Director, Creative Design Services

Do you believe great creative work doesn’t just look good—it drives the business forward? Are you energized by shaping brand moments, inspiring top talent, and turning strategy into standout experiences across the business? If so, the Director of Creative Services role at John Hancock could be your opportunity to elevate and redefine how creativity powers our brand.

The Director of Creative Services is a strategic leader responsible for defining and executing the creative direction for the John Hancock business. This role oversees a high-performing team of designers and creative professionals, driving innovative, customer-focused solutions that strengthen brand equity and deliver exceptional experiences across all channels. The person will lead creative services function—spanning account management, graphic design, video, digital and print production, and content governance—while fostering collaboration across matrixed teams and external partners. This position demands a dynamic leader who combines creative excellence with operational discipline, inspiring teams to deliver differentiated, impactful work that aligns with business objectives and resonates with customers.

Position Responsibilities:

Creative Leadership

• Lead and inspire a talented team of designers and creative professionals, ensuring best-in-class creative execution across all U.S. marketing initiatives

• Drive compelling storytelling and innovative design solutions that simplify complex experiences and differentiate the brand in a competitive marketplace

• Establish and enforce governance for brand and design standards, ensuring consistency and quality across all touchpoints

• Leverage data-driven insights, including NPS and Human-Centered Design (HCD) principles, to inform creative strategies and enhance customer engagement

• Apply change-management strategies to influence the adoption of new processes and tools, demonstrating agility in a transformative environment

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and external agencies to optimize resources and deliver scalable, tiered creative solutions

Marketing Leadership

• Foster a high-performance culture that values creativity, collaboration, and accountability, engaging employees and leaders across the organization

• Champion organizational behaviors that drive innovation, teamwork, and forward-thinking solutions

• Attract, develop, and retain top creative talent, providing mentorship and growth opportunities to build a world-class team

• Provide strategic leadership across matrixed organizations, aligning creative priorities with broader business objectives and global resourcing strategies

• Coach and empower leaders to maximize their potential, ensuring alignment of roles and responsibilities with long-term strategic goals

• Define short- and long-term talent requirements and partner with HR to recruit and onboard exceptional creative professionals

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience leading creative and design initiatives in a complex, multi-channel environment

• Proven expertise in UI/UX design and end-to-end product design

• 10+ years of supervisory and/or project management experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Preferred Qualifications:

• Deep understanding of digital and traditional media, with a successful track record of overseeing production-ready user experiences

• Proficiency in leading design tools (e.g., Figma and related platforms)

• Strong communication skills with an emphasis on collaboration, transparency, and accountability

• Strategic thinking and vision-setting

• Creative and operational leadership

• Stakeholder engagement and influence

• Decision-making and problem-solving

• Collaboration across matrixed teams

• Attention to detail and commitment to quality

When you join our team:

• As part of our global team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see

• 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

If you are applying to this role in Massachusetts, please note the salary range is $128,550 - $222,820 USD.

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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 [email protected].

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 [email protected] for the salary range for your location.

Manulife/John Hancock 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/401(k) savings plans and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources. Our generous paid time off program in the U.S. includes up to 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days, 150 hours of vacation, and 40 hours of sick time (or more where required by law) each year, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence.

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.

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