Team Lead, Manulife Wealth Middle Office

The Wealth Middle Office Team Lead is responsible for leading a team of Wealth Operations Specialists and ensuring the effective delivery of operational services supporting advisors, clients, and distribution partners. The role is accountable for day-to-day service delivery, people leadership, operational controls, risk management, and continuous improvement activities within Wealth Middle Office Operations.

The Team Lead drives a culture of accountability, operational excellence, customer centricity, and employee engagement while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and enterprise risk standards. The role serves as a key escalation point for operational issues, supports strategic initiatives, and partners closely with business stakeholders to deliver seamless advisor and customer experiences

Position Responsibilities:

Operational Leadership & Service Delivery

• Lead daily Wealth Middle Office operations to ensure service commitments, quality standards, and productivity goals are consistently achieved.
• Monitor workflow volumes, queue management, and turnaround times to ensure operational efficiency and optimal resource utilization.
• Manage team performance against service level agreements (SLA), quality, productivity, and rework targets.
• Act as the primary operational escalation point for advisors, Contact Centre, Advisory Support Managers, Sales and business partners.
• Review operational trends and identify opportunities to improve customer experience and operational performance.
• Support capacity planning activities and workforce management initiatives to ensure business readiness.

Core Functional Responsibilities

The Team Lead provides oversight and support across Wealth Middle Office functions, including:

Account Administration

• New account opening and registration support.
• Account maintenance and updates.
• Client documentation review and validation.
• Estate and beneficiary updates.
• Registered and non-registered account administration.

Asset Movement & Transfers

• ATON transfers and external transfers.
• Internal account transfers.
• In-kind asset transfers.
• Cash movement requests.
• Deposit and withdrawal processing.

Trade & Operational Support

• Trade correction and exception management.
• Settlement monitoring and issue resolution.
• Advisor transaction support.
• NIGO (Not In Good Order) review and resolution.
• Escalation and case management.

Advisor & Stakeholder Support

• Service requests from advisors and distribution partners.
• Escalated inquiry management.
• Process guidance and operational expertise.
• Relationship management with frontline and business partners.

People Leadership & Talent Development

• Build and maintain a high-performing, engaged, and customer-focused team.
• Provide ongoing coaching, mentoring, and performance feedback to team members.
• Develop employee capabilities through training, development plans, and stretch opportunities.
• Conduct regular touchpoints, coaching sessions, and career development discussions.
• Support succession planning and create development opportunities for future leaders.
• Foster employee engagement through recognition, communication, and inclusive leadership practices.
• Ensure Individual Development Plans (IDPs) are maintained and regularly reviewed.

Risk, Governance & Controls

• Promote a strong risk-aware culture within the team.
• Ensure compliance with operational procedures, regulatory requirements, and enterprise policies.
• Oversee quality reviews and monitoring of high-risk transactions.
• Identify, escalate, and support resolution of operational incidents, privacy incidents, and control deficiencies.
• Support corrective action plan (CAP) management and audit remediation activities.
• Ensure timely completion of access reviews, control attestations, and governance requirements.
• Participate in Business Continuity Planning (BCP) testing and operational readiness activities.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Drive operational excellence through process reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support implementation of AI, automation, and low-code solutions to improve efficiency and scalability. [
• Leverage operational data and reporting to identify trends, opportunities, and risks.
• Reduce rework and improve service quality through root cause analysis and process enhancements.
• Support enterprise and business unit transformation initiatives.
• Champion a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

Stakeholder Management & Customer Focus

• Partner with Sales, Advisory Support Managers, Contact Centre, Compliance, Risk, Technology, and Operations teams to deliver superior service experiences.
• Build trusted relationships with advisors and business partners through proactive communication and issue resolution.
• Support the "Relationship First" service model and customer-centric culture.
• Ensure timely and effective management of escalations from frontline teams and stakeholders.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in Wealth Management, Investment Operations, Securities Operations, Financial Services, or a related environment.
• Previous leadership or supervisory experience preferred.
• Experience in mentoring, coaching for 1-2 years is required
• Strong understanding of Canadian Wealth Operations, investment products, and advisor support processes.
• Experience working within shared services and global operating models is an asset

Preferred Qualifications:

• Operational Leadership
• Wealth Operations Expertise
• Coaching & Talent Development
• Risk & Control Management
• Customer & Advisor Focus
• Stakeholder Management
• Data Analysis & Reporting
• Continuous Improvement
• AI & Digital Adoption
• Problem Solving & Decision Making
• Communication & Influencing Skills
• Collaboration & Relationship Building

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.

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.

Hybrid