Lead IT Project Manager

We are a leading financial services provider committed to making decisions easier and lives better for our customers and colleagues around the world. From our environmental initiatives to our community investments, we lead with values throughout our business. To help us stand out, we help you step up, because when colleagues are healthy, respected and meaningfully challenged, we all thrive. Discover how you can grow your career, make impact and drive real change with our Winning Team today. 

Hybrid

Job Description

Manulife Japan (MLJ) has clear business strategy to become Digital Insurance leader in Japan Insurance Market. MLJ business is continues to expand and our technology landscape becomes increasingly complex. Japan has unique business culture that value respect, hierarchy, dynamic market, attention to detail with specific regulations, and customer expectations. Business is now and heavily relies on technology to deliver superior customer services. it has become evident that Project Manager role is necessary to ensure delivering the stability, scalability, and reliability of our IT systems for our customer, including Banking Partners and Captive Agent.

Enterprise Technology Service (ETS) Japan is member of ETS Asia. ETS Asia provide subject matter of expert (SME) service in the planning and deployment of infrastructure technology activities, and to ensure that infrastructure technology related risk is maintained within prevailing appetites, to local market. The ETS Japan Project Manager will be reporting to local ETS who is accountable for instantiating and developing the process, governance, and culture necessary to ensure that infrastructure technology services meet or exceed user expectations.  

MLJ ETS is seeking to have Information Technology Project Manager who has solid experiences with manage delivered application, infrastructure technology program along with bilingual at across at Manulife Japan Business(es).

The person serves as the information technology project manager for a group of multiple related small or medium or large projects or of one or more large, high risk, highly visible and highly complex projects.

This person will closely proactively work with local business, JPIS colleague and ETS member to deliver time-to-market requirements.

Responsibilities

•  Manages and oversees large, long range, or multiple complex projects.
• Develops project scope, cost estimates, human resource requirements, work plans, time schedules, communication plans, and makes work assignments to meet project or program objectives.
• Establishes and monitors program priorities, objectives, and procedures, determining area objectives, targets of service, and resource needs allocation.
• Provides leadership and direction to the functional team so that tasks and activities are coordinated for project scope control, quality control, communication management, change control management, risk management and issue management.
• Functions as a Release Train Engineer in a Scaled Agile Framework environment or equivalent as based on Agile methodology, to direct and coordinate the day-to-day activities, tasks and deliverables required from the project team according to the project plan.
• Functions as a Solutions Train Engineer in a Scaled Agile Framework environment or equivalent as based on Agile methodology, to direct and coordinate the day-to-day activities, tasks and deliverables required from the project team according to the project plan.
• Escalates impediments, manages risk, helps ensure value delivery, and helps drive relentless improvement.
• Develops, establishes, and oversees project prioritization processes that contribute to communicating the annual calendars for Iterations and Program Increments /Releases.
• Develops and maintains records and composes correspondence relative to work.
• Participates in analysis of IT solutions by tracking the execution of features and capabilities using metrics and escalating and tracking impediments.
• Facilitates project meetings.
• Coach leaders, teams, and Scrum Masters in Agile practices and mindsets.
• Serves as a Scrum Master in an Agile environment to direct and coordinate the day-to-day activities, tasks and deliverables required from the project team according to the project plan.
• Facilitates scrum meetings and leads sprint, planning, demo, and retrospective meetings.
• Promotes Scrum adoption. Coaches the Team in Scrum, self-organization, and cross-functionality.
• Using ITIL v3 Framework, manages an Infrastructure Project as a service by directing and coordinating the day-to-day activities, tasks and deliverables required from the project team according to the project plan.
• Performs transition service including transition planning and support, release/deployment management, service validation and testing, change management, service asset and configuration management, and knowledge management.
• Operates service including event management, incident management, request fulfillment, access management, and problem management.
• Develops, establishes, and oversees project prioritization process.
• Aligns portfolio with client and Manulife Japan strategic goals.
• Develops and maintains records, prepares reports, and composes correspondence relative to the work.
• Coordinates work activities by scheduling staff assignments, setting the work priorities, and directing the work of project resources, (including contractual) in the development of new information technology systems and enhancements to existing systems.
• Directs or participates in the development of documents for service requests.
• Maintains awareness of emerging technologies and project management techniques.

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

What we are looking for

• Thorough knowledge of Project Management principles, concepts, and practices.
• Thorough knowledge of system development lifecycle used for the development of new systems and enhancements to existing information systems.
• Thorough knowledge of advanced concepts and basic operating principles of data communications and information systems hardware and software.
• Thorough knowledge of Agile methodology, to direct and coordinate the day-to-day activities, tasks and deliverables required from the project team according to the project plan.
• Thorough knowledge of current ITIL Framework and the ability to manage an Infrastructure Project as a service by directing and coordinating the day-to-day activities, tasks and deliverables required from the project team according to the project plan.
• Knowledge of systems development lifecycle approaches as they apply to Project Management for the establishment, management and delivery of IT Products and Solutions.
• Ability to coach leaders, teams, and Scrum Masters in Agile practices and mindsets.
• Ability to serve as a Scrum Master, facilitate scrum meetings, and lead sprint planning/demo/retrospecitive meetings effectively.
• Ability to transition service including transition planning and support, release/deployment management, service validation and testing, change management, service asset and configuration management, and knowledge management.
• Ability to operate service including event management, incident management, request fulfillment, access.
• Ability to work in a team environment involving matrix organizations.
• Ability to resolve conflicting high-priority requirements.
• Ability to communicate the needs of others effectively.
• Ability to gather and analyze facts, draw conclusions, define problems, and suggest solutions.
• Ability to conduct training and informational sessions.
• Ability to communicate effectively, build consensus, facilitate working sessions, and negotiate solutions and alternatives.
• Ability to maintain favorable public relations and perform problem/issue resolution.

What can we offer you?

• A competitive salary and benefits packages.
• A growth trajectory that extends upward and outward, encouraging you to follow your passions and learn new skills.
• A focus on growing your career path with us.
• Flexible work policies and strong work-life balance.
• Professional development and leadership opportunities.

Our commitment to you

• Values-first culture
  We lead with our Values every day and bring them to life together.
• Boundless opportunity
  We create opportunities to learn and grow at every stage of your career.
• Continuous innovation
  We invite you to help redefine the future of financial services.
• Delivering the promise of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  We foster an inclusive workplace where everyone thrives.
• Championing Corporate Citizenship
  We build a business that benefits all stakeholders and has a positive social and environmental impact.

About Manulife and John Hancock

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we operate as Manulife across our offices in Asia, Canada, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. We provide financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2022, we had more than 40,000 employees, over 116,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 34 million customers. At the end of 2022, we had $1.3 trillion (US$1.0 trillion) in assets under management and administration, including total invested assets of $0.4 trillion (US $0.3 trillion), and segregated funds net assets of $0.3 trillion (US$0.3 trillion). We trade as ‘MFC’ on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges, and under ‘945’ in Hong Kong.

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].