Director, Risk and Controls, CRE

Purpose: Lead and own the end-to-end risk, controls, and audit framework for Corporate Real Estate globally. Set the structure, assess risks, drive alignment and day-to-day execution across CRE and enterprise partners, and ensure audit readiness and regulatory compliance (including OSFI expectations).

Position Responsibilities:

Risk & RCSA Leadership

• Define and lead the CRE risk framework, including Risk Assessments approach, scope, prioritization, and integration with CRE Risk & Technology initiatives
• Design and implement risk processes and tools ensuring alignment with the firm’s enterprise risk framework, leveraging approved technology standards and meeting the needs of all key risk stakeholders across the organization
• Provide oversight, challenge, and sign-off on risk assessments, and audit planning priorities across CRE
• Embed enterprise approval requirements, thresholds, and governance checkpoints into RCSA design and execution
• Establish risk tracking mechanisms (centralized logs, timelines, etc.) to provide visibility into risk exposures and remediation progress

Control Framework & Standardization

• Establish control design standards, procedures, and documentation across CRE
• Evaluate current risks and identify emerging risks facing the business unit, and ensure that controls are properly focused
• Lead process development and ongoing updates to the Risk and Controls Framework, ensuring consistency across regions, platforms, and programs
• Ensure the control environment supports audit, regulatory, privacy, and approval requirements, including BUSO governance where applicable
• Integrate enterprise approval workflows (thresholds, contract approvals, policy exceptions) into control design
• Govern enterprise approval frameworks across CRE
• Ensure all approvals are captured and stored with clear audit trails
• Drive standardization and automation of approval tracking and reporting
• Define and maintain centralized repositories for control documentation, approvals, and artifacts
• Implement standardized control tracking tools to monitor effectiveness, ownership, and deficiencies

Audit & Regulatory Leadership

• Act as primary interface with Internal Audit, OSFI, Risk leadership, and key control stakeholders
• Lead audit planning, readiness, and execution across CRE, including coordination of evidence, stakeholder engagement, and
• assist in the development of remediation plans
• Oversee issue management, CAPs, and remediation delivery to closure
• Ensure approvals, risk decisions, and control evidence are fully traceable and audit-aligned
• Develop audit-ready documentation frameworks including evidence libraries and approval logs
• Monitor audit trends and findings to drive continuous improvement

Business Continuity & Resilience

• Ensure CRE’s BCP, BIA, resilience, and pandemic readiness activities align to risk assessments and enterprise standards
• Provide oversight of continuity controls, testing requirements, and preparedness updates

Governance & Risk Reporting

• Lead executive reporting across risk, audit, approvals, control effectiveness, key issues, and quarterly privacy reporting requirements
• Define governance forums, escalation protocols, reporting cadence, and oversight for BUSO approvals where applicable
• Drive integration of approvals, policies, procedures, and privacy obligations into the broader risk framework
• Establish enterprise-aligned governance ensuring all initiatives meet approval requirements
• Deliver consolidated reporting on approvals, audit readiness, and remediation tracking
• Implement end-to-end tracking of approvals, exceptions, and deviations

Required Qualifications:

• A minimum of 7 years in progressive roles in Operational Risk, Audit, or Controls leadership
• Relevant professional certification/designation (e.g., CIA, CISA, CRMA, CBCP) is an asset
• Expertise in RCSA frameworks, audit management, and control environments
• Proven experience managing regulatory or audit interactions
• University degree in business, finance, risk management, or a related field, and/or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
• Strong understanding of enterprise risk frameworks, governance, and CAP management

Competencies:

• Strong attention to detail and a high standard of accuracy in deliverables, while consistently meeting deadlines
• Ability to understand and work with complex, large enterprise business environments
• Excellent oral and written communication skills including the ability to build and present effective business presentations
• Demonstrated capacity to shift between tasks and changing priorities, lead under pressure, make decisions in ambiguous situations and drive cross functional collaboration in a short period of
• Ability to work well interpersonally across different teams and disciplines at various levels up through executives, as well as influence and manage without direct authority.
• Capable of leading process analysis and providing recommendations for process improvements
• Ability to prioritize and effectively manage competing priorities and projects
• Strategic thinker with strong execution and follow-through
• Ability to translate complex risk concepts into business impact

Success Profile

• Strategic thinker with strong execution and follow-through
• Executive-level communication and influence
• Ability to translate complex risk concepts into business impact
• Proven leader in complex, cross-functional environments
• Demonstrates strong attention to detail and a high standard of accuracy in deliverables, while consistently meeting deadlines

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.

This is a hybrid role based in our Toronto office.

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

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.