The Opportunity

The customer is the focus of everything we do, and millions of end users rely on our products daily. We believe in the value of empowering Agile Product Owner (Project Lead) with the resources to solve critical problems for the future of our business, which is why we need you. 

Job Profile Description:

■Context

Manulife is on a digitization journey to delight our customers and we need a dynamic agile leader to build our capability. In this role you will take leadership over the growing product owner function that is key to successful agile delivery. The ideal candidate will have big ideas and strategies that foster an environment of collaboration and creativity. We need someone who has an entrepreneurial mindset for distilling business value and goals into roadmaps and refined product backlogs. Taking ownership of the product and support and motivate the delivery teams while building relationships across the company will ensure our success. As a product owner, you should have the ability to plan and manage the development project from start to finish, and ensure that the product meets the customer's needs. As we grow, this role will also support, coach, and train product owners that join our winning team.

■Objectives of this role
- Lead project execution to define product vision, roadmap, and growth opportunities, and communicate with stakeholders throughout the end-to-end project lifecycle

- Collaborate with internal and external contacts to analyze needs and align product roadmap to strategic goals

- Work closely with product managers and business teams to create and maintain product backlog according to business value or ROI

■Responsibilities
- Envision target state and roadmap considering customer needs and experience
- Plan and prioritize product development and product feature backlog
- Develop detailed product feature specifications and ensure they are clearly understood by relevant teams
- Assess value, develop cases, and prioritize stories, epics, and themes to ensure work aligns with product strategy

- Lead daily project execution activities by making decisions and mitigate roadblocks to achieving sprint/release goals
- Create the product-release plans and set expectations for delivery of new functionalities
- Continuously review the business needs, refine priorities, outline milestones and deliverables, and identify opportunities/risks
- Serve as product ambassador internally and externally, sharing knowledge and answering questions

Required skills and qualifications:
- 6+ years of experience in product development and/or project execution
- In-depth knowledge of agile methodology and direct experience in scrum delivery
- Understanding of business values related to features and functions with customer centric focus
- Outstanding communication, presentation, and leadership skills
- Sharp analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to effectively manage conflicting needs of stakeholders

Preferred skills and qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in related discipline
- Product Owner Certification (SAFe POPM, SAFe SA, etc.)
- Proficiency with applicable project management tools and technology
- Native or business level for both Japanese and English
- 6+ years consulting firm experiences in insurance industry (life preferred)
- 6+ years insurance industry (life preferred) experience for leading projects

Internal Guidelines about Work from Home:

Hybrid Model, following Manulife’s Working Better guidelines.

Over time:

0-40 hours/month.

Salary:

Based on our Work Rules, we will consider your experience, skills and knowledge when we decide the salary.

Commutation allowance and Variable Incentive Bonus are paid based on our Work Rules.

Working Hours:

Standard Working Hours: 9:00am - 5:00pm  (Include 1 hour break. Flex-time system available)

Benefits:

Social Insurance (Health Insurance, Employees' Pension, Unemployment Insurance, Worker's Accident Insurance), Benefit One, Training system (include Japanese lesson / English lesson), Childcare Leave/Family care Leave, Baby-sitter support program, wiwiw System (Support program for those who take Childcare Leave), Retirement Pension (only for Regular employee).

Holidays/Vacations:

Saturdays and Sundays

National Holidays

Year-end and new year holidays (December 30, December 31, January 2 and January 3)

Annual Paid Holiday

For Regular employee, other special holidays are available (e.g. Anniversary Leave, etc.)

Location:

Hatsudai Head Office, Tokyo Opera City, 3-20-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Japan

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 mindset and enable business outcomes You thrive in teams, and enjoy getting things done togetherYou take ownership and build solutions, focusing on what matters You do what is right, work with integrity and speak upYou share your humanity, helping us build a diverse and inclusive work environment for everyone 

Our commitment to you

Our mission; to be a part of making Decisions Easier and Lives BetterA leadership team dedicated to your growth and success A bold ambition and set of goals to be a leader in driving transformation in our industry Our best. Every day. 

Learn more about opportunities with us at jobs.manulife.com    

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 recruitment@manulife.com.

Working Arrangement

Hybrid