Manager, Experience Solutions, Global HR

Manager, PeopleComms Technology Operations

The Opportunity

PeopleComms Technology enables the technology, data and digital experiences that support our people and the teams who serve them. We work across a broad HR technology ecosystem to deliver solutions and services that are reliable, secure, well controlled and easy to use, while continually looking for opportunities to simplify how work gets done.

Reporting to the AVP, PeopleComms Technology, the Manager, PeopleComms Technology Operations leads a team responsible for the day-to-day support, delivery and operational health of Workday and other technologies across the PeopleComms ecosystem.

This hands-on manager role combines people leadership, operational oversight and practical problem solving. You will set team priorities, manage capacity and guide cases and escalations, providing hands-on support and ensure work is delivered effectively while maintaining strong controls across data, security, configuration and system changes.

You will also help evolve how the team works. This includes identifying opportunities to eliminate recurring issues, simplify processes, improve self-service and responsibly use automation, AI and emerging technology to improve productivity, service delivery and the employee experience.

Working closely with partners across People & Culture, Technology, Data, Security, Privacy and other teams, you will help translate priorities into practical plans and ensure work is delivered with the right balance of speed, quality, risk management and employee experience.

Responsibilities

Manage the team and day-to-day support

• Manage, coach and develop HR technology specialists and analysts, setting clear expectations and supporting their skills and career development.
• Set team priorities and manage capacity across operational support, enhancements, HR cycles and project support, with clear assignments and timelines.
• Coordinate complex and time-sensitive Tier 2 (specialist support) cases and production issues, acting as the team’s escalation point and involving the appropriate technical or business owners.
• Monitor service levels, backlog and workload, adjusting team priorities and escalating risks to service commitments.

• Provide hands-on support when needed for complex issues, testing, troubleshooting, documentation and priority initiatives.

• Coordinate cross-training, knowledge sharing and coverage within the team, and support skill development to meet day-to-day operational needs.

Maintain reliable and well-controlled technology operations

• Oversee operational support across a diverse PeopleComms Technology ecosystem, including HRIS, learning and case management technologies.
• Apply established controls for system access, security, data maintenance, testing and documentation, and support, controlled changes with configuration and delivery teams.
• Maintain current standard operating procedures (SOPs) and knowledge articles so work is performed consistently and critical knowledge is shared across the team.
• Coordinate HR data-maintenance support, including complex and high-volume changes, mass uploads and reference data updates. Apply established validation, reconciliation and exception-handling controls, working with data owners and technology teams to resolve issues.
• Work with Security, Privacy, Data and Technology teams to resolve control issues and follow governance requirements.

Support key HR cyclical activities

· Coordinate the team’s technology and data support for key HR cycles within agreed timelines and requirements.

· Track assigned activities and escalate dependencies, risks and issues to the responsible teams.

· Support cycle-specific testing, documentation and follow-up within established controls.

Support operational data activities for organizational changes

· Coordinate assigned data support for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other organizational changes within agreed project plans.

· Support data capture, validation, reference data preparation, testing, production deployment and post-go-live activities.

· Flag data risks, dependencies and readiness concerns, and prepare documentation and support arrangements with the responsible teams.

Support operational improvement

• Support root-cause analysis of recurring issues and work with the responsible teams on fixes that reduce repeated manual intervention.
• Identify ways to simplify processes, improve self-service and reduce manual effort for employees and HR partners.

• Support the intake and prioritization of operational enhancements, defects and technical debt, balancing urgency, impact, capacity and risk.

• Maintain reporting on workload, capacity and service quality. Use trends and feedback to inform priorities and identify recurring issues, risks, capability gaps and improvements.

Support responsible AI and automation use

· Identify practical uses of approved AI and automation tools, providing input on benefits, effort, risks and human review to support assessment and prioritization by the responsible teams.

• Support responsible experimentation and adoption of approved tools in line with security, privacy, data and AI governance requirements.
• Build team capability by sharing effective practices and assessing relevant new platform capabilities.

Coordinate with partners and communicate support needs

• Build strong relationships across People & Culture, Technology, Data, Security, Privacy, vendors and project teams.

• Coordinate the team’s testing, readiness and post-production support for enhancements, releases and implementations with configuration, delivery and project teams.
• Contribute operational input to cross-functional planning and governance discussions, highlighting support needs, capacity constraints, data-quality concerns and readiness risks, with recommendations for resolution.
• Provide leadership updates on team service performance, priorities, risks and progress, highlighting issues that need guidance or decisions.

Qualifications

Required experience and skills

• 7+ years of experience in HR technology, HRIS, enterprise applications, data operations or related technology operations, including supporting complex operational services and system changes.
• 5+ years of people management experience in a technology or operational environment, including coaching, development, performance management, work prioritization and team capacity planning.
• Experience with Workday or a comparable enterprise HR platform and other HR technologies, with an understanding of HR processes, data, security and system operations.

• Experience operating in a service-oriented environment with responsibility for case management, incident resolution, escalations, service levels and operational performance.
• Experience supporting system releases, enhancements, testing, cyclical processes and production deployments.

• Experience supporting operational data changes, including validation, testing, production readiness and post-go-live support.

• Strong understanding of data integrity, role-based security, privacy, compliance, change controls and audit requirements within an HR technology environment.

• Ability to manage competing priorities and team capacity while balancing service needs and improvements.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills, including identifying patterns and underlying causes.

• Strong judgment and discretion when working with sensitive employee and organizational information.

• Clear written and verbal communication in English, including explaining technical and operational issues to varied audiences.
• Ability to build effective relationships across HR, Technology, Data, Security, Privacy, vendors and project teams.

Assets

• Experience in a complex global organization.
• Experience with Fieldglass, ServiceNow, Salesforce and/or Jira.
• Experience with or demonstrated interest in AI, automation and emerging technologies, particularly their responsible application within HR or enterprise technology environments.
• Experience supporting data activities for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures or large-scale workforce changes.

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 [email protected].

Working Arrangement