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The Finance Manager leads a team of professionals and/or specialists to deliver accurate, compliant, and timely financial reporting and accounting processes at the business-unit level. This role combines advanced technical expertise with people leadership to oversee complex activities such as period-end closing, compensation accounting, cost management, and financial reporting, while ensuring strong controls and audit readiness. The Finance Manager drives process improvements, resolves escalations, and allocates resources across multiple workstreams to meet operational and strategic objectives. With a solid understanding of business drivers, the role partners cross-functionally to provide actionable insights, support transformation initiatives, and lead modernization efforts within scope, fostering team development and continuous improvement.
Position Responsibilities
The Finance Manager leads a team of professionals and/or specialists, overseeing complex financial and accounting activities at the business-unit level to ensure accurate records, compliance with evolving standards, and delivery of actionable insights for decision-making. This role demonstrates advanced technical expertise, strong commercial awareness, and cross-functional influence; manages multiple workstreams, drives process improvements, and applies judgment to resolve escalations within scope. The leader allocates resources, sets priorities across projects and operational cycles, and impacts the quality, timeliness, and effectiveness of outputs delivered by the team. Work is guided by department policies, budgets, and functional plans, with accountability for audit readiness, disciplined execution, and continuous improvement across the area managed. The Finance Manager owns the results of area-level deliverables, addresses stakeholders’ questions, and acts as the first line of defense for analysis, reasonability checks, and documentation quality. Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
1) Accounting and Reporting
Record-to-Report (R2R) Execution:
Lead implementation of new/updated accounting and reporting standards within the business unit/area, ensuring consistent application and alignment to corporate policies; escalate enterprise policy interpretations to GSS leadership.
Serve as the subject-matter expert for the area; deliver targeted coaching/training and conduct risk-based quality reviews of team outputs.
Assign resources and set priorities across ongoing workstreams in scope; manage complex and nonstandard assignments within the area and escalate cross-BU dependencies.
Review and approve team recommendations on complex/unusual transactions up to defined materiality thresholds; ensure documentation quality; implement performance improvement plans where needed.
Use multi-source data and judgment to resolve escalations; implement corrective actions to ensure completeness, accuracy, and compliance within scope.
Owns outcomes of R2R deliverables and serves as the first line of defense for analysis and reasonability checks; addresses questions from stakeholders and GSS leadership, and supports audit requests with clear, evidence-based responses.
Period Close:
Direct the month-end close for the area (journal entries, accruals, reclasses, reconciliations) across integrated/non‑integrated systems; adapt plans to meet service/operational challenges.
Govern GL accounts within scope; ensure chart of accounts integrity and propose changes to the GSS leadership for alignment with enterprise reporting requirements.
Review, challenge, and sign off reconciliations; approve and release journal entries per internal controls; monitor timeliness and right‑first‑time quality of submissions using KPIs.
Coordinate team tasks; check work quality and progress; follow through on commitments and address systemic issues through collaboration with relevant teams.
Owns the accuracy and completeness of close submissions; acts as first line reviewer to validate balances, movements, and variances for reasonability before sign‑off.
Benefits and Compensation Process:
Provide advanced financial oversight of compensation and benefits accounting/reporting for the area; ensure control effectiveness, compliance, and audit readiness.
Partner with HR/Payroll to validate payroll inputs, incentive payouts, and benefits costs; implement independent reconciliations and variance reviews.
Interpret and challenge trends and accrual methodologies; lead scenario analyses to inform planning and forecasting; provide inputs to HR and GSS leadership for decision-making.
Owns compensation and benefits accounting results within scope and addresses questions on methodologies, reconciliations, and variances with analysis and documentation.
Financial Reporting & Compliance:
Review and approve area statutory and management financial statements; ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with internal policies and external regulations; surface issues early to GSS leadership.
Identify compliance risks within scope; implement mitigation actions; coordinate audit preparedness and maintain audit readiness.
Ensure on-time, high-quality completion of reporting obligations; contribute to the broader finance team’s effectiveness with practical improvements and insights.
Serves as first line of defense for disclosure accuracy and reasonability, owning the narrative and addressing stakeholder and audit inquiries with substantiated analysis.
Reporting and Analytical Support:
Design/tailor business-unit reporting processes and report deliver; drive incremental improvements and clarify data lineage within scope.
Review ad‑hoc analyses for insight quality and stakeholder relevance; simplify complex topics for executive consumption and challenge assumptions where needed.
Develop performance/project reporting tools for the area; provide oversight for incentive compensation, marketing allowances, and deferred incentive plans (DIP) reporting to ensure accuracy and strategic alignment.
Owns the integrity and clarity of management information outputs, answering questions and validating reasonability of metrics, trends, and variances before distribution.
Accounting Advisory Support:
Lead cross-functional accounting discussions for business-unit initiatives (new products/models, programs, ad‑hoc inquiries); guide teams through complex issues and escalate policy matters to GSS leadership.
Interpret and apply new accounting standards within the area; deliver training and consistency checks to support implementation.
Provide expert guidance on booking methodologies, regulatory studies, and reporting requirements; assess financial impacts of initiatives/regulatory changes and build consensus across local stakeholders.
Owns first‑line analysis and documentation for advisory positions and addresses stakeholder questions with clear rationales and references to standards/policies.
2) Cost Management & Planning
Cost Accounting:
Apply advanced costing methodologies (standard, marginal, absorption) within the area; coach the team to produce actionable variance insights (material, labor, overhead).
Lead area cost analysis initiatives to identify performance issues and savings opportunities; standardize templates/definitions and supervise report quality.
Use broad process/operations knowledge to resolve complex escalations; run cost challenge sessions with function leads.
Owns the validity of cost methodologies, variances, and savings narratives; serves as first line reviewer for reasonability checks and answers stakeholder questions on cost drivers.
Budgeting & Forecasting:
Lead the business-unit planning cycle (budget, forecast, outlook) within scope; ensure accuracy, consistency, and alignment with corporate guidance; set challenge thresholds for assumptions.
Guide scenario planning and sensitivities; connect insights to key business drivers and interdependencies across adjacent teams in the area.
Adapt plans and priorities to meet service/operational challenges and performance metrics; communicate tradeoffs and decisions to GSS leadership and stakeholders.
Owns the results of area budgets/forecasts, addressing questions on assumptions and variances with first line analysis and reasonability validation.
Expense Management:
Own expense management for legal entities/business units in scope; govern recording, allocation, and reconciliation processes to ensure control adherence.
Direct audits of general expenses; supervise suspense account reconciliations and clearance; enforce controls and timely remediation.
Coordinate resources, set daily/period cadence and priorities, and resolve escalations to meet quality, volume, and timeliness objectives.
Owns expense governance outcomes and answers inquiries on allocations, approvals, and reconciliations through first‑line checks and documented rationales.
3) Process, Controls & Systems
Process Compliance & Improvement:
Ensure SOX and policy compliance within the area; maintain audit readiness; remediate findings and sustain closure in coordination with GSS leadership and Internal Audit.
Identify and implement process standardization and improvements; lead pilot transformations within the FSS; contribute design feedback to GSS leadership.
Simplify and clarify complex information; set clear performance expectations; handle sensitive escalations with judgment and document lessons learned.
Owns first line testing and documentation quality within scope, addresses audit and management questions, and validates process changes for reasonability prior to adoption.
Systems Proficiency:
Maintain expertise in ERP and accounting systems; recommend minor enhancements and act as the business lead for releases impacting the area (requirements, UAT, cutover support).
Ensure feeder systems (e.g., Fieldglass, Ivalua) integrate cleanly to the ledger; participate in functional design and localized implementation of accounting technologies/tools.
Train team members on system processes; allocate access appropriately; verify data integrity and lineage across workflows within scope.
Owns first line validation of system data flows and reconciliations, addressing stakeholder questions on interfaces, postings, and master data with documented checks.
System Admin Maintenance:
Oversee setup and maintenance of cost centers, accounting units, and accounting structures for the area to ensure accurate data flow and reporting; align with enterprise data governance.
Coordinate team tasks and perform risk-based quality checks on master data and configurations; resolve issues and prevent recurrence through localized controls.
Owns the accuracy of master data in scope, answering inquiries and performing reasonability checks before approvals and updates.
4) People Leadership, Collaboration, Projects & Stakeholders
Team Management & Development:
Manage a team of professionals or specialists, ensuring clarity of roles and responsibilities; provide coaching and development plans to build technical depth and leadership readiness.
Set priorities and allocate resources across multiple workstreams within the area; monitor aggregated performance metrics and address underperformance through structured feedback and improvement plans.
Promote trust, openness, and respect; encourage team participation in decision-making; foster accountability and continuous improvement through lessons learned and best-practice sharing.
Plan for near-term capability needs (cross-training, succession readiness) and escalate longer-term workforce planning to senior leadership.
Owns team outputs and first line reviews for analysis and reasonability; addresses questions from GSS leadership and auditors, and ensures documentation and evidence meet standards.
Stakeholder Engagement:
Communicate complex financial and operational information with clarity and context to senior stakeholders; influence decisions within the business unit by presenting actionable insights.
Build and maintain collaborative relationships across functions; identify opportunities for efficiency and alignment; negotiate trade-offs where priorities conflict.
Handle sensitive escalations with judgment; represent Finance in area-level governance forums; maintain credibility through transparency and timely follow-through.
Owns responses to stakeholder inquiries and provides first line analysis and reasonability checks for positions, results, and recommendations.
Project Leadership:
Lead delivery of multiple interdependent projects within the business unit, ensuring alignment with functional priorities; manage dependencies and risks within scope.
Develop business cases and contingency plans; apply project management tools to monitor progress and resolve obstacles; communicate outcomes effectively to stakeholders.
Escalate cross-unit or enterprise-level risks to senior leadership; contribute insights to broader transformation initiatives without owning enterprise strategy.
Owns project deliverable quality and first line validation of financial impacts, addressing questions on assumptions, benefits, and tradeoffs.
Finance Process Modernization:
Drive process standardization and automation initiatives within the area; implement improvements that enhance efficiency, controls, and insight.
Recommend product/process enhancements based on commercial awareness and market best practices; pilot changes and provide feedback to enterprise teams for scaling.
Ensure audit readiness and compliance during modernization efforts; monitor adoption and embed changes through training and documentation.
Owns reasonability checks and first line analysis on redesigned processes and reports; addresses questions on adoption, controls, and outcomes.
Cross-functional Collaboration:
Actively participate in cross-functional forums to align operational plans with enterprise priorities; understand key business drivers and interdependencies within the area.
Navigate stakeholder dynamics with professionalism; resolve conflicts constructively; establish shared accountability for outcomes.
Represent Finance in business-unit initiatives and regulatory discussions; anticipate local impacts of enterprise changes and provide input to senior leadership.
Owns the finance perspective in cross-functional forums, addressing questions and providing first line validation of numbers, drivers, and implications.
Decision Authority.
The Finance Manager operates with broad autonomy to lead business unit financial integrity and team performance. Accountable for approving journal entries, reconciliations, and complex accounting treatments within defined materiality thresholds; setting priorities and allocating resources across multiple workstreams; and authorizing reporting outputs and localized process improvements. Makes decisions on cost analysis, budgeting, and expense governance for the area, as well as recommending system enhancements and piloting automation initiatives. Influences cross-functional alignment, leads modernization projects within scope, and escalates enterprise-level risks or policy interpretations to senior leadership. Impacts audit readiness, compliance, and operational outcomes across the business unit, driving continuous improvement and team capability development. Owns the results of area-level deliverables and serves as the first line of defense for analysis, reasonability checks, and documentation quality, addressing stakeholder and auditor questions with clear, substantiated responses.
Required Qualifications:
Education & Certification
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
CPA or equivalent professional certification required
Experience
7+ years of progressive experience in financial control, accounting operations, and reporting, including Record-to-Report (R2R), Procure-to-Pay (P2P), and Order-to-Cash (O2C).
2–3 years of people leadership experience, managing professionals or specialists, including performance management, coaching, and resource allocation.
Exposure to the insurance industry and insurance finance operations is highly preferred and considered a strong asset
Proven ability to lead complex accounting transactions, financial reporting, cost analysis, and compliance activities at the business-unit level.
Demonstrated success in driving process improvements, piloting system enhancements, and leading modernization initiatives within scope.
Experience resolving escalations and influencing cross-functional alignment on strategic financial matters.
Technical Skills
Advanced knowledge of professional accounting standards (e.g., IFRS, US GAAP) and regulatory compliance.
Expertise in period-end close, financial statement preparation, cost accounting methodologies, and financial planning techniques.
Strong command of ERP systems (e.g., Infor, SAP, Oracle) and accounting applications; experience with Fieldglass, Ivalua, and reporting tools preferred.
Ability to assess system functionality, recommend localized enhancements, and lead implementation of accounting technology solutions within scope.
Leadership and Soft Skills
Strong leadership capabilities with experience in team management, performance coaching, and conflict resolution.
Advanced communication and interpersonal skills; ability to simplify complex financial concepts and influence stakeholders at all levels.
Skilled in prioritization, resource planning, and decision-making under pressure.
Commercial awareness and understanding of business drivers to align financial strategies with organizational objectives.
Proactive mindset with adaptability to change and commitment to continuous improvement.
Successful Behaviors
Lead through expertise and people management, fostering a collaborative, high-performing team environment.
Take ownership of area-level deliverables, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with strategic goals.
Exhibit sound judgment and accountability in managing escalations and operational challenges.
Promote trust, openness, and respect; build consensus across teams and functions.
Drive process standardization and modernization initiatives to enhance efficiency and insight within scope.
Preferred Qualifications:
Advanced certifications (e.g., CMA, CFA) are an advantage.
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.
Working Arrangement