale programs that create measurable business value.

Position Responsibilities

• Own full project lifecycle including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure using best-practice methodologies

• Lead initiatives focused on digitization, automation, process improvement, and cost optimization

• Partner with business stakeholders to define scope, requirements, and implementation strategies

• Develop business cases and cost-benefit analyses to support project initiatives

• Manage scope, schedule, budget, risks, issues, and dependencies to ensure successful delivery

• Provide clear, consistent communication to stakeholders, sponsors, and senior leadership

• Lead and coordinate cross-functional teams (engineering, architecture, compliance, QA, business)

• Translate business requirements into actionable delivery plans and manage stakeholder expectations

• Oversee vendor relationships, including contract negotiation and compliance

• Support execution of organizational and divisional strategies

• Conduct post-implementation reviews and continuous improvement assessments

• Stay current with industry trends, tools, and best practices

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field and equivalent business experience

• 10+ years of experience managing complex, cross-functional technology projects

• 5–7 years of experience within financial services or other regulated environments

• Hands-on experience with project management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, MS Project/Planner, Power BI)

• PMP (or equivalent) certification with strong knowledge of PMBOK

• Proficiency in and Agile/Scrum methodologies, Waterfall delivery, SDLC, and software implementation best practices.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience managing initiatives within Legal, Compliance, Government, or Audit domains

• Strong financial acumen (business case development, forecasting, variance analysis)

• Experience with risk management, governance, and compliance frameworks

• Vendor management and contract negotiation experience

• Exposure to AI use cases and integrating compliance and audit considerations into technology solutions

• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills

When you join our team:

• We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want.

• We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words.

• As part of our global team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see.

The role being advertised is an existing vacancy.

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 https://www.manulife.com/en/about/our-story.html.

Manulife 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 hr@manulife.com.

Referenced Salary Location

Working Arrangement

Salary range is expected to be between

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 hr@manulife.com 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 hr@manulife.com 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.