The Manager, Change Enablement will be part of a team with a mandate to accelerate a change-adaptive mindset as a core role skillset in Manulife's DNA. This key role helps ensure everyone knows and owns their role in change by empowering colleagues with the learning, tools, resources, and community so they can better adapt to change and effectively roll out and sustain impactful transformation.
Day-to-day, the role involves leading empowerment efforts and guiding teams on the front lines of delivering transformation using structured methodologies, conducting impact and readiness assessments, and developing comprehensive Change Enablement strategies. The Manager works closely with delivery teams to ensure effective execution and requires strong leadership skills, including high emotional intelligence, stakeholder management, and the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across a matrixed environment
This is a Manager-level individual contributor role — the incumbent will not have direct reports but will lead change enablement work through influence, coaching project teams, and partnering across a matrixed environment.
Position Responsibilities:
Partner with the Director of Change Enablement and the Head of Operations Strategy and Transformation to develop and implement the change enablement strategy across assigned projects and portfolios.
Guide, consult, and coach project teams and change champions on Change Enablement activities using a structured methodology (e.g., Prosci ADKAR, Kotter, or proprietary Manulife frameworks).
Own and drive the change lifecycle end-to-end, ensuring Change Enablement expertise is embedded from project inception through operationalization.
Conduct impact and readiness assessments at the project team level and translate insights into actionable plans.
Complete comprehensive Change Enablement assessments and develop, implement, and evolve corresponding strategies.
Identify, analyze, and prepare risk mitigation tactics; anticipate and manage resistance across stakeholder groups.
Cultivate and manage working relationships with project leads and executive sponsors, recommending tactics for sustained sponsor engagement throughout the project lifecycle.
Design clear communication plans and training interventions to build awareness, understanding, and adoption.
Incorporate Change Enablement best practices into project plans, run appropriate reports and metrics, and monitor initiative success.
Reinforce and evolve the Change Enablement Playbook, contributing to continuous improvement of methodologies, tools, and standards.
Accountabilities
Successful delivery of change enablement initiatives aligned with enterprise strategy.
Effective communication and collaboration with stakeholders across departments and matrixed reporting lines.
Deployment of training programs that equip employees to navigate change effectively.
Continuous improvement of change enablement processes, tools, and practices.
Staying informed of emerging trends and best practices in change management.
Required Qualifications
Minimum 5 years of experience in Change Enablement, Change Management, or related transformation work — at any level, as long as the experience is directly related to change enablement practice.
Experience is specifically in Organizational Change Management (people/adoption side) — not IT/ITIL Change Management (technical change control).
Experience applying structured change methodologies such as Prosci ADKAR, Kotter, or proprietary methods.
Strong understanding of the project management lifecycle in both waterfall and agile methodologies.
Ability to quantitatively measure change readiness and track awareness, understanding, and adoption over time.
Exceptional communication, collaboration, and relationship management skills, with the ability to influence in a matrixed environment.
Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence without authority and drive outcomes through matrixed and project-based…